Spawning Cory's in a separate tank

[Melody]

I think its time to start rotating Cory's in a small species tank for breeding. I just have too many fish in the tanks with them and I'm sure they'd eat any eggs before I'd see them. Many of my tanks are mooner tanks (bare bottom...lol), so the fry don't have a chance of hiding in gravel either.

Does anyone else do that? Any certain ritual you go through? I know the basic Cory triggers, but is there a way you set things up for them? Broad-leaved plants, Java Moss, caves? Would a stronger current be inspiring?

I'm sure I could wing it, but I figured some details couldn't hurt and there's probably others who would find the info useful.

The Cory's in question at the moment are a group of LF Bronze mixed with Albino Aeneus and a Sterbai trio.

Thanks!

[madattiver]

bare bottom tanks work just fine

aeneus will not spawning in mops or javamoss.. they will lay eggs on anything in the tank, plant leaves, glass... pretty much anything solid.

sterbai will spawn in mops and moss, and most likely will do so if it is available. also will deposit eggs on the glass if neother of this is present.. and heck, may lay them on the glass as well even if it is present.

even the presence of a mop touching the glass or in close proximity would work for either as they will lay the eggs behind the mop on the glass as if to hide the eggs.

triggers.. 50% cold water change dropping the temp approx 5-6 degrees F.. extra current.. even trying to do this when a weather front is moving in..

then again, you could do everything right with these fish and still get nothing as they are the ones who call the shots. try try try and nothing.. then stop and neglect.. and they spawn.

[Melody]

LOL Exactly - thanks for the info. Its been so long since I used a mop, I forgot about them. I've been avoiding the eggers but now that I've taken a job outside the home I'll have less time, so in typical Melody fashion, I'll spawn everything in sight. Life isn't challenging enough :rolleyes: .

[rewm4fish]

I heard the best way to spawn cory's is to fill the bottom of the tank with marbles so the eggs fall between them to safety !. I heard that cory's have a tendancy to eat the eggs and fry by accident .

[Melody]

Different Cory Species lay in different ways. The marbles are great for egg scattering fish. :yes:

[madattiver]

I heard the best way to spawn cory's is to fill the bottom of the tank with marbles so the eggs fall between them to safety !. I heard that cory's have a tendancy to eat the eggs and fry by accident .

I think you misheard that one.. the marbles are great for egg scatterers, such as barbs and danios, as Melody mentioned. I am not sure this would be benifitial to any cory species out there.

Cory eggs are adhesive and stick to any surface they are placed on, glass, plants or pretty much anything else in the tank and they will not fall off where they were laid too.. some are so sticky that it is almost like they are glued to the surface and take quite a bit of work to remove them.

[Melody]

I wasn't sure if they'd suit other Cory species or not - funny how much variance there is among them.

However, they may help to hide hatchling Cory's, maybe that was the tip. :smile: We do appreciate all input, thanks!

[happy_pitbull]

Ok, heres a question. How do you get the corys ready for spawning, condition them. Do you feed them anything in particular to fatten the females up with eggs, and make them all 'randy' like? LOL!

And how do you know if and when they look ready? Just by the female being roundish in the belly?



Min

[madattiver]

i used to condition with frozen bloodworms.. not I don't do anything different then normal feedings a couple times a day.. it seems to always keep them in spawning condition.

and it is always a guessing game when they are ready, just give them a good cold water change of at least 50% and wait... sometimes it is best to do it before/during a good rain or thunder storm

[Melody]

I have a very fat female Napoensis right now that I suspect is either ready to spawn or needs to diet:rolleyes: , but generally they're always more round, so I've never really noticed a difference to speak of.

A lot of people use Shrimp pellets to condition Cory's, but they are surprisingly low in protein. Another case of them being called one thing, but actually only contain that ingredient, along with a bunch of other stuff. If I was going to use them, I'd use Omega One. Others just feed more of whatever they feed.

If I was having problems getting them to spawn, I'd try the freeze-dried or frozen options. Bloodworms are high in protein but should be fed in moderation, in my opinion, as they're not always digested well. Any frozen seafood that sinks should do the trick. Cook them up some Oysters :;): .

I just bought a huge bunch of Java Moss for my spawning tank. I may even get some Cory's in there eventually :rolleyes: .