Lightly Medicated | T.R. Gold Laser Corydoras

What “Lightly Medicated” means

This is the same animal as our non-quarantined listing, held briefly in our systems and given one short prophylactic course — a light treatment for ich and for internal and external worms — then observed eating in front of us before it goes home.

A light course knocks the parasite load down. It does not guarantee full removal, and we will not pretend otherwise. Ich is only killed in its free-swimming stage, and a short treatment window can miss cysts entirely; worm burdens can survive a single dose. Clearing an animal takes the full quarantine window — 40 to 90 days depending on the species — which is exactly what the Quarantined listing is for. This tier buys you a lower parasite load and a fish we have watched eat, not a cleared animal.

We condition the fish on our end. Every animal we medicate is brought back onto prepared food on our own systems and is eating before it leaves — in practice it is rare for a lightly medicated fish to ship out and arrive sick. Do the same at your end: get it eating in your aquarium before you count it settled.

When it ships

Plan on 3–5 days on our systems for the treatment course, and it does not leave until it is eating. If the animal is not already in our systems we source it first — allow up to two weeks for it to reach us before that clock starts. From the day you order, plan on roughly two and a half weeks in total.

The guarantees

• Shipped orders: 24-hour live guarantee from confirmed delivery.
• In-store pickup: 7-day live guarantee — bring a water sample from your aquarium so we can test it before your livestock goes home with you.

Want the full program — treated, observed, confirmed eating, and covered for 28 days on pickup? That is the Quarantined listing. Run your own quarantine and just want the fish this week? The non-quarantined listing is cheaper still. The whole ladder is explained in Quarantined vs Non-Quarantined.

“Laser” strains in the cory trade describe a selectively bred metallic sheen — a reflective quality layered into the skin that causes the fish to catch light at angles that wild-type corys don’t, almost like a moving mirror embedded in the body. The T.R. (tank-raised) designation means these are captive-bred specimens, not imports, which translates directly to faster acclimation, better disease resistance, and a fish that adjusts to captive water parameters without the stress load a wild-caught specimen carries from a months-long collection and shipping chain.

Corydoras are social, shoaling catfish from South American streams and river margins — Corydoras species number in the hundreds across the genus — and they do everything better in groups. A single cory is a fish that spends its time looking for company; a group of six or more is a coordinated bottom-cleaning crew that visibly schools and communicates through fin posture in a way that’s genuinely interesting to watch. The gold laser grade pairs that social behavior with a color that reads as surprisingly vivid at substrate level where most golden-toned fish never venture.

Scientific name: Corydoras sp. (Gold Laser strain; T.R. = tank-raised)
Origin: Tank-raised; wild Corydoras from South American rivers across Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and Venezuela
Water parameters: Temp 72–79°F · pH 6.5–7.5 · GH 3–15 (prefer softer to moderately hard water)
Tank requirements: 20 gal minimum; fine sand or smooth gravel substrate to protect barbels; groups of 6+ recommended
Diet: Omnivore — sinking pellets and wafers as staple; supplement with frozen bloodworms, daphnia, and tubifex
Compatibility: Peaceful shoaling fish; excellent community tankmate; avoid cichlids or large fish that target bottom feeders
Husbandry note: Corydoras have delicate barbels sensitive to sharp substrate and high nitrates. Coarse gravel or dirty, high-nitrate water will erode barbels over time — fine sand substrate and regular water changes are the two most important husbandry factors for this genus.