Boeseman's Cory

About

Found in the coastal rivers of Suriname, Corydoras boesemani is a small, peaceful armored catfish that rarely makes its way into the aquarium trade. Sightings in hobbyist tanks remain genuinely uncommon even today. Like all members of the Callichthyidae family, it carries rows of bony plates rather than scales, giving it that characteristic armored look shared across the group. One genuinely fascinating trait: these fish can breathe atmospheric oxygen through a modified section of intestine, and you'll occasionally catch them darting to the surface for a quick gulp of air. It's not distress. It's a survival adaptation that lets them handle low-oxygen conditions their softer-scaled neighbors couldn't tolerate. Worth a quick note on handling: the stiffened spines at the base of the pectoral fins can pierce skin, and the associated glands may produce a mildly venomous secretion, so a soft net and careful hands go a long way. As a social fish, it should be kept in a group of at least four to six. A lone specimen will be noticeably less active. Breeding is possible with cool water changes as a trigger, and adults tend to scatter eggs among leaf litter. A rewarding find for anyone lucky enough to come across them.