Name: Sterbais Corydoras
SKU: 16308
Price: 14.95 NZD
Availability: OutOfStock

Sterbais Corydoras

Product Details

Sterba’s Corydoras (Corydoras sterbai)

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Overview:

Sterba’s Corydoras (often spelled Sterbai) is widely considered the royalty of the armored catfish world. They feature a striking, high-contrast pattern consisting of a dark grey-to-black body covered in a delicate lattice of pearl-white spots across the head, transitioning into clean, horizontal white-and-black stripes down the flanks. Their true defining signature, however, is their vibrant orange pectoral and pelvic fins, which glow like little flares as they cruise across the tank floor.

Origins:

They hail from South America, natively inhabiting the central river systems of Brazil and Bolivia (primarily the Guaporé River basin). They naturally live in warm, shaded streams lined with overhanging jungle canopy and fine, sandy riverbeds.

Personality:

Like all members of the Corydoras family, Sterbai are boundlessly cheerful, peaceful, and endlessly entertaining. They spend their days bumbling methodically along the substrate, snuffling through sand to sift for food using their sensitive sensory barbels (whiskers). They are highly social daytime explorers that love interacting with their own kind, often hovering together under shady leaves or resting side-by-side like a fleet of little armored submersibles.

Care Level: Easy (Exceptionally hardy)
Temperament: 100% Peaceful (Safe for community tanks, plant setups, and dwarf shrimp)
Diet: Omnivore/Scavenger (They need dedicated feeding! Thrives on sinking catfish pellets, spirulina wafers, and live/frozen treats like bloodworms, tubifex, and brine shrimp)
Max Size: 6 – 6.5 cm (Slightly larger and stockier than Panda Cories)
Family: Callichthyidae
Tank Size: 75 – 80 Litres minimum for a small school. (Always prioritize floor footprint/length over tank height).
Temperature: 24°C – 28°C (The Warm Water Champion: Unlike most cories that prefer cool water, Sterbai excel in much warmer tanks—making them the go-to catfish companion for Discus, Angelfish, and German Blue Rams!)
pH: 6.0 – 7.5
Should be kept in groups? Yes, strictly. They are tight-shoaling fish and must be kept in a group of at least 6 or more. In smaller numbers, they become shy, stressed, and lose their rich coloration.

⚠️ Essential Care Guidelines:

1. The Fine Sand Requirement: Because Sterbai push their snouts deep into the substrate to filter food through their mouth and gills, you must use smooth, fine sand. Jagged gravel will slice their delicate barbels, leading to painful infections that leave them unable to forage.

2. Mild Toxins When Stressed: Corydoras possess a unique defense mechanism: when severely frightened or stressed (such as during transport in a tiny plastic bag), they can secrete a mild mucus toxin from their axillary glands. To prevent issues when bringing them home, keep transport stress low and acclimate them gradually before releasing them into your main tank.