Sands' cory

About

Found in the blackwater habitats of the Rio Negro basin in Brazil, this small armored catfish, Corydoras davidsandsi, belongs to an informal grouping of Corydoras species united by a distinctive oblique dark bar running along the upper body. What sets it apart from close relatives like C. melini is the way that bar splits into two branches above the caudal peduncle, combined with a subtle pale orange patch between the dark facial stripe and the dorsal markings. Like all callichthyid catfishes, it carries rows of bony plates instead of scales, and those stiffened pectoral spines are worth respecting. They can pierce skin and are thought to carry mild secretions from glands at their base. Keep a gap between the waterline and your tank lid, because this species is a facultative air breather, periodically darting to the surface to gulp atmospheric oxygen through a modified, highly vascularised section of intestine. That behavior is completely normal and not a sign of trouble. Peaceful and social by nature, it really should be kept in groups of at least five or six. You will see far more activity and natural behavior when individuals feel secure in numbers. With good care these fish can live well into their teens or beyond, which makes them a longer commitment than many hobbyists expect from a small catfish.