Peppered Corydora

Pepper Corys are small, peaceful fish that can help clean the bottom of your tank sparkling clean. They're also fun, interesting pets that can actually vocalize during courtship. Best kept in small groups, they're a great addition to a community freshwater tank.

Pepper Corys are native to South America, where they were first discovered by Charles Darwin during his well-known travels aboard the HMS Beagle in the 1830’s. Their home includes the rivers and streams of the Río de la Plata Basin, which is one of the world’s largest river basins. Peppers have been found in rivers, streams, and small lakes in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Suriname, and Uruguay. They are among the earliest fish that were captive bred for the aquarium trade, having first been bred in captivity in Paris, France in 1878.

The scientific name for this fish is derived from the Latin words cory (meaning helmet), doras (meaning skin) and palea (meaning chaff or strips of metal foil), a reference to their natural coloration. Pepper Corys are one of the most commonly seen, and most popular, of the Corydoras genus in the aquarium trade. Currently, most specimens sold in shops are captive bred by commercial breeders in Florida and Asia.