Breeding Corydoras evelynae (Evelyn's Cory)

Breeding guide for Corydoras evelynae (Hoplisoma evelynae): sexing, water parameters and the documented T-position spawning of 2–4 eggs per pass.

Overview

Corydoras evelynae (now also placed in the genus Hoplisoma as Hoplisoma evelynae) is an armoured catfish (family Callichthyidae) from the Amazon River basin, including the upper Solimões River in Colombia, reaching a maximum standard length of about 4 cm. It is an egg-laying species that spawns in the Corydoras T-position.

Sexing

As in other Corydoras, females grow larger and become broader and deeper-bodied than males when sexually mature, an effect most visible from above when females are full of eggs.

Breeding Setup

• Temperature: 22–26 °C
• pH: 6.0–8.0
• Hardness: 2–25 dH
• Provide glass, fine-leaved plants and/or spawning mops as deposition surfaces (general Corydoras practice; flagged)

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

The female holds a batch of between 2 and 4 eggs between her pelvic fins, and the male takes around 30 seconds to fertilise each batch. The female then swims to a suitable spot and attaches the very sticky eggs to a substrate. This process is repeated until around 100 eggs have been fertilised and stuck to a substrate.

Egg & Fry Care

Following the general Corydoras pattern (flagged: not species-specific timing for C. evelynae), eggs hatch within a few days and the fry take small live foods such as microworm and Artemia nauplii once free-swimming. Maintain excellent water quality and rear fry over a thin layer of sand.