Cories hatched today... what now?

[chkltcow]

Sunday my Cories laid eggs in my main tank. I got as many as I could out being VERY careful with them, and moved them to a 5g tank for holding. Well, today they started hatching. I still see a few eggs that look intact, and there are about 20-25 little cories that I've seen swimming around on the bottom. So... advise me... where do I go from here?

How often should I feed them? How fast will they grow? Do I need to put any medication in there to cut down on the chances of something happening to them? Water changes? Anything??!

Thanks in advance

 

[Inchworm]

Hi chkltcow

That's wonderful news!

When cory eggs hatch, the fry will still be absorbing their yolk sac for 24-48 hours, so there will be no need to feed them. Then, you can start adding a few drops of Liquifry or some other liquid fry food for egg layers.

You will want to keep their tank very clean by doing daily small water changes. I would suggest taking out a gallon every day and replacing it with clean dechlorinated water at the same temperature. This will go a long way to helping them grow strong and reducing the bad bacteria that will feed on the uneaten food.

What kind of corys do you have? Is your tank bare bottom, or what do you have in it? Are you running a filter yet?

I'll look forward to following their progress with you!

 

[chkltcow]

The cories are actually Emerald Brochis. Well, there are 4 emeralds, and one albino cory. The main tank that they're in is sand, this holding tank is bare bottom. It was set up VERY hastily... no time to do much else to it. As for the filter, I'm afraid to run a power filter with them, so I got a simply box filter that runs off of an air pump. It seems pretty crappy, but, I guess it's working.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi chkltcow

Actually, you're fry tank is just fine. I recommend using a bare bottom tank for fry because it is much easier to keep clean, which is the most important thing when it comes to raising fry. Left over food will breed bacteria, and with the bottom bare you can easily rub off any residue that settles there and sticks.

I like to use an air pump and box filter when they get a little bigger, but while they are still small, it's likely to suck them into it. I would suggest using a sponge filter instead. This will begin colonizing beneficial bacteria and when you are ready, you can split the line and add the box filter again to give you better filtration of solid matter. By that time, your fry will be big enough that you will be wanting to move them into a larger tank to grow up.

This is the sponge filter I am talking about, in case you are not familiar with them:

http/www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/produc...ategory_id=2979

Brochis are a lot like corys and I think the same breeding and raising techniques will apply. Here's a thread where we talk about breeding corys that you might enjoy having a look at:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...=0&#entry616882

 

[chkltcow]

Alright, I looked at the other thread, and your first post in it is almost exactly what I've done.... with the exception of the box filter. I started off with just an airstone putting out a LOT of air (air pump was designed for 55g... in a 5g aquarium). After they hatched I put in that box filter on a smaller air pump, one designed for a 5-10g aquarium. I've called around and nobody has a sponge filter in stock, so I think I'll order that one from Big Al's and in the meantime, just run the airstone like you talked about up high in the water column to avoid tumbling the poor guys around too much.

Also, I had put some Pimafix (anti-fungal med) in the water to prevent fungus from the egg stage. I can still smell it, so I know it's still in the water. Should I just let it go away, or use carbon to get rid of it, or should I even add a bit more? What about Melafix? (anti-bacterial)

 

[GSD]

cool
*jelous *good luck

 

[Inchworm]

Hi chkltcow

I think you can safely get rid of the PimaFix. It will serve no purpose now and the best way to keep your fry healthy is to give them lots of clean and fresh water. There is no medication that can take the place of that, or do the job as well.

If you have a lot of it in, perhaps you might want to use carbon, but if not, your daily water changes will eliminate it in a few days.

What will you be feeding them?

 

[chkltcow]

Right now I have a pack of Hikari First Bites:

http/www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/produc...id1=2911;pcid2=

and a tube of Wardley Small Fry

http/www.petfish.net/reviews/Wardleys_Liquid_Fry_Food.htm

I'm gonna ask at the fish store tonight and see if he has any other type of food for fry. The tube is almost empty because I used it with my guppies back when I had them.