Interested in breeding... seriously this time.

[PheonixKingZ]

Would moving the eggs be stressful for them?

So are you recommending I move all of the corys to the 20g long?

 

[Crispii]

Not really.

You can move all of the Corydoras to the 20 gallon and remove any fish. Keep it species only tank for breeding purposes.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Put all the cories in the same tank, but not a 5g.
Hopefully you have male and female (of any of your fish, otherwise breeding isnt going to happen, obvs!)
Feed them well, but dont over feed. Mine love omega one shrimp pellets.
Do a 5-10% water change before you go to bed/before lights out, but dont temp match the new water, just add cold (dechlorinated) water.
Do any of your tanks catch any daylight? Just a glimpse of morning sun is known to be a trigger.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Put all the cories in the same tank, but not a 5g.
Hopefully you have male and female (of any of your fish, otherwise breeding isnt going to happen, obvs!)
Feed them well, but dont over feed. Mine love omega one shrimp pellets.
Do a 5-10% water change before you go to bed/before lights out, but dont temp match the new water, just add cold (dechlorinated) water.
Do any of your tanks catch any daylight? Just a glimpse of morning sun is known to be a trigger.

Yes, both the 20g and the 29g have access to sunlight in the mornings.

Obviously it’s night time, but as you can see, they are right up against two windows:

Do you recommend removing the blood fins from the 20g long? I don’t have any other place to put them.

Not really.

You can move all of the Corydoras to the 20 gallon and remove any fish. Keep it species only tank for breeding purposes.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Yes, both the 20g and the 29g have access to sunlight in the mornings.

Obviously it’s night time, but as you can see, they are right up against two windows:

Do you recommend removing the blood fins from the 20g long? I don’t have any other place to put them.

Cool. I'd put all the cories in the shallow one on the left. Whatever is in that tank, put them in the tank on the right. If you get cory eggs, you want the best chance of getting to them before something eats them. Yes, the corys themselves often eat them...
You can concentrate on the corys then (if thats what you want to/can breed) and getting their tank in prime condition. Add some leaf litter etc

heck, check out NC's breeding journal, pretty sure she just used a plastic storage tub

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Cool. I'd put all the cories in the shallow one on the left. Whatever is in that tank, put them in the tank on the right. If you get cory eggs, you want the best chance of getting to them before something eats them. Yes, the corys themselves often eat them...
You can concentrate on the corys then (if thats what you want to/can breed) and getting their tank in prime condition. Add some leaf litter etc

heck, check out NC's breeding journal, pretty sure she just used a plastic storage tub

The tank on the left is the 20g long, and on the right is the 29g.

Moving the glass bloodfins to the 29g would be pretty stressful on all fish.

I think I would rather use the storage tub and put all the corys in there, rather than stress out all my fish.

I’ll try to find that breeding journal.

 

[CassCats]

Only use the 5g for breeding a trio, not the full shoal. Mostly because removing and spotting eggs with this species isn't as easy because they use the undersides of plant leaves and lay a small single egg each time, they hide them well. They're harder to remove as well without cutting out all of your plants.

You can choose to use a tote instead if you have something bigger and move all of them there too, that's another solution.

as for your photos...
Most don't look quite mature yet, still filling in and growing.

I do believe the first photo where you excuse your goofball pleco, with the cherry shrimp that one looks female to me.

This is a mature female. Can see the rounded belly, hefty build, and she's large.

These are both males here. Note the sleek body and pointed pelvic fins and stronger colouration.

And this, while blurry, shows the size difference and body shape difference between males and females

 

[mbsqw1d]

The tank on the left is the 20g long, and on the right is the 29g.

Moving the glass bloodfins to the 29g would be pretty stressful on all fish.

I think I would rather use the storage tub and put all the corys in there, rather than stress out all my fish.

I’ll try to find that breeding journal.

Post in thread 'Corydoras Weitzmani Breeding Journal' https://www.fishforums.net/threads/corydoras-weitzmani-breeding-journal.462714/post-3952371

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I may use the tote, that seems like a nice, low budget build.

Is it virtually impossible to sex them now? Does that mean that it’s probably not the best time to breed them?

Sorry for all of the questions, it’s my first time doing this.

 

[CassCats]

Don't apologize for questions

It's not impossible to sex them now, but without seeing them in person, it's harder to tell in most photos at the sizes they are, the differences aren't as noticeable.

Once they reach about 3 to 5cm (1.5-2inches) you should have a better time sexing them.

