The hobby still imports most Corydoras species from the wild, but the peppered cory was one of the first tank-bred cory catfish. Peppered cories sold in shops are now almost always farm-raised. The albino cory cats seen in shops are almost always C. paleatus, too. Oddly, we see the normal, green mottled version much less often.

The peppered cory makes a wonderful member of a typical aquarium community. Unlike most catfish, Corydoras species are active during the day, lending more interest to the display. These fish are extremely peaceful and you can’t find better scavengers. Cory catfish spend much of the day nosing around the tank, using their whiskers to explore every nook and cranny for a tasty morsel.

This catfish is very good at finding the last bit of food that falls to the bottom, but you should take care to see that it gets its fair share. If you feed carefully, the other fish may eat all the food before it falls within easy reach of the peppered cory. The peppered cory will swim to the surface and middle levels of the aquarium for food, too, but it may be necessary to supplement with some pelleted or sinking foods. Corydoras catfish are especially fond of live, frozen, or freeze-dried blackworms, Tubifex worms, and bloodworms. If you want to fatten the peppered cory up for breeding, consider such foods as essential.