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I got this little bugger today for free (Petsmart guy said it wasn't in their system so he didn't know how to charge me for it. SCORE!). It is very active, about 1" long and was the only one of his variety in a tank with albino cories. My best guess is Corydoras sp. cf. elegans but I am a mere novice at best when it comes to this.
It is currently enjoying day one of quarantine with three corydoras paleatus.

Hi Fred,

this is definitely a tough one...
Yes, it belongs to the elegans group but I don't think this is C. elegans itself.
It reminds me slightly of C 89 but I doubt that your's is one.
I have not yet seen any comparable specimen.

I guess you don't have any information about the origin of the fish or with which species it came in ?!
I guess it was a bycatch of some other cory.

Cheers,

Thanks for the reply kamas88,

The Petsmart employee indeed had absolutely no knowledge about this fish, but not because he was an idiot, he genuinely seemed puzzled by this fish being in their store.

Are you saying that this fish may have been wild? Ooooo

The female c89 definitely looks similar. Are there other things on the fish that I can look for that will help anyone in identification? I'm kind of excited that I have something this puzzling but at the same time I want to find out what it is.

Day two of quarantine and all is well.

Chain petshops in the US get their fish from wholesalers that ALSO deal with other outlets of fish. Sometimes a fish is dropped, jumps or left behind in a tank. This means that from time to time, a fish that belongs in the "exotic tank" ends up in the "common" tank. When the staff is told to bag up 100 corys to ship to the PetSmart in IOWA, they aren't going to bother about making sure that EVERY ONE of the fish are exactly right. After all, the price of these fish at wholesale level doesn't exactly mean that they are highly valuable. Expect the shop to pay about 1/3 of the retail price. So if the fish is sold for $3, then the shop paid about $1 - quite possibly less if it's a big chain and a commonly available fish.

--
Mats

Way to crush my excitement there Mats.

So maybe at least I've got a fugitive running from the man. Like Dr. Richard Kimball. I wonder what fish crime he is accused of that sent him on this flight from authority. Three corys in sunglasses and trench coats stopped by earlier with a photo of my fish asking if I had seen him. What jeopardy have I gotten myself into?

Seriously though, still wondering what it is...

I managed to sneek a pic of one of the agents that came to my door. I've never been so afraid in my life.

I hear dope sniffing dogs are in short supply so The Government has had to experiment with genetically modified creatures such as your chimera. Most have been sent to Seattle where it is wet more often than not. Your visitor must have been wearing a tank of water.
The armored catfish also saves them money otherwise spent on ballistic vests.

Seriously? No one else has any thoughts?

Hello everyone!

I still have not found out for sure what this fish is. She presented herself quite nicely for some photographs today so I snapped a few. The markings have change fairly significantly from when I first acquired her, namely markings on the head and dorsal fin becoming more distinct. The main body of darkness on her flank has faded somewhat and her overall color is losing the brownish cast.
Any new thoughts are appreciated.





This is a reminder of her markings when I originally got her-


P.S. She is happy, healthy and active. And I'm not really sure if she is indeed a she or not. I started calling her that and it stuck.