Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Elegant Corydoras
Corydoras elegans Steindachner, 1876; now Gastrodermus elegans
Also called Elegant cory, Gastrodermus elegans (current name), Corydoras pestai (former synonym)
From Western and upper Amazon basin in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil, in forest streams with sand, mud, leaf litter and fallen branches.123
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Armoured catfish (bony plates, no scales)
A slim little armoured catfish with an olive body marked by paired dark lengthwise stripes and grey and black patterning. The dorsal fin carries rows of grey dots arranged in arcs. Males tend to show richer, darker markings, while females are bigger and rounder.31
Personality what they are like
A calm, sociable fish that suits a peaceful community tank. Unlike most corys it often hovers and cruises in open water as a little group, so it is more visible than a typical bottom-hugger.13
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Active and social, using both the bottom and the middle layer of the tank; open swimming space plus a soft foraging area suits it.13
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Keep water clean and well oxygenated with regular partial changes; a sandy bottom with some leaf litter and plants mirrors its home streams.1
Home where they are happiest
Temperature about 20 to 26 C, pH 6.0 to 7.5 and hardness 1 to 15 dGH per Seriously Fish; FishBase gives 22 to 26 C, pH 6.0 to 8.0. A planted tank with sand, wood and leaf litter fits its natural habitat.12
Food basics what goes in the bowl
An omnivorous forager. Feed sinking dry foods plus small live and frozen items such as bloodworm, and make sure it gets its own food rather than relying on leftovers.1
Company who they like around
Keep at least four to six together; it is a shoaling species that often moves as a group.1
The story where it all began
Franz Steindachner described this species in 1876 from the Amazon at Tefe in Brazil. It gives its name to an informal 'elegans group' of similar small corys, and it has since been moved to the genus Gastrodermus.13
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Unusually for a cory, it spends much of its time swimming in midwater instead of on the bottom.3
- 2
Its gut is richly supplied with blood vessels, letting it use gulps of air from the surface as an extra oxygen source.1
- 3
When spawning, both sexes clean the undersides of leaves before the eggs are attached, and the eggs hatch in about three to four days.2
- 4
The species name elegans simply means 'elegant'.3
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 17 September 2020)2
- Taxonomy
- Described by Steindachner in 1876; now placed in the genus Gastrodermus3
- Family
- Callichthyidae (armoured catfishes)1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Elegant 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: Corydoras elegans seriouslyfish.comused for origin, habitat, size, care, behaviour, history, air breathing
- FishBase: Gastrodermus elegans fishbase.seused for size, water parameters, IUCN, spawning
- Wikipedia: Corydoras elegans en.wikipedia.orgused for current genus, colouration, midwater behaviour, etymology
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.