Description
Sterba's cory is probably the most attractive corydoras in the trade: a dark head covered in white dots, a pale reticulated body and intense orange pectoral fins that set it apart at a glance.
It also has a practical advantage over the rest of the genus: it handles heat well, up to 28 °C without trouble. That makes it the go-to corydoras for discus and dwarf cichlid tanks, where an aeneus or panda would be uncomfortable.
Like all corydoras it is gregarious, peaceful and spends the day sifting the bottom with its barbels. It needs a group and soft substrate; given that, it is one of the most rewarding fish there is.
Behavior
Peaceful and group-living: six minimum, eight or ten is better. In a small group it hides; in a large one it roams the bottom as a gang and rests together.
It lives well with almost any peaceful mid-water fish: tetras, rasboras, gouramis, discus, calm apistogrammas.
Avoid housing it with fish that feed aggressively on the bottom and steal its food, and large or territorial cichlids that bar it from the floor.
Substrate: fine sand. On sharp gravel it damages its barbels, which then become infected.
Habitat
Corydoras sterbai comes from the Guaporé river basin on the Bolivia-Brazil border, in the western Amazon. It lives in gently flowing stretches with sand and leaf-litter bottoms, in warm, soft water.
Almost all shop fish are captive-bred and tolerate a wider hardness range than wild ones. What must be respected is the bottom: sand, leaves and some wooden cover.
Corydoras sterbai is a schooling species, which means that in the wild it lives and moves in large, coordinated groups.
Keep at least 6 individuals so they feel comfortable and their stress level stays low.
Habitats
Details
🌊 Water parameters
🐠 Minimum tank size
Breeding
It breeds like other corydoras, in the T-position: the female places herself against the male's belly, takes in the sperm and carries the eggs between her pelvic fins before sticking them to the glass or to leaves.
A water change with slightly cooler water often triggers spawning. The parents do not tend the eggs and will eat them, so they need moving to a separate container. The fry grow slowly and are sensitive to water quality.
Diet
A bottom-feeding omnivore: it eats what it finds in the sand.
- Staple: sinking tablets or granules, spread out so all of them get some.
- Supplement: frozen mosquito larvae, brine shrimp or tubifex.
The classic mistake is thinking it "cleans" the tank by eating leftovers. It is not a scavenger: it needs its own food, and on scraps alone it becomes malnourished.
What about your tank?
Enter your tank's values to see only the compatible species that fit them. Litres apply to fish.
Compatible fish
General guidance based on water parameters, behaviour and known exceptions; always review the individual animals' and aquarium's specific needs.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 26–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 25–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–25 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 27–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 25–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 24–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 24–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.2 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 26–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–6.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
Compatible invertebrates
General guidance based on water parameters, behaviour and known exceptions; always review the individual animals' and aquarium's specific needs.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–6.5 and 24 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–25 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 24–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–6.8 and 24 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6–6.8 and 24 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 27–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
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They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
Sources
- FishBaseFroese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2026. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication.
- Seriously FishSeriously Fish. Corydoras sterbai. Ficha de especie; consultada 2026-08.
Both sources now list it as Hoplisoma sterbai; the profile keeps Corydoras like the rest of the catalogue. FishBase goes down to 21 °C; Seriously Fish asks for 24-28.
Plan your next aquarium
Is this fish right for you? Plan a suitable aquarium before setting it up.