rm
Passport
- Family
- Corydoras Catfish
- Grows to
- 6.5 cm (2.6")
- Lives
- 10–15 years
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Care
- Beginner
- Swims
- On the bottom
- Keep
- In a group of 6 or more
- Water
- 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
BoliviaBrazil
Care requirements
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On record for Sterba's Cory: adult size, lifespan, minimum tank, temperature, ph, hardness, minimum group, diet, care level, swim level, tank length.
A figure that is not on record is left out rather than guessed. One marked Suggested comes from keeping knowledge rather than a page.
- Minimum tank 42 L / 11.2 US gal
- pH 6–7.6
- Hardness 1–15 dGH
- Diet omnivore
- Tank length 45 cm minimum
Care notes written from general aquarium knowledge, not from the cited sources.
About
Sterba's is the cory people upgrade to. A dark body dusted with fine white spots that run right over the head, orange-flushed pectoral fins, and a heavier build than the common bronze — it's the most striking of the widely available species and it holds its looks into old age.
They're bigger and stockier than most corys in the trade, which makes them easier to keep with medium-sized community fish that would harass a pygmy or a panda.
They're also among the hardier species in the genus, and they're bred commercially in large numbers, so the fish you buy is usually robust and already used to ordinary tap water.
Tank setup
Give your Sterba's sand and plenty of floor. They're a substantial fish that forages constantly, and a long tank with open ground suits them far better than a tall one.
Sand is not optional. Corys feed by driving their snouts into the substrate, and gravel grinds the barbels away until they cannot forage at all.
Keep a proper group. They're social, they feed together and they rest together, and a lone Sterba's spends its time hidden.
Provide shade: wood, broad leaves, a cave. They use it during the day and come out to feed at dusk.
Leave an air gap at the surface, because they surface to gulp air as part of normal breathing.
Feeding
Sterba's are omnivorous and enthusiastic, and their size means they can handle proper-sized food.
Feed sinking pellets and wafers as the base, with frozen bloodworm, daphnia, brine shrimp and the occasional chopped prawn. They'll take almost anything that reaches the bottom.
Feed enough. A big cory in a busy community can still be out-competed, and the belly is the place to check — a well-fed Sterba's is rounded, not hollow.
Avoid: relying on what the other fish drop, and avoid gravel that stops them foraging in the first place.
Filtration and flow
Moderate flow suits them and they'll happily work in a current.
Filter for the bioload. They're larger than most corys and a group produces real waste.
Keep the substrate clean by siphoning. Corys live in the layer where detritus settles, and clean sand is what keeps barbels intact.
With plants
Sterba's corys are safe with plants and won't eat or uproot them, though a group barging about will nudge unrooted stems loose.
Plant the back and sides and leave the foreground clear for foraging.
Broad-leaved plants give them daytime shade and cost nothing to include.
Health
They're among the more robust corys and generally trouble-free in a mature tank.
Barbel erosion remains the classic problem. Look first at what they are sifting and how often you siphon it, and remember a damaged barbel can also become infected — the two are not alternatives.
Salt is best kept away from them. For anything else, look for a treatment that names catfish on the label and give it as the label says — under-dosing on principle risks a course too weak to work, which helps nobody.
Breeding
Sterba's spawn readily and a cool water change is the reliable trigger, mimicking the rains that start their season in the wild.
The female cups a few eggs between her pelvic fins, takes milt from a male, and presses them individually onto glass, plants and wood. A group will scatter eggs over the whole tank across a morning.
Adults eat eggs, so move them to a separate container. The fry are large by cory standards and take microworm and baby brine shrimp early, which makes this one of the easier corys to raise.
Tank mates
Avoid8
- Least Killifish Sterba's Cory grows to 6 cm against Least Killifish at 2 cm, big enough to eat it.
- Scarlet Badis Sterba's Cory grows to 6 cm against Scarlet Badis at 2 cm, big enough to eat it.
- Common Goldfish Common Goldfish is not safe with Sterba's Cory: common goldfish and corydoras catfish are a bad pairing.
- Demasoni Cichlid Demasoni Cichlid is not safe with Sterba's Cory: african cichlids and corydoras catfish are a bad pairing.
- Electric Yellow Lab Sterba's Cory and Electric Yellow Lab do not mix: african cichlids and corydoras catfish are a bad pairing.
Only with care10
- Convict Cichlid Convict Cichlid is noticeably larger than Sterba's Cory and may bully it or outcompete it at feeding time.
- Jewel Cichlid Jewel Cichlid is noticeably larger than Sterba's Cory and may bully it or outcompete it at feeding time.
- Chinese Algae Eater Chinese Algae Eater is aggressive and Sterba's Cory is peaceful.
- Clown Loach Clown Loach is a risk to Sterba's Cory: corydoras catfish and loaches and botia are a pairing to watch.
- Dwarf Chain Loach Dwarf Chain Loach is a risk to Sterba's Cory: corydoras catfish and loaches and botia are a pairing to watch.
No conflict is recorded with the other 88 species in the database, so nothing to flag. 2 species are not covered at all, so they could not be judged either way.