In captivity
Corydoras sterbai readily accepts a wide variety of prepared and frozen foods.
Flake food is a good staple
diet (which will only be consumed once it has fallen to the bottom) as are sinking pellets or wafers. They relish live and frozen foods such as
bloodworm,
daphnia and
mosquito larvae, but ideally should only be fed such foods once a week due to the high amount of protein in them. It is often problematic to feed
Corydoras in
aquaria with fast feeding mid-water fish such as tetras as flake and
sinking pellets are consumed by such fish before they have hit the bottom and sometimes, even while lying on the substrate. However, this problem can be overcome by placing pellets and flake on the aquarium substrate in caves or under
bogwood, or other such areas which are not regularly frequented by mid-water fish. The
compatibility of
C. sterbai is one of their main selling points as with all other
Corydoras species as they are very peaceful catfish and can be kept with other peaceful fish. They should not be kept with overly aggressive
bottom dwellers, particularly if there is competition over substrate space as there would be in small tanks or tanks with a large amount of "furniture". Ideal companions would be similar sized
tetras or particularly,
dwarf cichlids. Ideally
Corydoras sterbai should be housed with a fine
substrate such as sand or gravel in order to avoid doing damage to their delicate
barbels. However, large gravel will suffice as long as it is not sharp edged. Their only other requirement is that shade be provided for them, by means of overhanging rock, large leaved plants, arching bogwood or caves. Breeding is not too difficult. A tank with dimensions 18″ x 12″ x 12″ (10 US Gallon) is recommended. The breeding ratio that should be kept is 2 males per female. Good diet together with repeated water changes and drops of temperature are usually sufficient. However, raising the fry is not easy due to its high sensitivity. Occasionally problems can arise while transporting these fish as they are capable of secreting a chemical toxin when stressed or overcrowded. For this reason they are never shipped with other fish. ==Name==