While these are truly wonderful fish, I come to have them completely by accident. I was attending the 2013 GCAS fall auction with my good friend Bob Townsend. We had been watching the plecos all day and I was especially keen to get some male albino busy nose. We were talking with GCAS president Phil Benes when some albinos came to the block. They went for a great price and I was very pleased until the runner brought them around and they were albino cories and not plecos!
These fish were described as Hoplosoma aeneum by Theodore Gill in 1858. The original fish were collected at Trinidad Island, West Indies and is often said to range over a large area in South America. Recently this has come into question and it is believed that many similar looking fish have simply been misidentified as Corydoras aeneus.
These fish typically inhabit quiet, shallow waters with soft silt or sand bottoms.
Size
75mm (3 inches). Standard Length
Comments
I’m not normally a big cat fish fan, but what fish room would be complete with some of these fish! Even though I got them by mistake, I have thoroughly enjoyed having them.
Care Info
These fish are very hardy and undemanding in the aquarium. I like to keep them in either bare bottom or tanks with sand for substrate. Don’t believe the misconception that these fish will live off of scraps and whatever they can find in your tank. To be healthy and happy they need to be fed just like any other fish. They are not picky eaters and will accept most anything offered.
Spawning Info
There is a wealth of spawning info on these fish available on the Internet. I have found them very easy to spawn once they are mature and in good condition.
