Corydoras - Aquarium Fish - Bottom Feeder

This cool fish is a tropical catfish in the armored catfish family and is the best bottom feeder I have ever had for my freshwater aquariums. As you know, any uneaten food particles collect at the bottom of your fish tank and if they are not consumed, they will literally rot and make your water cloudy and polluted. Of course, if you have a well-established aquarium there should be enough healthy bacteria in there to prevent the cloudy water, within reason, but it will still ultimately raise your nitrate and nitrite levels in a hurry.

This is why it is important to have a certain number of scavengers and bottom feeders in your community aquariums. The Bala Sharks I have previously written about are not generally praised for being scavengers, but they also go around with their sucker-like mouths at the bottom of the tank while keeping your gravel clean - especially when they are hungry in between feeding times, but the Corydoras are the best at this that I've seen. This is all they do besides sleep and lay the occasional set of eggs. They are busy little catfishes, to say the least. I do recommend some type of shelter, big rocks, plants, or cave for them because they prefer to sleep under stuff.

That reminds me, the Corydoras are often called Cories, Cory Cats and/or Cory Catfish. There are various types of them, but they all look fairly similar between each species. As a side note, they are best kept in pairs, at the very least.  I would not just buy one of them, as they really appreciate companionship with their own kind. I had two in my community tank for years, and they always stuck together, like two peas in a pod. Ha!

Anyway, if you have a decent-sized tank that requires multiple feedings throughout the day, don't forget to add these excellent bottom feeders to your aquarium. They can save you many water changes over time; cheers!

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Source = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corydoras

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