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Catfish / Callichthyidae / Salt and Pepper Catfish

Salt and Pepper Catfish
Corydoras habrosus | Pictures


Synonyms: None
Physical description: The body shape of C. habrosus resembles C. hastatus . The body color is tan to beige and matches the color of the belly. A broken, olive green band extends from the gill cover back to the caudal penuncle. The head and back are spotted with dark spots that are brown or black in color. The caudal fin is striped with 4-5 olive green markings.
Size/Length: To 1" (2.5 cm)
Similar species: ( Corydoras gracilis )
H: South America; Rio Salinas in Venezuela and Columbia
A: bottom, middle
Aquarium: 16" (40 cm) or 5 gallons (19 L). See C. hastatus for other tank specifications.
Water chemistry: pH 6-7.8 (7.0); 2-20 dH (10); 75-82 F (24-28 C)
FOOD: Small live foods; small aquatic insects, white worms, Tubifex , Brine Shrimp, insect larvae; tablets; small flakes
Social behavior: A peaceful, schooling fish that should be kept in groups of 6 or more. Combine in a community tank with small, peaceful fish. Do not place this little catfish with large fish as the Salt and Pepper Catfish may be eaten.
Social behavior: Small tetras, Apistogramma, Corydoras, Peckoltia
Suggested companions: Females are slightly larger than males.
Breeding techniques: Spawning is initiated by the addition of cooler water. The eggs are laid singly on the leave of plants. The parents should be removed after spawning.
Breeding potential: 7. This catfish is a fairly difficult to breed.
Remarks: This tiny catfish is known as C. cochui in Colombia.
Difficulty of care: 5. This small fish is sensitive to water chemistry and is an easy meal for larger tank mates.


Recent articles about fish

Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.

Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.



Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.





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Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2009

The copy for fish.mongabay.com was written in 1994-1995. Therefore some information such as scientific names may be out of date. For this, I apologize. Feel free to send corrections to me.