Venezuelan Osteogaster

Remarks:  The Venezuelan Osteogaster is a very eye-catching look-alike of the much more common O. aeneus. The two are best told apart by the fact that the Venezuelan Osteogaster is larger and its range differs from that of O. aeneus in that it is only found in the two coastal closed drainage systems of the Rio Tuy and Lake Valencia where it is the only species of Corydoradinae found there. These cool waters are almost never collected from, so a majority of specimens in the hobby are captive bred. 

  Because of the common name of the black Venezuelan Osteogaster, O. schultzii, many mistakenly believe them to be a black form of the Venezuelan Osteogaster. This is false as they are two different species despite there being a black form, albeit one that is extremely rare and almost never seen available, of the Venezuelan Osteogaster. The two can be told apart by how in adult specimens, all of the fins of O. schultzii are rusty orange or red while only the dorsal and adipose fins of the Venezuelan Osteogaster are this color with the rest being gray.

  Venezuelan Osteogasters have become rather popular as their coloration of a rusty orange colored body divided by a large, greenish-black patch right above the shoulder and a similarly colored head is very beautiful especially among green plants. They were previously classified as Corydoras sp. “Venezuelanus”, but were reclassified as Osteogaster venezuelanus upon publication of a phylogenomic analysis in 2024 that reclassified many species in the Corydoradinae subfamily.

  Corydoradinae are small, peaceful catfish that are active shoalers and will stay near conspecifics, making for a lovely sight. They feed by searching through sand with their barbels, making such a substrate necessary for their long-term health. Gravel substrates tend to be abrasive and damage the barbels, leading to infections and an inability to find food.

  While these friendly catfish are willing to swim with other species of Corydoradinae different from their own, this does not provide the same social need as being kept with members of their own species. Because of this, it is highly recommended to keep at least six of each species of Corydoradinae present in the aquarium and only mix species if one has the space to keep at least six of each.

  Corydoradinae are often looked at as "scavengers," but they should be treated in a similar fashion as the rest of your fish. They are omnivores and require a mixed diet. Sinking prepared foods are readily accepted, as are frozen and live foods such as brine shrimp, blackworms, and bloodworms.