Red fin armored catfish DNZ - Corydoras sterbai

Probably the most beautiful armored catfish in aquaristics is the red fin armored catfish, orange fin armored catfish or Sterbas armored cat fish. Corydoras sterbai comes from the Mato Grosso in Brazil / South America. Sterbas Corydoras sterbai is a very sociable aquarium fish, which stands out due to its dark body with a silvery dot pattern and stripe pattern. Its pectoral fins are orange-yellow to reddish. The caudal fin is transversely dark striped, as is the dorsal fin. On the mouth - typical for armored catfishes - are short pairs of barbels.

Our Redfin Corydoras are German offspring (DNZ).

Male Corydoras sterbai remain slim and grow only about 5 cm long. The somewhat broader females can reach a body length of up to 6 cm. The redfin armored catfish is even more dependent on the security of a group of conspecifics than other armored catfish, these aquarium fish are really very sociable. We recommend a group of at least 6-10 fish. As a bottom dweller, Corydoras sterbai prefers the lower water layers, but since it is a gut breather, it must be ensured that the fish can reach the water surface at all times.

Breeding is demanding. Corydoras sterbai is a seasonal spawner and apparently needs a significant drop in air pressure in addition to water changes with cold water to get into spawning mood. A previous rich feeding with frozen food and live food also helps enormously to stimulate spawning. As a substrate spawner, the female of the redfin catfish attaches her strongly adhesive eggs individually to plants, decoration such as roots or stones, or also to the aquarium panes after mating. The larvae hatch after a few days depending on the temperature. In the community tank they rather do not grow big, so for a specific breeding you should not only have a species aquarium, but even a breeding tank. After attachment the parents are taken out, so that they do not eat the larvae. The larvae of the Orangefin Catfish are fed with Artemia nauplii.

The red fin catfish can live up to 8 years. At an aquarium temperature of 22-26 °C and in rather soft to medium hard water and a pH between 6 and 7,5 Corydoras sterbai feels very comfortable. Clean water with as low an organic load as possible is a must. Corydoras like to chew through the sandy substrate in search of fine food, so sand as substrate is advantageous. If you have gravel in the aquarium, you should at least set up a sand corner for the animals. Also Hiding places are important. The lively Orangefin Corydoras should be kept in aquariums of 80 liters or more.It is possible that Corydoras sterbai may have a bit of trouble adjusting at first - here it is advantageous to feed at night and keep the commotion in and around the aquarium to a minimum.

The Orangefin Catfish is a nice inhabitant for a community tank and it can be socialized well with other peaceful, small to medium sized fish like characins or danios and also with catfish. It also goes well with shrimp, not so much with crayfish - since the fish tends to live at the bottom, it provides an easy target for pinchers.

As an omnivore with a great preference for animal food, this exquisitely beautiful Corydoras likes to take frozen food and sinking live food such as shiny worms, grindal or tubifex and of course special food for Corydoras. Corydoras sterbai also likes food flakes or food granules for omnivores. Shrimp are not actively hunted, however, it cannot be ruled out that curious and careless young animals can be eaten after all.

Our food recommendation: The NatureHolic Catfish Feed for all aufwuchs feeding sucking catfish in the aquarium is a balanced tablet food, which does not cloud the water and the fish like to eat. The catfish tablets also contain NatureHolic active ingredient complexes, which provide the sucking catfish with everything they need for a strong immune system, healthy growth and great, contrasting coloration.

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 for fish keeping 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.