Panda Cory Corydoras panda

Quick Stats

Tank Setup

The Panda Cory (Corydoras panda) is one of the cutest and most popular corydoras in the hobby — that black mask over the eyes does a lot of work in the charm department. A 15 gallon long (24 × 12 inches) is the realistic minimum for a school of six; a 20 gallon gives them room for tank mates. They reach 4–5 cm, slightly smaller than the Sterbai, and they come from the Río Ampiyacu and Río Ucayali systems in Peru, where they inhabit clear, soft, slightly cooler tributaries.

Maintain water parameters within: temperature 20–26°C, pH 6.0–7.5, hardness 2–12 dGH. They prefer slightly cooler water than the Sterbai — the 20–24°C range is their sweet spot, and they stress above 27°C. That makes them a poor fit for discus tanks (Sterbai or bronze corys are better there) but a great fit for standard community tanks running at 24–25°C. They tolerate moderately hard tap water without complaint, which is a big part of why they are so beginner-friendly.

Set up the tank with smooth sand (no sharp gravel — they sift it through their gills and rough substrate erodes their barbels), driftwood, and dense planting along the back and sides. Leave open sand in the front for sifting. A sponge filter is plenty; moderate flow from a HOB is fine but avoid strong currents. A layer of leaf litter (Indian almond leaves) recreates their natural habitat and grows infusoria that fry graze on. Lighting can be moderate — the panda markings show well under any reasonable brightness, but slightly dimmer lighting makes them bolder.

Tank Mates

Panda Corys are peaceful, bottom-foraging fish that never bother other species. They are also small enough (4–5 cm) that they are not prey for most community fish, though anything with a mouth big enough to fit a 5 cm cory is a potential predator. That combination makes them a solid cleanup companion for almost any peaceful community tank that doesn't run too warm.

Compatible tank mates include: other Panda Corys (mandatory — they school, and they school with their own species), Ember Tetras, Neon Tetras, Harlequin Rasboras, Celestial Pearl Danios, Chili Rasboras, Otocinclus, Bristlenose Plecos, Nerite Snails, Cherry Shrimp, and Amano Shrimp. They also work as a bottom school under a single Betta in a 20 gallon, or with a pair of Apistogramma. Avoid anything that grows large enough to swallow a 5 cm cory — large cichlids, big catfish, angelfish (which can harass small corys), and aggressive species will stress or eat them. Avoid warm-water-only species like discus — panda corys will not thrive at 28°C.

Schooling is non-negotiable. Six is the absolute minimum; eight to ten is what I aim for. Like all corydoras they are a true schooling fish, and a group smaller than six will hide constantly, refuse food, and slowly waste away. They need their own species — a single Panda in a tank of bronze corys will not thrive, even though the bronze corys may loosely accept it. Buy them in a group, ideally from the same source at the same time, and aim for a mix of sexes. In a proper school they forage openly across the sand bed in a loose shuffle, sifting substrate through their gills and reacting as a unit to any disturbance.

Diet & Feeding

Panda Corys are omnivores that spend their day sifting sand for insect larvae, small crustaceans, and organic detritus. In the aquarium they accept sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp, live blackworms, and algae wafers. They are not fussy eaters, which is half the reason they are beginner-friendly — the other half is that they are tough enough to recover from a beginner's mistakes.

Feed small amounts twice daily. Sinking pellets (I use Hikari Sinking Wafers and Omega One Shrimp & Lobster Pellets) dropped in after lights-out reach them reliably. Twice-a-week frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp conditions them for spawning and keeps the iridescent sheen along their flanks bright. Algae wafers round out the diet and give them something to rasp on between feedings. A flake-only diet works for survival but the fish lose condition over months — barbel erosion is the classic sign of poor diet and rough substrate, and Panda Corys are no exception.

They are bottom feeders, so target-feed with sinking foods rather than relying on leftovers from surface-feeding tetras. In a community tank, the midwater fish will eat most of the flake food at the surface before it sinks, and the corys will go hungry without targeted feeding. Use a piece of rigid tubing or a turkey baster to deliver frozen food directly to the substrate where they forage. They will also pick at biofilm and detritus, which makes them a useful cleanup fish — but they will not eat algae off the glass. That is a snail or Otocinclus job.

Common Health Issues

Panda Corys are hardy once established, but they are scaleless-ish fish with sensitive barbels — which makes them vulnerable to two specific problems: barbel erosion from sharp substrate and bacterial infection from poor water quality. The single biggest health issue I see is eroded barbels from keeping them on rough gravel; switch to sand and the barbels regrow within a month. The second is red blotches on the belly, which is a bacterial infection almost always caused by dirty substrate — vacuum the sand weekly.

Like all corydoras they are susceptible to ich when stressed by temperature swings, but they are also sensitive to many medications. Copper-based treatments and formalin-heavy medications are toxic at standard doses — dose at 50–75% of label rate or use malachite green-free alternatives specifically labelled safe for scaleless fish. Salt is also rough on corys; if you must treat with salt, use half-strength and only for a few days. Heat treatment for ich (raising to 28–30°C for 10 days) works for Panda Corys, but push it only as high as 28°C since they prefer cooler water and stress at higher temperatures.

Prevention is straightforward: stable temperature (22–24°C is the sweet spot, 25°C is fine for a community), weekly 25% water changes with dechlorinated water, smooth sand substrate, and quarantine new fish for two weeks before adding them. Panda Corys typically live 5–7 years in good conditions, with the upper end coming from cooler tanks (20–22°C) and pristine water. The single best thing you can do for them is commit to sand — it is not optional for this fish.

Breeding

Panda Corys are egg-scatterers and breed readily in a mature tank — often without any intervention. Sexing is straightforward: females are noticeably wider and deeper-bodied, especially when viewed from above; males are slimmer and smaller. Captive-bred Panda Corys are widely available and they spawn freely in home aquaria, which makes them a great first corydoras breeding project.

Condition a group with frozen bloodworms and live blackworms for a week, then trigger a spawn with a cool (18–20°C) 50% water change the morning after a warm day. Spawning happens in T-position — the female cups her pelvic fins together, releases 2–6 eggs into the basket she forms, the male fertilises them, and she carries them to a clean surface (glass, plant leaf, driftwood) and sticks them there. A group of six can produce 30–60 eggs across a morning. Adults rarely eat eggs if well-fed, but for higher fry survival move the eggs to a separate container with an air-driven sponge filter.

Eggs hatch in 4–5 days at 24°C. Feed the fry infusoria or commercially-prepared liquid fry food for the first three days, then graduate to microworms or newly-hatched baby brine shrimp. Panda cory fry are tiny at hatch but grow steadily, reaching 1 cm in about six weeks and joining the adult school at around three months. The panda markings develop gradually — the black mask appears first, followed by the dorsal spot, with the tail spot last. Captive-bred stock has been line-bred for bolder markings, so tank-bred fish often look more striking than wild-caught.

Frequently Asked Questions