How Long Before I Can Start Conditioning Them?

[Fishkeeper2004]

Ok so my corys have been in there new environment for 3 days now and are active and eating fine. I was just wondering what would be the optimum amount of time for me to leave them, until I can start conditioning them ready for the first spawn.

Also, at what age are they mature enough to breed, as this first batch of 6 I have seem rather small to some pictures I have been viewing, so advice on this would also be good!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Fishkeeper2006

Size depends not only on their age, but on what they have been fed throughout their lives. I think maturity has to do with size as well as with their age since very small corys don't seem to spawn early.

I've seen the difference between different batches of corys that I've raised and have been experimenting with feeding them different kinds of foods to try to find the best way. When I first started raising corys, I fed the young fish a lot of shrimp pellets and they grew up good and healthy, but it took a lot longer for them to reach a size big enough to sell them at the lfs.

More recently, I've been raising a batch of black C. aeneus and they are almost 6 months old. IMHO, they are huge for their age. In fact, they are a lot larger than the bronze ones I used to raise at 8 or 9 months of age. These are my pets and they have been raised on nothing but the best foods, even though it was an expensive way to go. I'll be updating their thread soon and you will see their size.

Right now, I would suggest feeding them heavily on live and/or frozen foods, as well as some flake and algae wafers to balance their diets. This will give them a boost in nutrition and help prepare them for eventual spawning. With C. aeneus you can be pretty sure that when they are ready to spawn, they will.

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

Hi Fishkeeper2006

Size depends not only on their age, but on what they have been fed throughout their lives. I think maturity has to do with size as well as with their age since very small corys don't seem to spawn early.

I've seen the difference between different batches of corys that I've raised and have been experimenting with feeding them different kinds of foods to try to find the best way. When I first started raising corys, I fed the young fish a lot of shrimp pellets and they grew up good and healthy, but it took a lot longer for them to reach a size big enough to sell them at the lfs.

More recently, I've been raising a batch of black C. aeneus and they are almost 6 months old. IMHO, they are huge for their age. In fact, they are a lot larger than the bronze ones I used to raise at 8 or 9 months of age. These are my pets and they have been raised on nothing but the best foods, even though it was an expensive way to go. I'll be updating their thread soon and you will see their size.

Right now, I would suggest feeding them heavily on live and/or frozen foods, as well as some flake and algae wafers to balance their diets. This will give them a boost in nutrition and help prepare them for eventual spawning. With C. aeneus you can be pretty sure that when they are ready to spawn, they will.

Thanks Inchworm. I have frozen bloodworm already stocked, and my LFS supplies many live foods for tropical fish at reasonable prices. So next oppurtunity I get, I will stock up.