Fun Corydoras Gossei Facts For Kids

The Corydoras gossei is a ray finned fish that is a member of the Corydoras genus and the Actinopterygii class. This fish is commonly referred to as the gossei cory or the palespotted cory.

It is a small fish that ranges between 1.9-2.1 in (4.8-5.3 cm) in length, with the female being larger than the male. It is found in the coastal river tributaries of Brazil, namely the Rio Madeira and the Rio Mamore.

The Corydoras species inhabits regions of clear or white waters that have a fine sand substrate.

These fish have a distinct coloration possessing dark gray, white, yellow, and orangeish yellow colors on their body, giving them another common name, the smokey cory! The fins of the peaceful smokey cory are mainly clear.

These tropical fish may not be the easiest pet to take care of, as they need water of excellent quality in the aquarium and frequent water changes, and they might get sick too.

However, these fish do not get sick if there is a fine sand substrate in the aquarium.

Their feed comprises freeze dried food, small live food, sinking pellets, shrimp pellets, flake food, algae, decaying plant material, and brine shrimp in captivity. These fish are bottom dwellers and must be kept in a school of five peaceful fish, as they are loosely schooling species, just like other fish members of the Corydoras genus.

Keep reading to get to know more about this interesting fish species, such as their breeding, spawning, diet, appearance, and more!

If you liked reading these Coryoras gossei fun facts, you must check out our rainbow cichlid and spotted catfish facts as well!

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Corydoras Gossei Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Corydoras gossei?

The Corydoras gossei is a fish species that is a member of the Corydoras genus.

They are a member of the Callichthyidae family whose members are known as mailed or armored catfish because all members have bony plates present in place of their scales.

Commonly known as the palespotted cory, the Corydoras species is omnivorous and consumes freeze dried food, small live food, sinking pellets, shrimp pellets, flake food, algae, decaying plant material, and brine shrimp in captivity.

In the wild, these fish feed on crustaceans, worms, and insect larva.

What class of animal does a Corydoras gossei belong to?

The Corydoras gossei fish belongs to the class of ray finned fish, Actinopterygii.

How many Corydoras gosseis are there in the world?

The exact population of the Corydoras gossei has not been evaluated yet. However, they have a high breeding rate, and can easily increase their population. They have a limited geographic range.

Where does a Corydoras gossei live?

This fish species resides in regions with clear or white waters that have a fine sand substrate. They can be seen in South America mainly in coastal river tributaries, namely the Rio Madeira and the Rio Mamore.

This magnificent fish can be kept in an aquarium and can thrive if there is a sand substrate present in the aquarium. This sand substrate prevents this catfish from getting sick.

What is a Corydoras gossei's habitat?

This fish species resides in clear waters with sandy substrates, dried leaves, and low light. These fish are diurnal (active in the daytime).

This catfish species is quite intolerant to contaminated water with high levels of salt, chemicals, medications, and nitrate. When kept in captivity, a Corydoras gossei aquarium must have a lot of plants and a fine gravel substrate to mimic their Brazillian habitat. These aquariums can be decorated with driftwood or tree roots, Java fern, and small rocks.

Adding dried leaves will help in making these fish feel comfortable. The water in the aquarium can also be stained.

These fish prefer dimly lit settings even though they aren't nocturnal. Dim-lit settings remind them of the tree canopies of a dense jungle. They also need frequent water changes to thrive.

These water changes must be done a minimum of two to three times a week. An airstone would also be great to diffuse air in the aquarium along with a filter that has a water flow that is four to five times the aquarium's volume.

Who do Corydoras gossei live with?

This catfish species, Corydoras gossei, is a species of loosely shoaling fish. They prefer five to six fish mates in their aquarium.

How long does a Corydoras gossei live?

The Corydoras gossei fish species can live up to 25 years and even more if their water conditions are great, and food requirements are met!

How do they reproduce?

This catfish, Corydoras gossei, can be cross bred with other species of the same genus. To breed them in captivity, two or more males must be kept for each female.

Water changes must be performed when the female is carrying eggs. During this time, water changes must be performed every day until spawning takes place.

After three to five days, these females lay their eggs on the glass of the aquarium or in spawning mops and 100 eggs can be laid at once. After spawning, the adult fish must be kept separate from the eggs, nowhere near their eggs.

The eggs must be shifted after they have been incubated which takes three to four days.

The new home of the adults must have the same water as their spawning home. A few drops of methylene blue can be added to the water that the eggs are in to prevent fungus from developing on the eggs.

