5 Best Foods for Corydoras

Corydoras are peaceful bottom dwellers with pronounced scavenging behavior. They are opportunistic eaters, so they won’t pass on anything that holds any nutritional value.

Especially insects, larvae, worms, and anything of value they can find near the substrate.

Today, we’ll discuss some of the top commercial foods for Corydoras that are perfect from a nutritional perspective. But let’s start with the beginning!

What do Cory Catfish Eat?

Corydoras are omnivorous bottom dwellers, which is another way of saying they eat anything.

This being said, corydoras prefer live food in the wild, especially since it’s readily available on the substrate.

They do need some variation in their diets, though, so they require some algae and veggies occasionally, depending on their nutritional needs.

Best Commercial Foods for Corydoras

Commercial foods are a must for your cory catfish. These require no preparation and are easy to portion.

They are also packed with nutrients, providing your Corydoras with just the right sustenance for optimal growth and long-term health.

Below, I have gathered 5 of the best commercial foods for Corydoras available today.

So, let’s dive in:

1. Tetra Shrimp Wafers

These are sinking wafers designed specifically for Corydoras and other bottom feeders like them. As the name suggests, these wafers are rich in shrimp-sourced protein, making them great for bottom feeders.

The added protein will complement any omnivorous diet and works great in addition to other food sources like spirulina and algae wafers.

The wafers’ size and shape are also ideal for catfish and loaches, as it follows the fish’s sucker mouth design. This allows the catfish to eat them with ease, especially if they’re the right size.

Naturally, shrimp wafers are more like food supplements than full-course meals. This is because shrimp wafers aren’t exactly well-rounded in terms of nutrient content.

But they may for great protein snacks that your catfish will love to have occasionally.

2. Aqueon Shrimp Pellets Fish Food

It was only natural that we would follow shrimp wafers with sinking shrimp pellets. The pellets are a better choice for smaller catfish that can’t handle the larger wafers.

Shrimp pellets are smaller and more compact, don’t foul the water as much, are easier to consume, and have a rich nutrient content.

The added shrimp protein will support your catfish’s growth rate, coloring, and immune system, leading to a healthier and happier bottom dweller.

The product’s formula is also optimized for the best nutrient absorption. So, your catfish will process more of the food and produce less waste as a result.

The pellets will also not cloud the water, so long as your fish will consume them in up to 2 hours. This is not needed anyway, given that your cory catfish should get them done in less than 2 minutes.

Anything more than that can lead to overfeeding.

3. Fluval Bug Bites Bottom Feeder Fish Food

Fluval Bug is a more well-rounded meal with several top-tier ingredients like vitamins, minerals, amino acids, salmon protein, and Omega 3 and 6.

The omega fats aid in skin and fin health, providing your catfish with optimal nutrition and improved health over time.

The Black Soldier Fly larvae are the main ingredient, though, making up for up to 40% of the total quantity.

These provide your catfish with plenty of low-protein fat, complementing their diet better than any other product.

The extra small granules are great for both juvenile and adult Corydoras, given that they’re only 1.6 mm in size. The ideal portion size should allow the catfish to consume everything in less than 2 minutes to prevent overfeeding.

After all, your catfish requires a balanced diet with Fluval Bug being one of the foods.

Fluval Bug also comes with different formulae, depending on the fish’s size and breed.

Catfish formulae include ingredients like dried Black Soldier Fly larvae, fish protein, salmon, green peas, and potato for a well-rounded nutritional output.

4. Aqueon Bottom Feeder Tablets

These tablets are slightly larger, up to 11 mm, making them ideal for adult corys and other bottom dwellers like loaches and Geophagus cichlids.

The ingredient list is more comprehensive than all of the previous products. That’s because Aqueon tablets are meant to be main course meals.

The most noticeable ingredients include: dehydrated kelp, fish oil, spinach powder, fish meal, calcium, garlic powder, iron proteinate, a handful of vitamins (B12, D3, K, C), corn gluten, etc.

The mix contains multiple vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and protein sources for a well-rounded meal.

