Peppered Catfish

Peppered Catfish is also known as Peppered Cory Cat, Peppered Cory and Peppered Corydoras. Its scientific name is Corydoras paleatus. This fish is a risk-free scavenger. Naturally, it is a bottom feeding fish but at times, it can eat at the surface. It grows to the size of 2.5 inches or 6 cms in an aquarium. It has been learnt that in large water bodies it grows to about 4 inches or 10 cms. Its life span is of 3 to 5 years. You will learn more about this fish in the following piece of writing.

Geographical Distribution

Diet

Feed your Peppered Catfish on tiny foods that are live such as white worms, insect larvae, small flakes, tiny aquatic insects, brine shrimp and tubifex.

Breeding

Peppered Catfish is an easy to be bred fish. Fertilized eggs are carried by the female between her ventral fins. She then deposits them on leaves, stones or glass panes. You can easily raise fry in a well established tank with a mulm’s layer.

Physical Description

Body of Peppered Catfish is tan to beige in color and matches the belly color. There is a broken band of olive green color which extends from the gill cover back to the caudal penuncle. Dark spots are present on its head and back. These spots are brown or black in color. 4-5 olive green markings stripe the caudal fin.

Breathing

Peppered Catfish can swallow air and extract the oxygen with its intestines as in case of many Corydoras Catfish. If you see a Corydoras Catfish suddenly shooting to the surface, apparently taking a quick gulp of air and returning to the bottom; do not be surprised. Watch if it is doing this activity very frequently, it may indicate something wrong like there may be shortage of oxygen in its aquarium.

Tank Set Up

Tank for Peppered Catfish should have the capacity to hold at least 20 gallons of water. It asks for freshwater but is not very finicky about its water chemistry. Keep away from extremes of acidity or alkalinity. Be careful to remove Chlorine or Chloramine from the water before adding it to the tank. Keep the tank planted and provide sand substrate. If you are using gravels, make sure that they are smooth and rounded. Temperature required by it is 22 degree C to 28 degree C and pH 6-7.8.

Social Behavior

Peppered Catfish is a non-aggressive schooling fish that should be kept in groups of 6 or more. Keep it in a community tank with small, peaceful fish. Be careful not to keep it with large catfish or else this little catfish may become food of large fish.

Compatibility

You can keep Peppered Catfish without others of its kind but if you give it a chance, it interacts. Keeping six fish in the same tank demands a larger tank. Avoid keeping large and aggressive fish with it. You can team up most common aquarium fish with it such as nearly all the Barbs, White Clouds, Angel Fish, all the Tetras, Australian Rainbow Fish, most loaches, peaceful dwarf cichlids, Danios, other Corydoras Catfish, Goldfish, Fighting Fish and Discus.

Peppered Catfish tolerates low temperature better than most tropical fish. It appears that it could not take high temperature properly. You can keep this fish in your aquarium without a heater, if it never gets cold. In other case, heater should be there in its tank. This peaceful shoaler is available in various wild-type colour patterns and in a commercial albino form. Now, you know most of the things about Peppered Catfish. Do not wait anymore and fulfill your hobby of having it as your pet fish.