Cory catfish are the most common fish aquarist prefer to add to their community tank. They are peaceful fish and do great with other peaceful fish. Corydoras are known to be bottom dwellers and good cleaners, but are they bottom dweller fish? Are cory catfish bottom feeders? Let us find out.
Cory catfish are bottom feeders and spend most of their time scavenging for food at the bottom of the tank. They will feed on fish leftovers and other waste in an aquarium from the bottom of the tank. Cory catfish use their mouth to dig up the substrate and suck up the food.
This article will discuss whether cory catfish are bottom feeders and what they eat in an aquarium. Also, we will discuss the natural habitat of a cory catfish. So, let us get into it.
Contents
Are cory catfish bottom dwellers?
Cory catfish are bottom dwellers fish and spend most of their time scavenging on the bottom in search of food.
You will find your cory catfish lying at the bottom of the tank most of the time, rather than swimming at the mid surface of the tank with other fish.
They constantly search for leftovers on the bottom of the tank and feed on them.
This is also the reason why they are called a good cleaners, as they spend most of the time feeding on leftovers and other waste.
Corydoras are the most common bottom dwellers aquarist prefer to add to their community tank.
Cory catfish natural behavior.
Cory catfish are found in ponds, small streams, and shallows of South America.
They are hardy fish and can live in a wide range of water parameters.
Corydoras prefer to live in a water temperature between 70-82 °F
The water pH level they require is between 7 and 8.
They are bottom dwellers fish found in the bottom of the streams where there is a dense growth of plants.
They feed on bottom-dwelling larvae of insects and insects.
Corydoras love to feed on all types of worms and vegetables matters.
In captivity, they will spend most of their time scavenging on the bottom of the tank, searching for food.
They like to live in a group of at least six as it will form a good school for them.
Also read: Are Cory Catfish Nocturnal?
Do cory catfish need their own food?
Cory catfish do need their own food.
They are used to finding their food by themselves, scavenging on the bottom of the tank, and feeding on leftovers and other waste.
But, being omnivore fish, they require various types of food to fulfill their ideal dietary requirement.
We don’t recommend relying on the leftovers to fulfill the dietary requirement of your corydoras.
You should feed them various food one to two times a day.
Cory catfish feed on insects, larvae, and worms in their natural habitat.
| Cory Catfish Food | Serving Quantity | No of Times |
|---|---|---|
| Bloodworms | One small pinch | 1-2 times a week |
| Mosquito larvae | 10-15 pieces | 2-3 times a week |
| Daphnia | One small pinch | 1-2 times a week |
| Peas | One pea per cory catfish | 1-2 times a day (2-3 times a week) |
| Cucumber | One small piece at a time | 1-2 times a day (2-3 times a week) |
Consider feeding them blackworms, bloodworms, tubifex worms, mosquito larvae, shrimp pellets, and sinking flake food.
Also, feed them with blanched vegetables like carrots, cucumber, zucchini, and lettuce to fulfill their plant-based nutritional requirement.
Consider feeding them food in a quantity that they can finish eating in one to two minutes to ensure you are not overfeeding them.
Also read: Do Cory Catfish Eat Cucumbers?
What do cory catfish eat in the aquarium?
Cory catfish eat all these in the aquarium:
- Fish leftovers
- Dead and decaying plants
- Dead and decaying small fishes
- Small eggs of snails ( Occasionally)
- Tiny dead snails ( Occasionally)
Cory catfish will keep your tank clean of leftovers.
They will scavenge all the time on the bottom and will feed on the leftovers.
They will also feed on dead and decaying plants from the bottom of the tank.
Cory catfish are peaceful fish and will never try to hunt other alive fish down and feed on them.
But will feed on the flesh of small dead fish as they are omnivore fish.
Cory catfish will not feed on big, alive snails as they are peaceful fish.
They will feed on small dead snails and eggs of small snails occasionally.
Cory catfish are not algae eaters, and you should not rely on cory catfish when it comes to algae.
They will never feed on algae. Sometimes you will notice them munching on plants, but they will not eat them.
Yes, they will feed on dead plants, if there are any, but not live aquatic plants and algae.
Also, cory catfish will not feed on poop, and you have to clean it manually by performing a weekly water change and adding a good filtration system.
Many aquarists get dependable on their cory catfish to keep their tank clean and don’t prefer to do a weekly water change and clean their tank by themselves.
We don’t recommend doing this as your tank will need proper maintenance and monthly cleaning to ensure good living conditions for your fish.
Also read: Do Cory Catfish Eat Snails?
Conclusion:
Cory catfish are bottom dwellers fish and will remain mostly on the bottom of the tank, scavenging for food.
They will dig the substrate with the help of their mouth and suck up the food.
In their natural habitat, they dig the substrate and suck up the larvae, insects, and worms.
Cory catfish are omnivore fish and require both plant and meat matter food in their daily diet to fulfill their ideal dietary requirement.
Feed your cory catfish bloodworms, tubifex worms, black worms, shrimp pellets, daphnia, and sinking flake food to fulfill their meat bases nutritional requirement.
Consider feeding them blanched vegetables like cucumber, carrots, zucchini, and lettuce to fulfill their plant-based nutritional requirement.
Reference: ScienceDirect, Wikipedia, Wikipedia