Maturity & Behavior

[funnibunni80]

Hi there! I am rather new to corys. I have six of them... not sure of what kind. Some look like bronze, and the others look a little like juli... Anyways I found eggs all over my tank when I cleaned it yesterday... no clue where they came from. I think the corrys are still babies. They are very small, about an inch. In the tank where the eggs are I have two with nearly identical coloring. The third (Speckles) is much lighter. Do males or females distinguish themselves like this? When do they reach maturity?

Second, the other corys, the ones that look like bronze... i just added an UGF to my tank. The powerhead is creating a current (and a bubble wall!) alond the back wall of the tank. The corys are twisting around like they are in the middle of a hurricane!!! The water is calm in the front of the tank, and they come rest there after a bit... so it seems like they are playing, but, well, do your cats do anything like this? No, I have no way of adjusting the flow, it's an Aquaclear 30.

Thanks for any insight on these crazy cats!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi funnibunni80

My guess is that the eggs are from the bronze corys. They are prolific spawners and do start somewhat younger than most other corys.

When you added the current (and probably did a water change as well) they thought it suddenly became the rainy season which - for them - is the time to spawn. Corys live in rivers and streams in South America that dry somewhat and become smaller. When the rainy season starts (in our fall season) they fill back up and the water flows faster.

Corys love this kind of turbulent water, but take care it's not too much for them in the long run. There is a good chance that since they have spawned once, you might begin to see eggs on a fairly regular basis. If you want to try to grow some fry, we will be happy to help you get set up for them.