Guapore Cory Care Guide - Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Guapore Cory is a small, delicately marked armoured catfish with the compact body and subtly forked fins typical of Corydoras. Its pale base colour is overlaid with dusky markings, giving it an understated appearance that looks especially attractive when the fish are active together over a dark substrate.

This species is peaceful, alert and sociable. Guapore Corys spend much of their time close to the bottom, using their sensitive barbels to investigate sand and leaf litter, but they also make occasional quick trips to the surface to gulp atmospheric air, a normal Corydoras behaviour.

In the wild, they inhabit shallow freshwater environments where sandy or fine silty areas are mixed with submerged vegetation, fallen leaves and patches of wood. Their armoured plates provide protection while they search through the bottom for small food items and organic debris.

Like other Corydoras, the Guapore Cory is not a conventional algae-eater or a scavenger that can live on leftovers alone. It is a specialised little bottom-dweller with a calm temperament, and its natural social behaviour is most evident when several individuals explore and rest together.

The Guapore Cory is native to the upper Guaporé River basin in western Brazil, in the state of Mato Grosso, South America. It comes from warm, slow-moving or gently flowing freshwater habitats associated with the Madeira River system.

A group of Guapore Corys should have at least a 60-litre aquarium, with a footprint of around 60 x 30 cm or larger so they have useful bottom area for foraging. Use soft sand or very smooth fine gravel to protect their barbels, along with driftwood, leaf litter, hardy plants and shaded retreats that recreate a gently structured stream margin. Maintain clean, well-oxygenated water and leave open areas where the group can search the substrate together.

Up to about 4 cm (1.6 in) in total length. Females are usually slightly larger and fuller-bodied than males, which commonly remain closer to 3–3.5 cm (1.2–1.4 in).

Offer a varied diet of high-quality sinking catfish pellets or wafers, supplemented with frozen or live foods such as bloodworm, daphnia, brine shrimp and small insect larvae. Foods should reach the bottom quickly so the Corydoras can feed naturally, and meals should be sized so every fish receives enough rather than relying on uneaten community-tank food.

Guapore Corys are peaceful community fish and can be kept with similarly calm species such as small tetras, rasboras, pencilfish, peaceful livebearers, honey gouramis and other non-aggressive dwarf community fish. They also mix well with other peaceful Corydoras when the aquarium has sufficient floor space. Avoid large, boisterous or predatory fish, fin-nippers, aggressive cichlids and species that may compete aggressively for food or harass these gentle bottom-dwellers.

Guapore Corys are egg-scattering spawners that can breed in a mature aquarium when well conditioned with varied, protein-rich foods. A cooler, partial water change can help trigger spawning. The female carries several adhesive eggs between her pelvic fins before placing them on plant leaves, glass or other smooth surfaces, while the male fertilises them. Remove the adults or protect the eggs from predation; hatching generally takes several days, and the tiny fry can be raised on infusoria or other suitably small foods before progressing to newly hatched brine shrimp.

Females are generally broader through the body, particularly when viewed from above, and often grow slightly longer. Males are slimmer and a little smaller, with the difference becoming most obvious when mature females are carrying eggs.