This may provide some helpful info.
This is a subject that comes up quite regularly so I thought I would write down a few basic pointers the subject.
1. Are the eggs fertile?
This can be determined with reasonable ease, a fertile egg is usually a very light tan in colour, whereas an infertile egg will very quickly show a white centre and will turn completely white within 12 hours of being laid.
2. How long before they hatch?
Depending on the species it can take between three and five days for eggs to hatch.
3. How do I hatch them?
There are several ways to consolidate a spawning, but it is spawnings in community aquaria that initiate the most requests for help. The easiest only requires a small shallow, 1.5 litre plastic container, something like a sandwich box is ideal, and an air stone. The container is three quarters filled with water and floated on the surface of the main aquarium, the eggs can be removed from the aquarium sides with the aid of a clean razor blade and put into the container, where eggs have been placed on plant leaves the leaves can be cut from the plant and placed into the container. The air stone ensures that the water is both fully oxygenated continually moving, which helps to prevent damaging particles from settling on and contaminating the eggs. At this stage one or two drops of a propriety anti fungal preparation added to the water in the container can also help to prevent fungal spores from attacking the eggs. If medication were used then I would recommend that 50% water changes be made to the container each day for the first three days. Use replacement water from the main aquarium, this will dilute the medication in the container, so that by the time the fry hatch the water will be the same as the main aquarium
4. How do I raise the fry?
There is no need to feed the new fry for the first two or three days, as during this time they will draw nourishment from their yoke sac. When the yoke sac has been used up the fry are then classed as free swimming and will be actively looking for food. There are several foods that can be offered to give the fry a good start, the first of these that I use is Micro-worm followed by newly hatched brine shrimp and then after two days I start to introduce pre-soaked powdered flake food alternating between the two live foods. Once a feeding program has started it is very important to maintain good water conditions and to this end I would recommend daily 50% water changes, or even better twice daily, taking the new water from the main aquarium. The fry can be raised comfortably in this way for about a month when they should be large enough to fend for them selves in the main tank, of course this will depend on the size of the spawning and the number of fry hatched. Larger numbers of fry would be better raised in their own tank where they will have more space.
If fry are to be raised on their own in grow out tanks, these do not need to be very deep. Personally I use tanks that are 8 inches (20 cm) deep, it is the surface area that is the determining factor when it comes to the number of fish that a tank can accommodate.
Ian
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I hope Ian doesn't mind.
Erik
I want baby corries too!!
