Photograph the group from the front at feeding time, when the fish gather on the substrate, then individuals from the side and above, where stripe, spot and fin patterns separate one fish from another. Corydoras are small, similar, and long-lived, a poor combination for memory: after a few years in a group of a dozen, few keepers can say which fish has thinned, whose barbels have shortened, or when a fin edge changed. A dated photo set, taken the same way each time, replaces guessing with a record you can compare across the years.
The Front Shot at Feeding Time
Feeding is the one moment the whole group gathers in the open, noses down on the substrate, so the front photograph belongs there. Wait until the food has settled and the fish are working over it calmly, then photograph the group straight through the front glass at substrate level. A front group shot shows relative sizes, which fish hang back from the food, and the shoal's general condition on that date. Keep the framing consistent, the same end of the tank, the same distance, the lights in their usual state, so differences between years are differences in the fish rather than in the photography. Photograph before a water change rather than after one, since disturbed tanks are cloudy and the fish unsettled.
Side and Above Shots That Separate Individuals
Individual corydoras differ in the details a side photograph captures: the shape and breaks of a stripe, the spread of spots, the pattern where the dorsal fin meets the body. Photograph each fish from the side, close enough that those markings fill the frame, and give it an identifier in the record based on what the photograph shows, such as a broken midline stripe or spots behind the gill cover, since names alone mean nothing once several fish share a pattern family. The view from above adds what the side cannot: body width, condition along the back, and the pattern across the head. Barbels show clearly in a front or above shot of a fish facing the glass, and barbel length matters, because shortened or worn barbels are worth catching early and discussing with a vet if they appear alongside other signs.
The Floor-Layout Photograph
Take one photograph of the whole tank floor in every set, from above or from the front with the full width in frame. Corydoras behaviour is written by the floor: open sand for sifting, cover to rest under, and the routes the group travels between them. When a fish changes its habits, the layout photograph often explains it: a moved cave, a plant grown over a feeding area, a new piece of wood claiming the open patch. It also records the substrate, so you can see whether sand has thinned over time or gravel has crept into an area meant to stay soft for barbels and bellies. Keep the layout shot in the same set, dated identically, so cause and effect stay together.
Keep the Same Five Fields for Every Set
Each set carries a record with the same five fields: the date, the fish's identifier, the angle, a note on barbels, body and fins, and any layout change since the previous set. The angle field states front, side, or above for group and layout shots as well as individuals, so nothing in the set is a mystery later. The condition note stays factual and brief: barbels full length, body rounded, dorsal fin intact, or a plain description of whatever changed. Filed in date order, with identifiers used consistently, these records let you compare a fish at two, five, and ten years, spot slow change while it is still small, and show a vet exactly what you mean instead of describing a fish from memory.
Sets taken twice a year suit a healthy adult group, with extra sets whenever something looks different. Filed together in KinsLe, each Pet Passport set for the tank sits in date order beside its feeding and water records, turning scattered phone photographs into a history you can search.