Cory Eggs...first Time!

[Hels]

Hi guys...

im pretty sure i have cory eggs (clear/whiteish blobs stuck to side of tank)...which is a bit strange because i had thought i had 3 peppered corys in this tank which were all of the same sex... anyway...questions

i can see approx 12/15 eggs at the moment...i have the 3 corys, 3 platy fry and two zebra snails in the tank (plus what seems like thousands of little snails!), will they be okay or are they likely to get eaten?? if needs be i can move the corys and zebra snails but if they do hatch will they be ok with the platy fry as they're not big enough to make it in the big community yet?? how long will they take to hatch?? what do i need to feed them?? plus any other info u think a first time cory mum might need to know!! thanks xx

 

[Hels]

just one more quick question...

i think the female is still laying eggs but she seems to be eating them as well...plus the males now seem to have decided they taste nice too...would it be okay to gently move the eggs and put them in a breeding net... if so....shall i position it in the flow of the filter??

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Hels

Congratulations! I always think that when corys spawn unexpectedly, that it is a sure sign of a healthy tank with well fed fish.

OK, you have two choices here if you want to raise some cory fry. The first is to try to gently move the eggs to another tank where they will be by themselves, or to wait and set up another tank for them to spawn in the next time. Unfortunately, peppered corys are known for eating their eggs, so moving them, even though it is difficult, might be your only option.

In that case, try to gently roll them off the glass and put them in a container of tank water. You will need to try to get it to float so it will stay an even temperature. If you have a hard plastic livebearer trap, with a solid bottom insert, it will be ideal. Add an airstone to keep the water circulating over them to prevent fungus from forming.

They will hatch in about 4 days, so start thinking about what you will do with them them. They do need a tank by themselves because livebearer fry, even very young guppies, are much larger and will attack them.

Have you ever raised fry from egg laying fish before?

 

[Hels]

thanks for the help!

errmm... no ... first time with egg laying fish.... )

the breeding net i have has a plastic frame with material covering it...i was thinking i would position it in the tank directly in the flow of the filter... i think i can get it quite close...would that be sufficent??.... or should i leave them where they are and move everything else out?? the 3 platy fry can live in the breeding net in the main community and theres room for the corys...would the eggs be safe from the snails or should i move them as well?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Hels

If you are able to leave the eggs and move everything else out, it would be ideal. Be sure to move the gravel out too so you can raise them in a bare bottom tank.

The problem with using the net to raise them is that they are very very tiny when they hatch and they tend to get caught in the fabric and under the frame. I always set up my breeding tanks with the intention of emptying them to raise the fry.

Food will also be something to consider. Since they are so small, you will need tiny food. I like to use LiquiFry or a similar liquid fry food for the first few days. Then, they can move up to microworms. One of our members in the UK sells starter cultures and I'll look for his link for you. They cannot usually be bought in a lfs. This will give them good nourishment until the can move up to more substantial fare. Since it will take a while to get a microworm culture going, I would suggest getting started on it right away. Your platy fry will thrive on them too.

There are several members who have very young cory fry and will probably be along to offer suggestions too!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Hels

I found the link for the microworms:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...0&hl=microworms

They are really not hard to start and will continue indefinitely as long as you refresh the culture each week or two.

As far as raising egg layers go, cory fry are larger than most and therefore not too difficult to raise. If you can save the eggs, you will do just fine with them. If you cannot save them, once they have started, they often spawn again within a week or two, so you can be better prepared the next time.

 

[Barracuda518]

My cories laid thier first batch of eggs about 2 weeks ago and I was in the same position you are in so I started a topic and asked a lot of questions. This might help:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=115010

Inchworm has helped me out a lot and has walked me through it. Like she said, they are very small when they hatch, so its best to seperate the eggs from every thing else. The above topic explains how to do that too. Like I said, mine are a little over 2 weeks old now and have grown a good bit. I am trying to start a microworm culture, but it might be too late at this point. I will just use them with the next set of fry. Its a lot of work to raise the fry, but its worth it to see them grow and know that they will be full grown one day.

Good Luck

 

[Seb R]

hye there im currently raising two batches of cory fry

mine just love normal tank flake food and occasionally cory food

I use pipettes to remove all waste and debris every day, making sure i change the tank water with water from the rest of the tank (they are only small so they are floating in a tub in the water still).

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Seb R

What kind of cory fry are they? Why not start your own thread and tell us about them?

If you have any pictures, we'd love to see them too.

 

[Hels]

Hi Guys...

Firstly thanks for all the replys... especially Inchworm....im v.grateful...

I'm sorry its taken me so long to reply but im in my third year at uni and i had to hand in essays totaling over 10,000 words this week! but i'm finally finished for Xmas...a whole 5 weeks off uni (but i still have heaps on, dissertation, working, applying for fulltime jobs etc... )

Anyway the night i first posted i was caught by surprise and wasnt prepared! when i woke up in the morning every single egg had gone! however next time i will be ready...

I think next time i will move the parents as soon as possible and leave the eggs in the tank...unfortunatley its got a sandy bottom and its planted so will be a bit of an upheaval to clear it but i will go and buy a plastic breeding compartment, if you think that would work, and then move the eggs there after a couple of days, i'm also considering setting up a microworm culture but i dont know if im keen on doing the live foods thing....i do use all the normal frozen though so if anyone knows of any subsititutes for the early days i'd be most grateful!!

Many thanks xx

 

[Seb R]

Hey,

mine are peppered corys, and right now I have about 20 fry floating in a small 4" x 2" x 1" tub. This is the best way I have found to getting them to adulthood, although I did find 6 half inch cories in my tank a while back . If you want the eggs to all hatch it it best to remove them the second they are laid and move then to a small tub. Then when they hatch, you can always do waterchanges easily and clean it out, then eventually just move them somewhere bigger.

Oh and mine love guppy flakes

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

Hey,

mine are peppered corys, and right now I have about 20 fry floating in a small 4" x 2" x 1" tub. This is the best way I have found to getting them to adulthood, although I did find 6 half inch cories in my tank a while back . If you want the eggs to all hatch it it best to remove them the second they are laid and move then to a small tub. Then when they hatch, you can always do waterchanges easily and clean it out, then eventually just move them somewhere bigger.

Oh and mine love guppy flakes

Aren't eggs meant to be left for 10-12 hours before moving them as they are so delicate?

 

[Inchworm]

Aren't eggs meant to be left for 10-12 hours before moving them as they are so delicate?

Hi Fishkeeper2004

When cory eggs are first laid they are very soft and fragile. If you move them then there is a greater risk of harming them and causing them to fungus than if you wait. The longer you can wait the better.

For example, I have some C. aeneus Gold Shoulders that are still laying small batches of eggs every few days. It's just not worth moving the fish for those few eggs. Even though I don't like doing it, I will be moving some tonight which will have given them 2 1/2 days to mature. I have a hard plastic guppy trap that has a bottom insert, and I'll be putting the eggs in that and hanging it in the tank where the last few batches of fry are. When they hatch they will go right into the tank with their others. The few days difference in size won't matter in the long run.

Both Hels and Seb R have peppered corys and they are terrible egg eaters, while the C. aeneus are not. If they are going to save the eggs at all, they probably have no other choice than to move them at the first opportunity.

 

[Seb R]

your right about moving them too early, I did that couple of days ago with about 30 eggs -all fungassed , well only 200 left

Might try to raise my pygmy cory eggs too, as they havnt laid for ages and I found a few eggs a few mins ago

you got to love cories

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Seb R

I'd love to see some pictures of them! Mine have never spawned yet, but I don't think they are full grown yet. Would you start a thread and tell us about them?