I would work right now to get them in top top condition, feed them well, stay on top of water conditions, and take good care of them. When they're ready, they're already ahead of the game if you keep them in good shape

 

[FishGuest5123]

So you would suggest adding them all in my 20g long tank? Would that stress the tetras in that tank?

Doesn’t stress my tetras at all but mine are neons.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Sand bottom with cories. Bare bottom has shown higher mortality rate with the fry.


Drew this up for you.
View attachment 130988

But if your cories are still young and not mature, you have to wait to sex them.
They become mature between 8-12 months old in my experience with them.

@CassCat you’re the one who told me to do bare bottom for the first week and then add just a small handful of sand after a week. Which is it?

 

[CassCats]

@CassCat you’re the one who told me to do bare bottom fir the first week and then add just a small handful f sand after a week.

Yep, at 7 days old is fine or sooner, but some find it hard to see the fry the first week, so bare bottom is okay for the first 5-7 days.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Your cories are trilineatus, not julii, so look for info on breeding trilineatus.

Pretty standard.

If you intend on breeding and raising in a separate tank, your 5g alone would be fine just would move the danio.

Fatten up your cories in the main tank for a few weeks. Feed lots of frozen foods or live foods particularly.

When you have a female who is visibly chunky and a good size, move her and 2-3 males over to the 5 gallon tank with some floating anacharis. Trilineatus lay 1-2 eggs at a time on plant leaves mostly, and do not lay mass batches in one place like aeneus do.

When moved, do daily 50% water changes, making sure the new water is colder than the original tank water by a couple degrees. Having extra airstones running in the tank helps a lot too.

The males will chase the female and will grab her whiskers with her pelvic fins and fertilize the eggs in a "T" shaped position. The female then carries off the eggs and places them where she wants, while the males continue to chase her.

Once they have spawned, remove the parents back to the community tank. Add Indian almond leaves, alder cones, or a couple drops of methylene blue to prevent fungus on the eggs, increase aeration but lower the water level in the 5g to a couple inches, gently remove any eggs above the water line and place them in the water. Or, wait til they all hatch and reduce water level then

Reason to lower water level is to make the food and the air closer for them as they need to go up for air just like adults do, and deeper tanks make it harder for them to do so. And being closer to food makes it easier for them to get enough to eat.

The eggs hatch after 3-5 days, remove any that fungus over as soon as you see them (check couple times a day), and wait for them to hatch.

Once they hatch, don't feed the fry until 2-3 days after they hatch as they still have their yolk sac. Trilineatus fry are large enough to take Hikari First Bites, baby brine shrimp, or egg yolk the first week, honestly have had best success starting them on Hikari First Bites for a week and then moving on to microworms or baby brine shrimp. Be sure to rinse the bbs in fresh water before feeding them. Feed 2-3 times daily.


As they grow, increase the water level. By 7 days old be sure they have a thin layer of sand as it increases their survival rate.

Daily also do water changes to keep the fry growing properly.

A brief and basic guide ive made here on raising fry the first week:

@CassCats, Great job!

 

[Colin_T]

Everything everyone else has been telling me, is to move them into the 5g and then once they lay eggs, remove the adults.

For tetras, barbs and a lot of other fishes, you put the adults in a breeding tank and when they have bred, you move the adults out and leave the eggs behind in the breeding tank. This is to stop the adult fishes eating the eggs and fry and gives you more young fish.

With Corydoras and a lot of other catfish, you leave them in the main display tank and let them breed when they want to. Then move the eggs into a hatching/ rearing container.

The reason for this is most fish can be induced to breed simply by separating the males and females for a week and then putting them together (in prs) in the breeding tank. The fish usually breed the day they are put together or the following day. Corydoras aren't quite as willing to breed straight after they have been moved so most people leave them in a display tank or their own breeding tank, and if/ when they breed, the eggs get removed so nobody eats them.

If you have a spare tank and don't mind just having the Corydoras in it, then you can leave them in a single species tank to breed and move the adults after they breed. However, it could be 6-12 months or longer before they breed.

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Would moving the eggs be stressful for them?

So are you recommending I move all of the corys to the 20g long?

Corydoras do not care for the eggs or young and once they have spawned, they show no interest in the eggs. That means you can remove the eggs and the parents won't care.

Cichlids on the other hand, do show brood care and if you remove their eggs or young, they get upset.

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Put all the Corydoras julii/ trilineatus in the same tank and let them do their thing when they are ready.

If you can get photos of the Corydoras from above (looking down on the fish), it will be easier to sex them.

Most Cories don't breed until they are 1 or 2 years old.