Discussion on Sexing Corydoras

[mmcm1997]

So are you saying with the elegans the males have the colors and female are plain? MIKE

[DrunkenPanda]

Hi There, I have found in my tank that the females are much larger and have more darker and detailed colouring, to the males that are much smaller and very light and plain.

[mmcm1997]

Thanks I thought the males had the colors. Do the plain males almost look like a crappy Bronze cory? With a little line detail on the whitess side? MIKE

[DrunkenPanda]

Do the plain males almost look like a crappy Bronze cory? With a little line detail on the whitess side?

In reply to that question i think that Male Peppered corys look abit like weak Bronze cory but i'd rather say it looke like a Male Otocinclus flexilis (Peppered Otos), but that might be because that type of oto loves to confuse peppered corys.

i have to say though that my otos spend 24/7 cleaning the plants and leave the corys well alone, only meeting once in awhile when the corys decide to help clean. watching the fat female cory trying to clean is funny, The plants just bend under her massive size.

[mmcm1997]

Coryman what do you have to say about my question?

[Jools]

I split this off from the stick as the plan with that is just to have it there and remain uncluttered. However, of course we didn't want to lose this discussion so I've put in its own topic.

If this, or any other, topic comes up with something that can be usefully added into the Cory Sexing Sticky, then I am sure Coryman will amend it accordingly.

Jools

[Jools]

Do the plain males almost look like a crappy Bronze cory? With a little line detail on the whitess side?

In reply to that question i think that Male Peppered corys look abit like weak Bronze cory but i'd rather say it looke like a Male Otocinclus flexilis (Peppered Otos), but that might be because that type of oto loves to confuse peppered corys.

This is a useful picture as it shows the difference but not in a sexually active pair - so it is more slight. Female to the left. You can see the male has the reticulated patterning whereas the larger, plumper female is more plain. The patterning is most evident around the head and dorsal fin of the male. So, forget colour, look at the pattern.

There are more examples on the

Corydoras elegans

page - which should be self explanatory...

Jools

[Coryman]

Within the so called "elegans" group generally speaking it is the males that have to more intense colour patters, however with the species C. napoensis it is often the case where the female is better colored. So although in most cases it is fairly easy to determine the sexes by the colour pattern, it is always wise to check through the other main diamorphic features, such as ventral fin shape, body shape and overall size. The genus Scleromystax is also colour diamorphic, but in the main there are very little colour differences between the sexes in the majority of Cory species, some, thankfully there are not many, where it is almost impossible to separate the sexes until the female/s are in breeding condition.

Ian

[Prosperus]

*BUMP*

So even in Albino Cory's, the female will be larger and plumper? I just want to clarify so that way I know if I am on the right track here. Also, in Cory's, do they have to be full grown before you can tell the difference between Fe/Male, and before they reproduce? Or is this something that they will in the right conditions and with sexing right away?

[MatsP]

The fish, clearly, has to be sexually mature - that's not the same as "fully grown", as fish essentially grow their entire lifespan, just not at the same rate.

And yes, if you have a mix of mature enough corys, and you give them the right conditions, they will breed. What the right conditions are will depend on the species. Albino corys are most likely

Corydoras aeneus

, so they are pretty easy to breed, relatively speaking.

And yes, no matter whether they are normal or albino corys, the sexing is the same - females are slightly bigger and fuller bodied.

--
Mats