Reticulated Corydoras Care Guide
Corydoras reticulatus is a peaceful armoured catfish from the lower Amazon basin in Brazil, recognised by its reticulated body pattern.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Corydoras reticulatus is an armoured catfish of the family Callichthyidae, described by Fraser-Brunner in 1938. The common names reticulated, mosaic or network corydoras refer to the network of dark lines forming a patterned body. It is a very peaceful, schooling bottom-dweller.
Taxonomy
- Family: Callichthyidae
- Genus: Corydoras
- Scientific name: Corydoras reticulatus
Habitat
The species is native to the lower Amazon River basin in Brazil. It inhabits tropical freshwater and, like related corydoras, supplements gill respiration with facultative air-breathing.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 100 L
- Temperature: 22-26 °C (72-79 °F)
- pH: 6.0-7.5
- GH: 2-12 °dGH
- School size: 6 or more individuals
- Lifespan: 5-10 years
- Substrate: fine sand
Diet
An omnivore that takes worms, benthic crustaceans, insects and plant matter in the wild. In aquaria it accepts sinking dried foods plus small live and frozen items such as bloodworm, brine shrimp and chopped earthworm; a varied diet maintains good condition.
Compatibility
Corydoras reticulatus is very peaceful and well-suited to community aquaria with small characins, cyprinids, anabantoids, dwarf cichlids and other peaceful catfish. It should be kept in groups of at least six and avoided with aggressive cichlids.
Breeding
Females are noticeably rounder and broader-bodied than males, especially when carrying eggs. Spawning follows the typical corydoras pattern in which the female holds eggs between her pelvic fins for fertilisation before attaching them; eggs hatch in about 3-4 days and fry accept microworm and brine shrimp nauplii.
Corydoras reticulatus Breeding Guide
Overview
Corydoras reticulatus, the reticulated cory, is an armoured catfish reaching about 2.4 inches (6 cm) standard length, found in the lower Amazon basin in Brazil (Seriously Fish). It is a peaceful, schooling egg-depositor. Seriously Fish notes that no captive-breeding information is available for this specific species and that the recommended procedure is based on closely related Corydoras; treat the spawning detail below accordingly.
Sexing
Viewed from above, females are noticeably rounder and broader-bodied than males, especially when carrying eggs (Seriously Fish).
Conditioning
Condition the group on a varied diet of live, frozen and dried foods until the females are visibly full of eggs (Seriously Fish). A ratio of two males per female is recommended for spawning, as the extra male improves fertilisation success during the brief T-position embraces.
Breeding Setup
A breeding tank of about 18 x 12 x 12 inches with a bare base, sand or fine gravel, air-powered sponge or box filtration and clumps of Java moss is suitable. The Java moss and increased flow give the female surfaces and current cues that prompt egg deposition. Aim for a spawning temperature near 75 degrees F (about 24 degrees C) and a pH around 7, within the species' range of pH 6.0-7.2 and 22-26 degrees C (Seriously Fish).
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Perform a large (50-70%) water change with cooler water and increase oxygenation and flow, repeating daily until spawning. In the T-position the male grasps the female's barbels between his pectoral fin and body and releases sperm, which passes toward her pelvic fins where she forms an egg basket. Single eggs are deposited on the glass in high-flow areas, with up to 4 released per cycle (Seriously Fish).
Egg & Fry Care
Eggs hatch in about 3-4 days. Once the yolk sacs are absorbed, the fry accept microworm and brine shrimp nauplii (Seriously Fish). Protect eggs from the adults by removing the parents or transferring the eggs to a separate container, and keep water quality high during rearing, ideally over a thin sand layer with frequent small water changes.
Common Challenges
The absence of species-confirmed breeding data, the need to condition females and trigger spawning reliably, and protecting eggs from predation are the main challenges. Egg fungus on infertile eggs and water-quality issues during the fry stage account for most losses.