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Can anyone tell me about these guys? I found some in a lfs but resisted buying until I could look them up. Planetcatfish doesnt have much data on them. Maybe i'm looking in the wrong places but I couldnt find much anywhere else either.

Thanks in advance.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

These cories aren't easy to find, I'll tell you that much. These are some of the smaller cories, and only reach three cm or so. They can be cared for the in same way as other members of the genus, and are fairly hardy. I found a link for you with a little information, hopefully it will help.

[link=http://www.scotcat.com/callichthyidae/cochui.htm]http://www.scotcat.com/callichthyidae/cochui.htm" style="COLOR: #808080[/link]

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Corydoras cochui is possibly the smallest of all the Corydoras. It's acutally slightly smaller than pygmaeus. It resembles habrosus in appearance to a certain extent, but there are some identification differences that can be pointed to.

Here's what Lambourne says about it (his notes are sadly rather brief):

C. cochui Myers & Weitzman 1954 {Cochu's Catfish}

First collected 1953 by F. Cochu.

Named in honour of F. Cochu.

Distribution: Brazil: Goiás - Rio Araguana.

Max SL 35mm.

C. cochui is a pygmy species with a colour pattern similar to that of another pygmy species, C. habrosus. C. cochui can be distinguished by the stripe along the mid-side of the body, which forms 4-5 irregular-shaped blotches (2-3 in C. habrosus) and the absence of a black spot at the base of the anal fin.

Maintenance and breeding are reputedky similar to that of C. habrosus, but documentation on the fish is somewhat sparse as you've probably already discovered. Be prepared for some divergences from C. habrosus if you buy them, but start off by setting up an aquarium for them as you would for habrosus. For tips and hints on habrosus, Cory_Di has a wealth of experience to call upon, and I can also supply the Lambourne notes on that species if you wish.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

These cories really remind me of Aspidoras catfish, what with their small size and very rounded and small heads. They are probably similar to these fish (as well as the other pygmy cories) in care. Not too difficult, but not as easy as with Corydoras aeneus and paleatus.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

I had not planned to set up a tank solely for them. As much as I would love to space is an issue right now.
They would be going in a planted 55g with some panda cories, pristella tetras and glass cats.

Thanks for the info so far, much appreciated. Considering the rarity of these fish I am surprised they are so cheap. Hope they are still there on Wednesday.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Corydoras cochui should integrate nicely with Pandas. And provide you with some fun antics into the bargain

Exercise some care with substrate choices though. Cory_Di had issues with habrosus and a fluorite substrate. Rounded gravel is the best choice. If your Pandas are already living on rounded gravel, than that should suit your new cochui quite nicely.

Oh, and if you feed the new arrivals live foods within 6-8 hours of them being acclimatised to your aquarium, this will boost their settling in enormously. Just make sure that the Pandas don't scoff it all before the cochui get chance to sample the live food!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002