After the eggs hatch, the fry can consume small live foods subsequent to their yolk sacs becoming fully absorbed. An owner must keep in mind that the water quality must be extremely good.

What is their conservation status?

These catfish have not been evaluated yet by the IUCN.

Corydoras Gossei Fun Facts

What does the Corydoras gossei look like?

The palespotted cory possesses a gray colored upper half giving these tropical fish their 'smokey cory' common name. Their lower half is white or yellow-colored. Most of their fins are clear, except the front fins that are yellow colored.

Their caudal fin has a vertical stripe and is translucent. These fish are quite small, with their length ranging between 1.9-2.1 in (4.8-5.3 cm). Females are rounder and larger than than the smaller and slimmer males.

* Please note that this is an image of the Corydoras aeneus, not the Corydoras gossei. If you have an image of a Corydoras gossei please let us know at hello@kidadl.com.

How cute are they?

The smokey cory catfish is very cute as it has a tiny body and a peaceful temperament. Its translucent fin and dark vertical band make it look unique from other fish. Fry are especially adorable.

How do they communicate?

Not much is known about how these fish communicate. However, catfish species are known to produce a variety of noises, including stridulation and drumming sounds.

How big is a Corydoras gossei?

This catfish's body is very small, with females of this species being larger than males. They range between 1.9-2.1 in (4.8-5.3 cm) in length. They are twice the average size of the white cloud mountain minnow.

How fast can a Corydoras gossei swim?

The speed of these catfish is not yet evaluated. However, we do know that smokey cory fish are bottom dwellers that prefer to swim around in groups of five to six other bottom dwellers.

How much does a Corydoras gossei weigh?

The average weight of the small sized Corydoras gossei is 0.05 oz (1.4 g)!

What are their male and female names of the species?

The female, as well as the male, do not have distinct names.

What would you call a baby Corydoras gossei?

After the eggs hatch, the babies of these fish are called fry. Fry are very tiny in size.

What do they eat?

These magnificent fish have a wide range of foods in their diet. Like the channel catfish, they are also omnivores and need a blend of meat and plant matter in their diet so as to gain the essential minerals and vitamins necessary for them to thrive and remain in the best health for breeding.

In their natural environment, they feed upon insect larvae, crustaceans, and worms. They will also consume algae and commercial flake food as well as decaying plant matter.

In captivity, these pets can be fed tubifex, shrimp pellets, dried bloodworms, live fish food, and frozen as well as live brine shrimps.

They can even consume the flesh of dead fish. Surprisingly, they might even eat their own eggs!

The newly hatched fry feed upon their yolk sac firstly but later on, they can be fed with baby brine shrimps. These fish are preyed upon by larger fish like piranha fish that also reside in the waters of South America.

Are they aggressive?

These catfish are not aggressive normally. However, if they get startled or become uncomfortable when being handled, their stiff pectoral fin spines can easily pierce the skin of humans. Their sting can cause excruciating pain, so caution must be taken when handling this catfish.

Would they make a good pet?

These fish will make wonderful pets if handled carefully. These fish are outstanding community fish and they do not die easily unless they become stressed from lots of changes or they are not getting proper care.

These tropical fish require a lot of time and hard work from their owner, otherwise, they simply won't thrive. For this reason, they are not popular in the aquarium trade and are not available widely at pet shops. A special request must be made to a supplier to acquire this fish.

Did you know...

Interestingly, it is indeed possible for this catfish to be bred to form a hybrid with other fish of the Corydoras genus! This is known as hybridizing.

They can breathe through the air in response to circumstances, as they have an evolved a vascularised intestine that helps them in breathing in oxygen from the air. In an aquarium, they will ride to the top to breathe through the air if there is not enough oxygen in the water of the aquarium.

The genus of these fish, Corydoras, is the largest catfish genus and has more than 150 catfish species.

Naming the Corydoras gossei

Their name is derived from the Greek words 'kory' and 'doras'. 'Kory' means 'helmet' whereas 'dora' means 'skin'.

Can they survive in an aquarium?

Palespotted corys can thrive in an aquarium given that their needs are being met. These excellent community fish are highly energetic and can thrive with six to seven of their own type in a community tank.

A Corydoras gossei tank is always clean as they keep it that way. They are gentle fishes that are quite friendly with other fish in their aquarium. Cory fish can be kept together in a group of six.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish from our telescope fish surprising facts or coffinfish interesting facts pages!

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable corydoras gossei coloring pages!