Aqueon tablets are great for your fish’s immune systems and ideal for juvenile fish that require all the sustenance they need to grow fast and healthy.

The ideal serving size is whatever your fish can consume in 1-2 minutes.

5. Omega One Sinking Catfish Pellets

I would rate this one as the best shrimp-based product you can get for your Corydoras.

Omega one pellets are insoluble in water, so they will decay extremely slowly, keeping the environment clean for longer. They are also highly nutritional, containing an astounding amount of protein-rich ingredients.

These include salmon, herring, shrimp, pea protein, and a ton of vitamins like A, D3, E, B12, etc. You also have a rich source of minerals and antioxidants to play with, making this product great for supplementing your catfish’s meals.

It also doesn’t hurt that the pellets are brightly colored and tasty, specifically made to attract your catfish’s attention and taste buds.

You can easily feed your catfish Omega One pellets 1 to 3 times per day, depending on your Corydoras’ appetite.

How to Feed Corydoras?

Corydoras are bottom feeders, so this alone tells you everything you need  about the feeding method.

Your corydoras’ food should sink because catfish are programmed to collect it from the substrate. Their mouth’s appearance, location, and functioning are pretty telling in this sense.

Your Corydoras have sucker mouths underneath the head, specifically designed to collect food from the substrate.

So, always go for sinking pellets, wafers, or granules, which your catfish will search for along the substrate. Don’t feed your cory catfish more than what they can eat within 2 minutes, and don’t steer away from this recommendation.

Corydoras have the tendency to overeat, especially when the food is plentiful.

More importantly, feed your corydoras carefully if you keep them in a community tank. That’s because middle and top dwellers may eat the sinking pellets before they can reach the substrate where your corydoras dwell.

You should always feed the top fish first, preferably in one area of the tank, then throw the sinking pellets in another area while your top dwellers are distracted by their meals.

This makes sure that corydoras get to eat before their tankmates can collect their food on the way down.

Homemade Fish Food for Corydoras

I always advertise homemade foods when it comes to feeding your fish, Corydoras included.

There are several advantages to consider, including:

• You can personalize the food the way you see fit
• It is considerably tastier than commercial options
• It’s safer overall as it contains no artificial preservatives; after all, you decide what goes into it
• You can store it in your freezer for later use

This being said, here are some good recipes to consider:

• Fish Food (No cooking required) – You need some cod, shrimp, spinach, peas, cucumber, and gelatin. The amounts to use may vary, depending on how much paste you want to obtain. Go for at least 50 grams of each and at least 200 grams of gelatin to see whether your catfish like it. You can make more next time if they do. The preparation method is pretty straightforward. You just cut all the ingredients into smaller pieces, blend them with a bit of water, and then mix everything with the gelatin. Store the paste in the freezer for later use.
• Vegetarian Food – Oats, spinach, cucumber, peas, zucchini, spirulina, gelatin. This recipe is to be used as an addition to the catfish’s diet, given that catfish only eat veggies in moderation. But some good vegetarian snacks are great once in a while. The preparation process is similar to the previous recipe, except you will now blanch the vegetables first. Then you chop them into smaller pieces, crush them into a puree, add the oats, blend some more, then mix everything with gelatin. You can store everything in the freezer once the mix has cooled off.
• Protein fish food – Salmon, shrimp, garlic, spinach, peas, carrots, and gelatin. This recipe involves some cooking, which means you can add larger quantities to obtain a larger amount of paste. Cut everything into smaller pieces, blend them thoroughly, add the gelatin, mix everything with water, and set them on a low-to-moderate fire for a 45-minute cooking session. Allow everything to cool off completely, then portion the paste into your ice cube tray for optimal storage.

Naturally, these recipes are just samples of what a vivid imagination can provide you with.

Feel free to get creative with it and create your own recipes, depending on what your catfish like and needs.

Conclusion

Corydoras are easy-going fish that appreciate a good meal, aside from what they get from their regular scavenging activities.

Community corydoras are easier to feed than those housed in single-species tanks, but all catfish require food supplementation to remain healthy over the years.

If you didn’t know what to feed your catfish before reading this article, now you know.