How Often To Feed Cory Catfish? (All You Need To Know)

Cory catfish are omnivore fish and feed on meat and plant matter food to fulfill their dietary needs. Food plays an essential role in your fish’s growth and development. Therefore, regularly feeding your cory catfish is important to ensure their good health.

So, how often to feed cory catfish? Let us find out.

You should feed your cory catfish one to two times a day, taking a 12 hours gap between each feeding. Feed them in a quantity that they can finish eating in one to two minutes to avoid overfeeding your corydoras. Baby cory catfish will require more food than adults, so feed them twice a day.

This article will discuss how often we should feed our cory catfish and is there an ideal time to feed corydoras. Also, we will discuss the ideal dietary requirements of cory catfish. So, let us get into it.

How often should I feed my cory catfish?

Feed your cory catfish one to two times a day in a quantity that they can finish eating in one to two minutes.

If you are feeding them once a day, then feed them in a quantity that they can finish eating in four to five minutes.

Cory catfish are bottom-dweller fish and will spend most of their time scavenging on the bottom, searching for food.

They will feed on leftovers and other waste from the bottom.

But, we should not let them rely on leftovers and feed them various food once or twice daily.

Cory catfish ideal dietary requirement.

Cory catfish are omnivore fish and feed on meat and plant matter food to fulfill their dietary needs and ensure their growth.

They feed on the bottom-dwelling worms, insects, larvae, and some plant matter in their natural habitat.

Cory Catfish FoodServing QuantityNo Of Times
Brine shrimpOne pinch at a time1-2 times a week
Mosquito larvae10-15 pieces2-3 times a week
BloodwormsOne pinch at a time1-2 times a week
Tubifex WormsOne pinch at a time1 time a week
Sinking flake foodOne pinch at a time2-3 times a week
Shrimp pelletsOne pinch at a time2-3 times a week
Bottom feeder tabletsOne tablet at a time2-3 times a week
Algae roundsOne round per fish1-2 times a week
Blanched vegetables (Zucchini, cucumber, and lettuce)One small slice and piece per fish1-2 times a week
This table shows the ideal dietary requirements of a cory catfish.

They just love to feed on all types of worms like bloodworms, tubifex worms, and blackworms.

However, feed your cory catfish with shrimp pellets, bottom feeder tablets, algae rounds, brine shrimp, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, and sinking pellets and flakes to fulfill their meat-based nutritional needs.

Feed them with blanched zucchini, cucumber, lettuce, and boiled peas to meet their plant-based nutritional requirement.

Also read: Can Cory Catfish Eat Bloodworms?

How often to feed baby corydoras?

Baby corydoras will require more food than adult corydoras.

Your cory fry will not feed for the first 24-48 hours after getting out from the eggs, as they will feed on the remaining yolk sags.

After 48 hours, start feeding them powder food as they start wriggling around.

Feed them only powder food twice a day for the first week.

After they reach the age of 3-4 weeks, feed them live food like bloodworms, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, and flake food.

You can consider feeding adult cory catfish once a day, but your baby cory catfish will require at least food two times a day.

Do water temperature affects cory catfish appetite?

Water temperature does affect your cory catfish appetite.

Keeping your cory catfish in a cold water temperature will slow their digestion.

They will become lethargic and less interested in moving from one corner to another corner of the tank.

They will prefer eating less as the food will get digested slowly.

Also, living in cold water will make them prone to various diseases and parasites.

Living in too hot water will boost their metabolism and make them hyperactive.

They will eat more when living in a hot water temperature.

Also, they will start swimming erratically because of hyperactiveness, making them come into stress.

Maintaining a stable and adequate water temperature is essential to prevent such issues.

Is there any ideal time to feed cory catfish?

Feed your cory catfish two times a day in a scheduled manner.

Consider feeding them once in the morning and once at night, taking a gap of 12 hours between two meals.

Follow the routine regularly so your fish can know when they will get their food.

This will help your cory catfish to develop a regular eating pattern.

How long can cory catfish survive without food?

A healthy cory catfish can live for up to one week without eating.

However, they can also live without food for two weeks before starving.

But, you should never let your cory catfish live without food for these long times and should regularly feed them appropriately.

If you are going out on vacation and there is nobody to feed your cory catfish, then it is such a situation that your catfish will take care of their own for 7-8 days.

Otherwise, feed them regularly to ensure their faster growth and good health.

Also read: Can Cory Catfish Eat Betta Food?

What happens when you overfeed your cory catfish?

Overfeeding your cory catfish will make them suffer from life-threatening issues like constipation and bloating.

They will lose their appetite and will avoid feeding on food.

Overfeeding can also lead to bloating, which can make your cory catfish suffer from swim bladder disorder.

They will come under stress and will find it difficult to swim because of the affected swim bladder.

In such a situation, they will become prone to various diseases and parasites because of weakness and stress.

To ensure that you are not overfeeding your cory catfish, feed them in a quantity that they can finish eating in one to two minutes.

Also read: How Often To Feed Cory Catfish?

Conclusion:

Feed your cory catfish one to two times a day, taking a 12 hours gap between the meals.

Feed them in a quantity that they can finish eating in one to two minutes to avoid overfeeding.

Overfeeding can cause constipation and bloating to your fish, making them suffer from loss of appetite and swim bladder disorder.

Feed your cory catfish at a scheduled time to help them develop their feeding pattern.


Reference: Oxford Academic

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