Marbled dwarf armored catfish - Corydoras habrosus

Marbled Dwarf Corydoras - Corydoras habrosus

The fun, bottom-dwelling Marbled Dwarf Corydoras habrosus from tropical South America is also known as the Checkerboard Dwarf C orydoras or Saddle Dwarf C orydoras. Corydoras habrosus has a handsome silver-gray body with a black, partially interrupted longitudinal band, and often displays a mottled marble pattern on the back and dorsal fin. Corydoras habrosus grows to only 3-4 inches in size. As an intestinal breather, the Marbled Dwarf Catfish always needs unobstructed access to the water surface.

The sexes are quite difficult to distinguish in the gregarious checkerboard dwarf armored catfish: The identically marked females grow only slightly larger and somewhat plumper than the rather slender males.

Breeding Corydoras habrosus is quite unproblematic in the aquarium: after courtship (often triggered by a cooler water change ), the female of the Saddleback Dwarf Armored Catfish attaches her eggs individually in loose groups to various surfaces - the aquarium glass, the leaves of plants, on stones ... After a few days the larvae of the Marbled Dwarf Armored Catfish hatch, and after a few more days they swim freely. Then the time has come to feed the small Corydoras habrosus with Artemia nauplii. You can also give microworms, and other fine live food. There should also be some mulm at the bottom of the aquarium for a better supply of the bottom-oriented young fish, in which the juvenile Marbled Dwarf Catfish will find additional microorganisms.

Because the adult Corydoras habrosus do not chase the juveniles, you do not need a separate breeding aquarium if you keep your Marbled Dwarf Catfish in the species tank. Also in the community tank it can happen that a few juveniles of the Saddleback Dwarf Corydoras grow up - but this depends entirely on the co-stocking.

The Corydoras habrosus can become about 6 years old. Preferably the Marbled Dwarf Corydoras habrosus live in soft or medium hard water with a total hardness of not more than 15 °dGH and at water temperatures of 23 to 26 degrees. A pH value between 6 and 7.5 has proven to be optimal. The water should be as clean and clear as possible. In aquarium water with a high density of germs it can happen that the barbels on the mouth of this nice cory "melt" - a phenomenon that is often also attributed to sharp-edged substrate.

The substrate for an aquarium with Corydoras habrosus should consist of fine sand, so that the small corys can burrow and chew the substrate for food. You can plant the aquarium well, but you should make sure that there are enough free sand areas where the funny little dwarf armored catfish can dig for food.

The peaceful and very sociable Corydoras habrosus should be kept in a group of at least 6 conspecifics, with which it interacts diligently - more is of course always better with the very social little clowns, depending on the aquarium size.

The Marbled Dwarf Catfish fits well in a community tank with peaceful fish, it is an ideal stocking for a South America aquarium. With shrimps and snails the socialization also works very well, Corydoras habrosus does not chase the small crawlers and does not chase them actively. However, it cannot be completely ruled out that careless baby shrimps, which practically walk into the mouth of the bottom fish, can be accidentally eaten.

The small Corydoras habrosus likes to eat animal sinking food: frozen food, live food (especially worms like Tubifex or shiny worms) or special food for Corydoras, but also food flakes or food granules for omnivorous aquarium fish. They also gnaw algae coverings and graze biofilms from roots.

Our food recommendation: NatureHolic professional main feed is a professional main feed for all aquarium fish. We supply Hauptfeed in the form of soft granules, which, thanks to its grain size of half a millimeter, can be easily ingested by small to medium-sized fish. The soft consistency resembles the texture of insect larvae in nature and protects the fish mouth from micro-injuries.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping fish the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.