Bandit Cory

Corydoras metae is known in English as the "bandit cory" because of its "bandit mask", the black band running over its eyes. Its pink-beige body with a faint bronze sheen carries a black dorsal fin and a black stripe along the top of the back from the dorsal fin to the caudal peduncle. Adults are around 5 cm.

It can be confused with the similarly patterned C. melini. The difference lies in the direction of the dorsal stripe: in metae the stripe runs in a straight line along the top of the back to the caudal peduncle; in melini it starts at the dorsal fin and runs diagonally down toward the lower lobe of the tail.

It lives in small sandy-bottomed river branches and shoreline areas of the Meta River basin, which crosses the Llanos plains of eastern Colombia. The waters in this region are warm, relatively clear and moderately hard. In the Llanos the rivers flood in the rainy season and the water recedes in the dry season; during these periods the fish concentrate in shallow branches and the remaining pools.

• Volume: at least 60 liters for a group of 6–10.
• Substrate: fine, rounded sand.
• Water: 22–26°C; pH 6–7.5, soft to moderately hard, clean and oxygen-rich water.
• Decor: roots, shaded planted corners and an open sand area at the front.
• Light: light softened by floating plants lets the fish stay more in the open during the day.

Make sinking tablets and granules its staple food. Vary with frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp and daphnia. To keep fast midwater fish from snatching the food, feed in the evening or after the lights go out.

A peaceful and social bottom dweller. In a group the fish roam the bottom and sift through the sand. It does not harm shrimp.

Good companions: tetras, rasboras, small peaceful barbs, dwarf gouramis, apistogrammas, otocinclus, shrimp.

Avoid: cichlids that claim the bottom, large fish that can fit it in their mouths.

At least 6, ideally 10 or more individuals. In a large group it is bolder and more active. It can roam together with other corydoras of similar size; but a group of its own species brings out more natural behavior.

It breeds in the aquarium. Spawning is triggered by a somewhat cooler water change and rich feeding. The female sticks the eggs to the glass and the undersides of leaves. The eggs hatch in 3–5 days; the fry are fed microworms and freshly hatched brine shrimp.

• Barbel erosion: sharp or dirty substrate.
• It is sensitive to nitrate buildup; regular water changes are essential.
• It is sensitive to salt and copper-based medications.
• Quarantine: observing newly arrived fish in a separate aquarium for 2–3 weeks prevents diseases from being carried into the main aquarium.

Females are plumper and, viewed from above, noticeably broader. Males are smaller and slimmer.