Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Banded Corydoras
Scleromystax barbatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Also called Bearded catfish, Bearded cory, Checkerboard cory, Filigree cory, Corydoras barbatus (former name)
From Coastal river drainages of south-eastern Brazil, from Rio de Janeiro south to Santa Catarina, in small flowing streams and quiet ponds over sand or fine gravel.123
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Armoured catfish (bony plates, no scales)
A large cory with a bold pattern of dark blotches and bands over a lighter body, giving a checkerboard look. Mature males are especially striking, with a pale gold stripe on the forehead, crisp spotting on the head and short bristles on the cheeks that look like a beard; their dorsal and pectoral fins also grow longer. Females are plumper and slightly larger.13
Personality what they are like
Peaceful toward other fish, though adult males claim territories and spar with one another. In a smaller tank it is best to keep a single male with several females.1
Daily activity how busy a day looks
An active forager that roams the bottom; its bigger size means it needs a long footprint with plenty of open sand.13
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Provide clean, well-oxygenated, slightly cool water with regular partial changes, and a soft sand substrate for foraging.1
Home where they are happiest
A tank with a base of at least about 120 x 45 cm is recommended. Seriously Fish suggests 16 to 24 C, pH 5.5 to 7.5 and 1 to 12 dGH; FishBase and Wikipedia allow up to about 28 C and pH 6.0 to 8.0.123
Food basics what goes in the bowl
An omnivore that takes sinking dried foods along with small live and frozen items such as bloodworm; give it dedicated meals rather than leftovers.1
Company who they like around
Females live together happily; males are best kept one per tank unless the aquarium is large enough for each to hold its own patch.1
The story where it all began
French naturalists Quoy and Gaimard described this fish in 1824, making it one of the earliest known corys. It spent many years as Corydoras barbatus before Britto moved it to the revived genus Scleromystax in 2003.31
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It is the biggest member of the cory subfamily, reaching about 10 cm.1
- 2
Males sport cheek bristles set in fleshy tissue, which inspired the name 'bearded catfish'.3
- 3
During spawning the female balances on one pectoral fin while fanning with the other and catches the eggs in a basket formed by her pelvic fins.2
- 4
It is an obligate air-breather, regularly rising to gulp air at the surface.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 7 November 2018)2
- Taxonomy
- Originally Callichthys barbatus, later Corydoras barbatus; moved to the resurrected genus Scleromystax by Britto in 20033
- Family
- Callichthyidae, subfamily Corydoradinae1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Banded Corydoras. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Seriously Fish: Scleromystax barbatus seriouslyfish.comused for origin, habitat, size, care, behaviour, dimorphism, breeding
- FishBase: Scleromystax barbatus fishbase.seused for size, water parameters, IUCN, spawning, air breathing
- Wikipedia: Scleromystax barbatus en.wikipedia.orgused for taxonomic history, dimorphism, water parameters
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.