Fairy Cory

1 Overview

The white leopard cory is a bottom-dwelling fish; it is small, its mouth resembles a mouse’s snout, and it carries black spots on the flanks — hence the name. It likes live food, mixes well with small fish, and enjoys a tank with driftwood and plants.

Taxonomy — scientific name Corydoras atropersonatus, commonly the Fairy cory (also white leopard or black-headed cory). Max length about 5 cm (2 in). Distribution: Ecuador and Peru, South America. Diet: omnivorous. Temperament: peaceful (non-aggressive). Water layer: bottom.

2 Appearance

A popular bottom-dweller, its unique fluorescent white shows beautifully in healthy water, and its gentle nature lets it mix with many tankmates.

Small and round-mouthed, it has more flank spots than the pirate cory, a black band across the eye, and unspotted dorsal and caudal fins. There are two morphs: form 1 is silver-grey; form 2 is tan with a black dorsal fin and spotted fins.

3 Care & Tank Requirements

Easy to keep and beloved for its looks, it is rarely kept alone. To house it well with other fish, build a suitable environment. Tap water varies widely by region and differs from its native habitat, but as long as the fish is properly quarantined/acclimated and you drip-acclimate it (‘guo shui’) when it arrives home, it will be fine.

4 Diet & Feeding

Fairly easy to keep and omnivorous, but not everything is suitable — feeding needs care.

Good foods include quality sinking pellets, sinking wafers, bloodworms and tubifex. Best tankmates are other corydoras plus plecos (L-catfish); adding characins or eartheaters causes minor feeding fuss — tossed bloodworms tend to be snatched by the tetras, which is inconvenient.