Corydoras semiaquilus Breeding Guide

Breeding Corydoras semiaquilus from the western Amazon: sexing, conditioning and the documented Corydoras T-position spawning pattern (no species-specific report).

Overview

Corydoras semiaquilus is a long-snouted catfish from the western Amazon River basin (Peruvian Amazon), recorded by FishBase at up to 6.0 cm SL and listed as Least Concern by the IUCN (2020). No species-specific aquarium spawning report is available; the guidance below is explicitly anchored on the documented breeding pattern for the genus Corydoras and should be treated as such.

Sexing

Following the general Corydoras pattern, females grow rounder and broader-bodied than males, most obviously when carrying eggs and viewed from above.

Conditioning

Condition a mixed-sex group on a varied diet of live, frozen and dried foods until females fill out. FishBase reports maintenance parameters of 22-26 degrees C, pH 6.0-8.0 and hardness 2-25 dH for this species.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

For the genus, spawning is typically triggered by a large cooler water change with increased oxygenation and flow. In the T-position described for Corydoras on Wikipedia, the female attaches her mouth to the male's vent; sperm passes rapidly through her gut and is released with the eggs into a pouch formed by her pelvic fins, which she then carries to a deposition site. Note: this describes the genus, not a confirmed observation of C. semiaquilus.

Egg & Fry Care

By the genus pattern, eggs are attached to glass, plants or spawning mops and hatch within a few days; fry take small live foods such as microworm and brine shrimp nauplii once the yolk sac is absorbed. Species-specific incubation figures for C. semiaquilus are not documented.