Banded corydoras

General information

Scleromystax barbatus will grow up to 3.9 inches in length. They have the ability to tilt their eyes which looks like blinking. These fish are facultative air breathers, they have a highly vascularized intestine that facilitates uptake of atmospheric oxygen so they will often go to the surface for a gulp of air. Due to the ability for breathing atmospheric air, the aquarium should have a cover and the tank shouldn’t be filled to the top.

To keep this species in captivity, water pH should be between 6.0 and 8.0 and water temperature should range from 75ºF and 83ºF. The tank should have a sandy substrate, plants and hiding places. These fish can be kept in community aquariums and should be kept in groups.

Scleromystax barbatus are omnivorous. In the wild, they feed on worms, benthic crustaceans, insects, and plant matter. They will eat almost anything that sinks into the bottom of the tank, you can feed them dried, live and frozen foods.

The dorsal and pectoral fins of males reach or almost reach, the caudal peduncle, and well-developed odontodes are inserted in fleshy tissue on a large area on the sides of the snout in fully grown males.

They lay eggs in dense vegetation and adults do not guard the eggs.

Scleromystax barbatus can be found in South America.

Scleromystax barbatus has hardened pectoral spines that can pierce human skin so they should be handled with care and a plastic container should be used to move them, using a net is not recommended because these spines may become entangled in the mesh.

These fish are scaleless and as such they are extremely sensitive to salt, adding salt to the tank will hurt them.

These fish are nocturnal so they should be fed at lights out, however, after some time in the tank they may be “taught” to eat during the day.