Cory catfish are the most common bottom dwellers that aquarists love to add to their community tank. They are peaceful fish and love to live with other non-aggressive fish in a community tank. Also, they are easy to take care of, which makes them the best option for beginners.
There are hundreds of corydoras species. Some species are big, and some are small in size. However, the growth speed of almost all the species is the same. So, How long do cory catfish take to grow? Let us find out.
Cory catfish take 8-9 months to grow to their full size. However, the growth rate also depends on the living conditions of your cory catfish. Consider keeping your cory catfish in a large-size tank and ensure their ideal water conditions and parameters to make them grow faster.
This article will discuss how long cory catfish take to grow and how long cory catfish can get. Also, we will discuss how we can ensure our cory catfish’s faster growth. So, let us get into it.
Contents
How fast do cory catfish grow?
Cory catfish are slow growers and will reach their full size in an average of 8-9 months.
They will grow faster for the first month and will reach up to the size of 1 inch, depending on their species.
However, living conditions are also the main factor behind your cory catfish growth.
If your cory catfish live in inadequate conditions, they will grow slowly or stop growing.
Factors like small size tanks, inadequate water parameters, poor water conditions, and a stressful environment will affect your cory catfish, and they can even stop growing.
Also read: Are Cory Catfish Livebearers?
How long does it take corydoras to mature?
It takes an average of 6-9 months for your corydoras to get sexually mature.
It means that they will be able to breed at this age.
However, the best way to decide that they are mature enough to breed is by looking at their size.
Depending on their species, if your cory catfish reaches their ideal size (With an average of 2.5 inches), they are ready to breed as they are mature now.
We recommend refraining your cory catfish from breeding until they reach their ideal size, as breeding at early stages can affect their health.
How long can cory catfish get during their lifetime?
Cory catfish can get anywhere between 1 and 4 inches in size, depending on their species.
Species like emerald, banded, and pepper cory catfish are among big cory catfish species and can get up to 3-4 inches in size.
Species like a pygmy, salt and pepper, and dwarf cory catfish are among the small corydoras species and can get up to 1-1.5 inches.
Female cory catfish can be larger than male cory catfish in size.
How to ensure my cory catfish’s faster growth?
Ensure these things for your cory catfish’s faster growth and development:
- Feed them a variety of foods regularly.
- Provide them with their ideal living conditions.
Food
Cory catfish are omnivore fish and require various meat and plant-based food to fulfill their ideal dietary requirements.
Feeding them various food types will ensure their faster growth and development.
They will love to feed on all types of worms, larvae, and insects.
Consider feeding them bloodworms, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, blanched vegetables, sinking pellets, and flake food.
They will thrive and will have a faster growth when you feed them with various types of food that fulfill their both plan and meat-based nutritional value requirement.
Also read: How Often To Feed Cory Catfish?
Ideal living conditions
Cory catfish are hardy fish and can live in a wide range of water conditions and parameters.
Provide them with their ideal living conditions, and they will thrive.
To provide them with good living conditions, you have to ensure their ideal water conditions and parameters.
Cory catfish are freshwater fish and prefer to live in clean water conditions.
To ensure clean water conditions, consider performing a weekly water change of at least 35%.
Also, add a good filtration system to protect the water from harmful toxins like ammonia and nitrite.
| Particulars | Cory Catfish |
|---|---|
| Water condition | Clean water condition |
| Ammonia | 0ppm |
| Nitrite | 0ppm |
| Nitrate | Below 20ppm |
Make sure to maintain the ammonia and nitrite level at 0ppm, whereas nitrate should be below 20ppm.
We recommend using the API master kit to check ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels regularly.
You can buy it from amazon: API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT.
Also, you can check the pH level of your cory catfish tank using the API master test kit.
| Particulars | Cory Catfish |
|---|---|
| Water Temperature | Between 70-82 °F |
| Water pH level | Between 7 and 8 |
| Water TDS level | Between 400-600ppm |
| Water Hardness | Between 5 and 19 dGH |
To ensure the ideal water parameters of your cory catfish, make sure of all these things:
- Provide them with a water temperature between 70-82 °F.
- Keep the water pH level between 7 and 8.
- The water TDS level of your cory catfish tank should be between 400-600ppm.
- The general hardness of the water should be between 5 and 19 dGH.
Also, consider adding a heater to your cory catfish tank to stabilize the water temperature.
Unstable water temperature will make them come under stress and become prone to diseases and parasites, affecting their growth.
Also read: How Many Cory Catfish In A 10-Gallon Tank?
Conclusion:
Cory catfish are slow growers and will take an average of 8-9 months to get their full size.
However, living conditions and other factors majorly affect your cory catfish growth.
Cory catfish will be sexually mature at 6-9 months. However, we recommend refraining from breeding until they reach their ideal size.
Depending on their species, they can be anywhere between 1-4 inches in size.
Provide your cory catfish with their ideal living conditions and parameters to ensure their faster growth and development.
Also, consider feeding them with various types of high-quality nutritional food to make them grow faster.
Reference: ResearchGate, Wikipedia