Sterbai Cory 'Guaporé' (Hoplisoma sterbai)

Common Name

Sterbai Cory ‘Guaporé’

Scientific name

Hoplisoma sterbai

Collection

Rio Guaporé system, Brazil and Bolivia

Origin and Habitat

Collected from the upper Rio Guaporé and connected floodplain channels on the Brazil and Bolivia border. This region features warm clearwater to lightly tea tinted streams with very low hardness, fine pale sand, leaf litter, and submerged roots. Sterbai Corys sift in gentle margins where current is modest and oxygen is high, often under dappled shade from overhanging vegetation. Wild fish experience seasonal pulses that bring cooler rain and fresh leaf fall, which loads the substrate with micro life.

Temperature and Water Conditions

Preferred range is 76 to 82 F, which is 24 to 28 C. Wild water is typically soft and mildly acidic to near neutral, commonly about pH 6.0 to 7.2. We do not recommend chasing exact numbers for routine care. Stable, clean, well oxygenated water is far more important. Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero, nitrate very low, and provide gentle flow with plenty of surface agitation.

Appearance and Size

A classic high contrast reticulated pattern of cream spots on deep charcoal flanks with bright orange to amber pectoral spines and fin rays. The head shows a beautiful mesh that looks almost beaded. Adults reach about 6 to 7 cm total length, roughly 2.4 to 2.8 inches. Females grow rounder and deeper when in condition, males stay slimmer and a touch smaller. Guaporé collections are valued for clean pattern, warm fin glow, and consistent body shape.

Diet in the Wild

Micro predator and detritus sifter. Feeds on insect larvae, tiny worms, micro crustaceans, and edible biofilm taken from the upper layer of sand and leaf litter.

Feeding in Captivity

Offer high quality sinking micro pellets and wafers as a daily staple. Rotate with live or frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, white worm, blackworm, and finely chopped bloodworm for conditioning. Scatter food across soft sand so the whole group can graze without crowding. A fine sand bed protects barbels and lets them feed naturally.

Behavior and Tank Setup

Peaceful, social, and very confident in a proper school. Keep at least eight, larger groups are even better. Use a long footprint tank with fine sand, leaf litter pockets, and root or branch cover to create shaded areas. Provide gentle to moderate flow and high oxygen. Ideal companions include calm characins, peaceful dwarf cichlids that respect the bottom, and other small river fish that enjoy warm clean water.

Breeding

Readily bred in captivity when well conditioned, a great choice for a locality focused project. Condition adults on abundant live and frozen foods for two to three weeks. A series of larger cool water changes that mimic seasonal rains often triggers courtship. Spawning occurs in the classic T position and adhesive eggs are placed on glass, plants, mops, or even the filter casing. Adults will eat eggs, so either remove parents after the spawn or move eggs to a small hatching container with gentle aeration. At 78 F, which is 26 C, eggs often hatch in three to five days. Start fry on paramecium or a suitable liquid fry food for the first days, then transition to microworms and newly hatched brine shrimp. Keep fry water very clean and shallow at first with sponge filtration and frequent small changes. Maintain careful records so the Guaporé origin can be preserved in your line.

Quick Facts

• Scientific name: Hoplisoma sterbai
• Collection: Rio Guaporé system, Brazil and Bolivia
• Adult size: about 6 to 7 cm, roughly 2.4 to 2.8 inches
• Temperature: 76 to 82 F (24 to 28 C)
• Wild pH: commonly about 6.0 to 7.2, soft to near neutral
• Temperament: peaceful schooling catfish, best in groups
• Diet: micro predator and substrate sifter, accepts quality prepared and frozen foods
• Breeding: adhesive egg layer, T position spawner, responds to cool rain style water changes

Tropical Fish Co. Notes

Locality specific Sterbai Corys do not come around often, and Guaporé fish are exactly the kind of special group we get excited about. The warm glow in the fins and the neat mesh pattern look incredible over pale sand with dappled shade. This is a perfect chance to start a dedicated breeding group and keep the Guaporé origin pure. Give them steady warm water, soft sand, and a real school, and they will reward you with synchronized foraging, gentle personality, and dependable spawning once conditioned.