The Sterbai Corydoras (Corydoras sterbai) is a highly popular, peaceful, and hardy freshwater armored catfish native to the Guaporé River region between Brazil and Bolivia. Known for their distinctive dark bodies covered in white or cream-colored spots and striking orange pectoral fins, they are excellent bottom-dwelling scavengers for community aquariums.

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.