Breeding sterbai cories

[cowgirluntamed]

Just curious...but is it easy to breed sterbai cories? They seem a bit on the expensive side. And I wanted some for two 55 gallon tanks. One will be way ready before the other.

Is there any best way to plant a community tank so these breed naturally? Or is it best to remove eggs if they are seen? I'm going to go Google stuff now since I've never even thought of breeding them. But it's really only to maybe get more for the 2nd tank so I can save some money! Lol.

 

[Byron]

I wouldn't call it easy, but at the same time it happens in my cory tanks all the time without any intervention from me. If you have a group of five or six (or more), there will likely bee male/female. Sterbai cories are now being commercially raised, so those you buy will likely be tank-raised as opposed to wild caught unless you buy from an importer.

If you want fry, have the cories in their own tank, no other fish. If you see spawning behaviour, watch for eggs, that will be individually placed by the female on most any surface. Most people carefully remove the eggs or you could remove the cories after spawning; the eggs are very soft until they harden and are much safer to remove then. I don't know how bad Sterbai are for eating their eggs, if at all; my pygmy cories don't seem to, they are in their own 10g permanently and spawn regularly and several fry do appear also regularly but they don't lay that many eggs to begin with (I hardly ever see them) and I doubt they are much interested in eating them.

Place a good number of dried leaves in the tank, they will after a couple days sink to the bottom, and provide excellent infusoria as first fry food. I also put in shrimp pellets, which the fry seem fairly quick to identify as food. In an established tank with chunks of wood and plants there will be other live food too. Live worms (the micro ones) wold be good, I've never bothered with these but then I am not attempting spawning, it just happens and nature takes its course.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Thanks Byron. I was hoping they might in just the community tank if I had the right plants for fry to hide, but if I want more results then a different tank for them.

I'm still not sure I will go this route, maybe I can find a deal on them somewhere...lol. sucks having to find all my fish online but hey, at least they are out there!