The Panda Corydoras (Corydoras panda or Hoplisoma panda) is a small, highly social, and peaceful freshwater catfish popular in the aquarium hobby. Named after the giant panda due to the distinctive black patches over its eyes and tail base, this bottom-dweller is prized for its playful “wiggle” dances and helpful substrate-cleaning behaviour.

Care Overview:

• Tank Size: Minimum 60 litres to maintain water stability.
• Group Size: Must be kept in a school of 6 or more. They can become stressed and sick if kept alone.
• Substrate: Soft, fine sand is mandatory. Coarse or sharp gravel damages their highly sensitive mouth barbels.
• Behaviour: Exceptionally peaceful bottom-dwellers that spend their day sifting through sand for food. They occasionally dart to the surface for a quick gulp of air, which is entirely normal intestinal breathing.

Ideal Water Parameters:

• Temperature: 22°C to 25°C is optimal, though captive-bred variations tolerate up to 28°C.
• pH Range: 6.0 to 7.4.
• Hardness: 2 to 12
• Water Quality: High sensitivity to nitrates and fluctuating parameters. They require an established, fully cycled aquarium.

Diet and Feeding:

Panda Corydoras are omnivorous scavengers. They will eat leftover food but cannot survive on waste alone. Ensure targeted nutrition reaches the bottom of the tank using:

• High-quality sinking catfish pellets or wafers
• Live or frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia

Tank Mates:

They are perfect for community tanks alongside small, non-aggressive species. Great choices include tetras, rasboras, dwarf gouramis, and snails. Avoid large or aggressive tank mates that might treat them as food or outcompete them during feeding time.