I just bought some “Corydoras venezuelanus” Black Cory’s, I read all that this forum says about them! I was wondering if anyone has had any other experiences or knowledge about this “New” species. The breeder of these fish states black corydoras spawned and raised in my fish room.
The black form appears in a localized area in the Central Llanos of Venezuela, close to the Middle Orinoco. These tributaries are typically slow and very warm. The black form is only found in the Llanos in drainages of the Orinoco.
Here is a picture of what I bought! The pic is from the breeder!
I sent several post to people on http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=40714. This is the response I received.
This mix up only happens in the US partially due to the fact that the black C. venzuelanus were bred there by Don Kinyon and partially due to the lack of the pictured fish in the US until later than Europe. The guys / posts above are correct on ID.
They were developed in Germany but since then have been extensively bred in the Czech Republic, there is a post by Ian Fuller on this thread explaining it.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=32934&p=219184&hilit=The+true+all+black+cory#p219184
We in the Uk have the same problem with them being misnamed as black Venezuelans.In the states I think people are intentionally calling them venezuelanus knowing full well what they truly are, trying to get more value from the fish by claiming them as “Wild” or “F1”.
It’s a shame that fish identities intentionally get lost because another name increases the value.
I looked up synonyms to Corydoras aeneus on “Fish base”! This is what I got!
So according to Fishbase Corydoras schultzie and Corydoras venezuelanus are just synonyms of Corydoras aeneus! So are the black Cory’s aeneus or something else entirely? Were they collected as pure black fish or a creation of some ones hybridization? Is the name we are using on them even correct?
Scot Cats http://www.scotcat.com/callichthyidae/c_aeneus_black.htm has a better description of what they are:
This aquarium strain was first bred in Germany in 1989 and is now being bred in the Czech Republic. It has been bred from the schultzei- type variety of C.aeneus which some aquarists believe is [schultzei] a species in its own right. The “real” black aeneus wild strain is from the Llanos of Venezuela and also Colombia which is being imported as “black aeneus”. The wild strain has more of a brown body colour. Aquarium Care: Will do well in a community setup with smaller tank mates such as Rasboras and Tetra’s. Do not house with aggressive species or large Cichlids. Reproduction: Breeding is comparatively easy with cool water changes that lowers the temperature, triggering them off. Feed a good balanced diet making sure that they get their full quota of food if kept in a community tank. Diet: A good quality flake food provides all the essential vitamins that they need with extra feedings of frozen bloodworm, white worm (sparingly) and tablet food.
This goes back to the old problem as to what each individual calls the fish. That’s why scientific names are so important to identify fish or any animal. I think whoever first produced this fish or collected this fish should have done the paperwork for proper identification. I guess the name should be Corydoras sp. aeneus “venezuelanus black schultzie”
Ron
Ron's Aquatics 