Midlevel Swimming Sterbai

[Teelie]

Lately, the last week or so, I've noticed my sterbai swimming midlevel back and forth. Not all of them, just 3-4 of the 6 and I'm curious as to what it might mean. I did a water change the weekend before with the normal water treatment and they were fine then. No other inhabitants are swimming unusually and nothing has died. No ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc. are off and nothing has really been changed.

It does seem that two or three are following one so is it possible it's some kind of breeding behavior? These are tank raised and I've heard they do not spawn easily. The only other thing I can think of is a pressure change. We've had rain lately with thunderstorms but sometimes they do it even when it's a nice day out.

 

[jollysue]

Condition them and do some water changes, it sounds like it may be breeding behavior. Is the female gravid? I notice that barametric pressure changes will affect them. Once they start they are regular little go getters. But I also notice that the hatch rate so far with mine is low. Good luck!

 

[Teelie]

I can't quite tell if she is gravid. They are against a dark background and move too quickly for me to see them well. I'll have to feed them and see if I can spot any gravid females.

 

[NEONCORY]

How big are they? Mine start to make eggs when they were about 2"TL(including tails) in this March. This is my first time with Sterbais.
And what kind of water are you keeping. I have 5(3 females and 2 males) in 10G with powerhead wth sponge and small HOB also. There is no other fish, sand bottom few plants and decoration and floating spawning mop. The water is 80~82F, 6.8~7ph. Don't know the gh. And they do make eggs every few days since March. I collect 100~150 eggs a week. I do replace about 2 out of 10G everyday since I need those water for the fry tank water change.
Anyway, it sure sounds like your Sterbais are close to make some eggs. Just do water change more often and feed them well, I bet they will leave you some eggs in a week or 2. It would be better if you can give them their own tank for the ease of egg harvest. I noticed the Sterbais tend to make eggs in daytime, well at least mine is. They used to make eggs just after breakfast but now they seems to make at evening. Then again, some people tell me they make eggs all the time day or night and few days long. Any case, it seems once they start, it contined for a long time.
You might think, you would have so many offsprings but it seems they are pretty tough eggs to hatch and taise their frys. So far I don't think I have raised less than 10% of all the eggs I collected. Then again, I am not using any chemical and I am still try to figure out the best way to raise those corys.

Good luck with your Sterbais.

 

[Teelie]

They're maybe 1.5" or slightly larger. It's a 29g with tap water in the 7.2-3 range IIRC. I haven't checked pH in a long time but I don't mess with it anymore so it stays stable. Temp is in the mid 70's between 74-77° and I don't know the gH or kH. I have the kits I just forget to check them. They are due for a water change tomorrow so I'll see how they're doing then and if I have time, check the parameters before the change so I can get an idea of what's going on there. I haven't done a big water change in quite some time, only small ones so I might do a big one and see if it triggers them.

 

[jollysue]

My female sterbai are twice the size of the males. I keep the tank they are in in the upper 70 degrees and my ph is mid 70's. They spawn frequently without much prompting, but like NEON said, so far I have a low hatch rate it looks like. But then again they just started spawning and My experience is that the first spawns with many Cories are not as productive. They do get lots of encouragement by the young bronze tribe in with them.

So far the female sterbai, although lots bigger than the males do not show their girth (show up as gravid with big white tummies) like peppers, bronze and the San Juans that are breeding. I deliberately picked out some very large specimens when I got these, because I thought they might be the females. They have turned out to be such, although they could have been just more adult specimens mixed with juvies for all I knew.

I am looking forward to your spawns!

 

[Teelie]

I fed them and one is definitely bigger and rounder looking than the rest but I couldn't tell if she was the one leading the pack. I haven't gotten to the water change yet but I'm going to tonight and see how things go.

 

[jollysue]

Yeah keep us posted.

