Bearded corydoras
A large corydoras relative from the cool Atlantic coastal streams of southern Brazil, where males grow bristles along the cheeks and become strikingly patterned. It is a subtropical fish that is consistently kept too warm.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Scleromystax barbatus
- Adult size
- 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in)
- Lifespan
- 5–8 years
- Temperature
- 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
- pH
- 6–7.4
- Hardness
- 2–12 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 100 L (26 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 90 cm
- Swimming zone
- Bottom
- Social
- Loose group — at least 5
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Overall confidence
- moderate confidence
What keeping this species involves
Hardy and easy to feed in the right water, and the right water is cooler than almost every community tank. Nothing else about it is difficult.
Cool clear coastal streams over sand and gravel with moderate flow, at temperatures well below Amazonian.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Bearded corydoras
- Scientific name
- Scleromystax barbatus
- Family
- Callichthyidae
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Also sold as
- Scleromystax barbatus, Corydoras barbatus, banded corydoras, barbatus cory
- Former or synonymous names
- Corydoras barbatus
Adult size and growth
7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 5–8 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.
Shape, which is what the compatibility engine reads instead of length alone: depressed — flattened top to bottom with a grazing or sucking mouth. Assigned from what is typical of Callichthyidae, not examined for this species.
Water and tank requirements
A larger substrate feeder kept in groups, with males holding small territories. Floor area for the group and enough of it for territories to separate.
Temperature (°C)
Scale: 0 to 36 °C.
pH (pH)
Scale: 4 to 9.5 pH.
Hardness (°dGH)
Scale: 0 to 30 °dGH.
Why these ranges: Atlantic forest coastal streams in southern Brazil run cool through the year, and this species is a subtropical rather than a tropical animal. Kept at typical community temperature it grows fast, breeds poorly and dies early, which is the single most consequential fact in this record.
Where these figures come from
Habitat class
Subtropical stream
Running water at the margins of the tropics — a mild winter, a warm summer and no ice.
Species from here are usually sold as tropical and usually kept several degrees too warm all year. A cooler winter is not neglect; it is the season they evolved in.
- Conductivity
- 100–500 µS/cm
- Flow
- moderate
- Dissolved oxygen
- near saturation
- Seasonality
- strong
These are figures for the KIND of water body, not measurements of this species. They are AquariumHQ’s summary of the general limnology and are given wide because the water is.
- TemperatureReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- pHReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- General hardnessReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 18–24 °C (64–75 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 6–7.4 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 2–12 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Minimum volume | 100 L (26 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 90 cm long × 35 cm deep | A larger substrate feeder kept in groups, with males holding small territories. Floor area for the group and enough of it for territories to separate. |
| Water flow | moderate | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Recommended | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | Fine sand with gravel patches, wood and planting. Some current and good oxygenation reproduce the stream habitat. |
Behaviour
- Males display side by side with fins raised and cheek bristles spread, holding position for long periods.
- Forages across sand and gravel using the barbels, working more actively in cooler water than in warm.
Telling males from females
Males are larger with bristles along the cheeks, a longer more pointed dorsal fin and strong black-and-gold patterning. Females are plainer and rounder.
Feeding
Takes invertebrates from sand and gravel. It is a larger fish than most corydoras and takes correspondingly larger food.
- Diet type
- Omnivore
- Staples
- Sinking pellets, Frozen bloodworm, Live blackworm, Frozen daphnia
Breeding
- Strategy
- Eggs placed on hard surfaces after T-position pairing, with no parental care
- Difficulty
- challenging
- Parental care
- none
Cool water is a precondition. Spawnings are reported after a temperature drop, which reproduces the seasonal cue.
Tankmates and compatibility
Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | none | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | none | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | moderate | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | none | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | none | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | none | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.
Welfare considerations
Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.
- Sold from tropical shop tanks with no indication that it is a subtropical fish. Keeping it at 26 °C is the reason so many are reported as short-lived.
- Larger and more assertive than a true corydoras, and males will harass smaller substrate feeders in a crowded tank.
Problems to watch for
Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.
What AquariumHQ does not yet hold
Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.
Where it comes from
- Native range
- Brazil — coastal streams of the Atlantic forest between Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina
- Habitat
- Cool clear coastal streams over sand and gravel with moderate flow, at temperatures well below Amazonian.
What the checklists say
5 distribution statements retrieved from GBIF checklists. Establishment means is reproduced from the source where it states one, and left unstated where it does not — a record of presence is not a record of origin.
| Status | Places | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Native | 1 | A checklist states the species occurs here naturally. |
| Introduced | 2 | A checklist states the species arrived here with human help. That is not a statement that it is established, harmful or illegal. |
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 2 | The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in. |
Evidence
Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Scleromystax barbatus | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Brazil — coastal streams of the Atlantic forest between Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 7–10 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 5–8 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 18–24 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 6–7.4 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 2–12 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 100 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 90 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum group size | ≥ 5 | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.
scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-29. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. 5 distribution statements held from GBIF checklists — native in 1, introduced in 2 countries. Establishment means is reproduced from the source, never inferred from occurrence.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
adult sizeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum group sizeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: group size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
Guides relevant to this species
Chosen from this record's own traits rather than listed on every page.
- Schooling and shoalingThis species is recorded as loose group, and the number it is kept in decides how it behaves.
- Scientific and trade namesThis species has been published under more than one accepted name.
- Wild conditions and aquarium recommendationsThe water band on this page is an AquariumHQ position with a stated reason, not a measurement of a river.
Group size and social behaviour
Males display and spar with each other, which is a genuine part of the behaviour rather than a problem. Enough space and enough females keep it from becoming damaging.