Pygmy Cory

About

Pygmy catfish (Corydoras pygmaeus) is one of a small handful of genuinely miniature Corydoras species, and it's a charming oddity within the genus. Native to the Madeira River basin in South America, it shares the armored, bony-plated body plan that defines all corys, but sets itself apart with a bold dark stripe running the full length of the lateral line. Handy for telling it apart from the closely related C. hastatus, which instead has a diamond-shaped spot at the tail base and no body stripe. Unlike most of its relatives, this species regularly swims in midwater rather than spending all its time on the bottom, which makes a school of them genuinely interesting to watch moving through a planted tank. Like all corys, it's a facultative air-breather and will occasionally dart to the surface for a gulp of air. Completely normal behavior. Keep a group of at least six, and ideally ten or more; they school tightly and are visibly more confident in numbers. The real catch with this species is size. At barely over an inch fully grown, it's genuinely at risk around most typical community fish. Stick to tank mates of a similar scale: small characins, tiny cyprinids, freshwater shrimp, or dwarf cichlids, where it actually serves well as a dither species. A rewarding fish for keepers who plan their community carefully.