Albino Corydora Catfish

Belonging to the Catfish family, Albino Corydoras grow to about 2- inches in length, the female being a bit larger than the male. They are white to pink in color with pink eyes that appear to be looking directly at you. Surrounding their mouths are barbels with which they hunt for food. It is vital to have nothing in the aquarium with jagged edges as the barbels are quite delicate and even rough gravel can damage them. Check everything for roughness before putting it in the aquarium. These fish are non-aggressive in nature, yet are able to hold their own against a more aggressive fish due to their spined fins. Because they are schooling fish, Corydoras are happiest in a group of five or more of their own species. They are playful and love to chase each other, taking occasional breaks to swim to the surface for a gulp of air, sometimes making a good splash before swimming back to the bottom.

The Albino Corydoras are a fish that can thrive in the smaller aquarium. It is acceptable to house a group of 6 -- 8 in a 10- gallon tank. They are hardy enough to withstand most water conditions, with the exception of salted water. Keep the temperature ot the water between 72 -- 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Have for them plenty of plant life as they will rest under the plants to take refuge of the lights from time to time. These fish will eat flaked foods, but being bottom feeders they will wait until the flakes have made the journey to the floor of the aquarium. If you have other species in the aquarium who feed from the surface, consider giving sinking pellets to the Corydoras. They will welcome treats such as live worms and frozen brine shrimp too.

Breeding is no problem for the Albino Corydoras. After spawning, the mother carries the eggs with her ventral fins to deposit them onto plant life and aquarium decorations. If you wish to raise the fry, carefully remove a plant that she placed the eggs onto and put it into a separate tank. But you will have to act soon, as the adult fish will waste no time devouring the eggs. In the end, the mother will have scattered up to 200 eggs. After about one week the fry will hatch. Be sure to lower the setting of the air filter afore-hand because a powerful stream will injure the tiny fry. Feed microworms to them for the first week, after which you may slowly introduce them to flakes and pellets. When they reach about 3/4- inches in length they will be safe in the community tank. It's quite amusing to see the adult Albino Corydoras and the babies together, as the babies look like exact replicas of their parents, barbels and all. And with a little tender loving care, you can expect these babies to live approximately five years.