Baby Cories Dying Why?

[bhale7904]

we've had 3 batches of eggs hatch in breeder nets (probably about 120 total) and every batch has done well for the first two weeks then start dying off. Ph of water is balanced so don't think its that. The nets are inside the 29 gal aquarium so the guppies can't get to them. We've been feeding them fry food starting at about 2 days and then when they reach the two-three week mark they begin dying. the last of the last batch died this morning and we have fresh eggs in the tank (arrived yesterday) so we will scrape them off with the razor blade trick and put them in the nets probably tomorrow which is what we have done before. (guppies don't bother the eggs, just the fry when they are born)
Any ideas as to why this is happening and what to do so as to raise this next batch to maturity?
Becky

 

[jelloz]

Becky:

I also am losing my fry at the 2 to 3 week period. I have them in plastic food containers which I aerate and I do a 50% water change every day. I also syphon the junk on the bottom of the container.
Right now I think that mine are starving to death. I need to feed them more and larger food. I have a new bunch that just hatched and I will feed them more. I have had 4 groups now die during or before week 3. The best thing I learned here is to use the squeezings from a filter. I used to lose them in the first few days. Thanks inch!

If yours are in a net, how is the food staying in the net and not escaping? Are the guppies taking the food through the net?
What are you feeding them during the time you lose them, the fry food? Specifically what fry food?

Good luck. It is interesting learning how to keep them alive.

JOe

 

[Colin_T]

Breeding nets are useless for rearing up newborn cory fry. As mentioned the food just falls through the netting and they starve. You could try putting them in a spare tank or bucket with an airstone bubbling away gently. Then use a liquid fry food for the first few days, followed by microworms or newly hatched brineshrimp. Make sure you change at least half the water with clean tank water each day.

If they still die after a couple of weeks then it is either a water quality issue or fungal infections.

 

[Spishkey]

i found the best way to rear cory fry was to buy one of those cheap little plastic tanks (you know the type with a bright red or yellow lid and handle)
attach an airstone and leave the bottom bare. take water from the parents tank. fill it about half way up.

Do daily 50% water changes with water from parents tank, syphon botom of fry tank daily. for the first two days i fed freshly hatched brine shrimp

after that i fed the 22 sterbai fry daily on a quarter of a sinking catfish pellet (type that sink then kind of dissolve)

they grew fast and strong and were put back with the parents after 5 weeks

 

[Inchworm]

Hi bhale7904

Welcome to the forum!

Cory fry need a clean environment and lots of food to thrive. They are much smaller than livebearer fry and rarely do well when kept in nets. I would suggest setting up another tank for them. A ten gallon is a great tank to raise a batch in and you can even move the parents into it so when they spawn they can be moved back and the eggs left undisturbed. If you set it up with an airstone to aerate the eggs, the same pump can be later attached to a small sponge filter to cultivate a beneficial bacteria colony for them.

I start my fry on microworms until they are big enough to eat regular foods and shaved bloodworms.

Daily partial water changes do a lot to keep them healthy and growing well.

Good luck with your new eggs. Please let us know how things turn out.