I have at least two young species and maybe three spawning in that tank, but so far the hatch rate is very low. I have a few fry but I don't yet now what they are. I will be able to tell better when they get to the grow out tank. They are hard to study in the breeding nets. I am anxious to move them, but I want to make sure they are strong and mature enough to stand the transfer. I lost one of my three San Juans by impatiently moving him too soon and having a heater spike--trying to add a new heater/sponge filter contaotion--don't ask....

 

[Teelie]

Water change was done yesterday and today I still see them doing it. There are five of them moving around now and a sixth one that's been hiding. I thought it was lost but then I moved a bit of wood and found him/her. I didn't get around to testing the water but like before it is treated tap. It was slightly colder than the tank normal so I'm hoping it does induce a spawn. I kind of hope they wait until I get the bigger aquarium set up first though lol.

 

[NEONCORY]

I kind of hope they wait until I get the bigger aquarium set up first though lol.

I don't now how big is the tank nor the occupants of the tank but my breeding group of 5 is in the 10G by themselves with filters(1 small HOB and 1 sponge powerhead) and they do produce eggs every week if not more.
So I think less occupant is more important than the tank size. More fish means more chance the fish find the eggs for quick snack.
Anyway, here is the good article link for you. Of course, change have to be slow if you do but I use the article as blue print and my group is doing well.

http/www.aquarticles.com/articles/breedi...rassterbai.html

 

[Teelie]

Current tank is a 29g the new one is a 40g breeder. There are 6 sterbai, 6 Long Fin Blue Danio and a few snails, nothing else. It's possible the fish are eating the eggs but there are also plenty of bits of wood and some java moss for eggs to hide in as well.

 

[ICEEGRL]

I have found that most of the time you can see little spots on the glass (sort of like water spots) where eggs had been. That's how I know when my fish are spawning and the eggs are being eaten. Then I know to watch them closer and be ready to remove the eggs quickly. I have to get them out quickly or they all get eaten. (eggs can't hide)

 

[Teelie]

I've had cories spawn on me before but never these. If they are laying eggs that are being eaten, then they must be somewhere in the back where I can't see the little rings. It's got background on three sides so you can only see into the tank from the front. I found it helped keep the fish calmer but it also limits my viewing.

 

[NEONCORY]

I am not sure if your fish are spawning.
But it is up to you and what do you want. If you just want to pick some eggs when they spawn, then you do not need to do much but just feed them well and do some water change regularly. And I'm pretty sure they will spawn when they are ready.
But if you want to breed them and collect as many eggs as possible, then you need to set the breeding tank without tankmates. And probably it would be helpful if you raise the temperature slowly over few days to near 82F and do some water change with cooler water. After I read the article(the link I posted previously), I did so and they grew faster(must be high metabolism) and before long they start to spawn. However, higher the temperature less oxygen so you need to have adequate water movement. Beside I find most of the Corys if not all love current. I think all of my tank have powerhead. Sterbais seems to spawn frequently once they start. Although this is my first year with them and I can't say for sure but that is also what I heard and read. And my group is still making eggs frequently and the tank is not kept 82F anymore but somewhere around 78~80F.

Anyway, I can never stress enough to mention that any change in water parameter have to be made slowly. Even if the new water parameter is more suited to the fish, it need to take some time for fish to adjust from the old parameter. It sure better to be safe than be sorry.
Good luck with your Sterbais. They are funny goofballs.

 

[Teelie]

I've been keeping fish for several years and know how to breed cories. I've had several bronze spawnings but had no adult males at the time. However, I haven't been trying to breed these yet because A ) the tank is not the size I want them to in and B ) I didn't think they'd be big enough.

Lately though they seem to have calmed down from it some but still doing it a bit. It would be nice if it was breeding behavior as supposedly captive bred sterbai are harder to breed than wild caught varities oddly enough. I'm also going to get another group of them and double the numbers to twelve when I can. I've got a 10g I want to use to stick any potential breeders in once I'm ready for that anyways. I'll take eggs and fry if I can get them, if not, I'd just like to know it's not anything harmful.