my cories have spawned

[dwarfgourami]

I thought they'd been getting frisky for a few days (I have been rather generous with the bloodworm lately) and this morning, between getting the children ready for school, I definitely saw them at it: the classic T position, and then later the female carrying a clutch of eggs between her anal fins.

Coming back into the house I checked the tank and couldn't find a single egg. Either they all got eaten during the school run, or she's been and laid them in the thicket of Java fern behind the bogwood. There certainly seemed to be a lot of activity going on in there. Well, if she has, I can't get at them without tearing the tank to bits, so they're just going to have to take their chance and probably I won't be hearing the swishing of tiny barbels. Still, the grown-ups had fun, they certainly look in peak condition, and I feel privileged at having seen snippets of something rather special.

One question, are they likely to carry on spawning again over the next few days, or is this it? Also, how long should I keep feeding them extra-meaty rations?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

They most likely got by other fish depending on what other fish you have(although the majority of fish take a liking to cory eggs) and spawning usually lasts no longer than 4hrs max(at least for me it doesn't). Corys usually lay their eggs on the tank glass or broad leaved plants somtimes things like the tank filter and heater and anywhere else that has a large flat/smooth surface .

 

[dwarfgourami]

Only other fish is one platy- he'd probably help himself quite happily.
I saw no evidence that they were trying to lay on the glass, they shot into the thickets and seemed to get busy there. Oh well, it was nice to see them enjoying themselves anyway.

They most likely got by other fish depending on what other fish you have(although the majority of fish take a liking to cory eggs) and spawning usually lasts no longer than 4hrs max(at least for me it doesn't). Corys usually lay their eggs on the tank glass or broad leaved plants somtimes things like the tank filter and heater and anywhere else that has a large flat/smooth surface .

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[Tokis-Phoenix]

Yep it was definatly the platy because mine gobble up my corys eggs within seconds of them being layed, it may be good you miss feeding him tonight as he'll be full up with cory eggs no doubt .

 

[dwarfgourami]

They were at it again this morning, more successfully. I got a very god view of the whole mating, so felt I've learnt a lot. Some eggs were laid on small broadleaved plant at the front of the tank, some in the branches of a small fiddly plant and some on the leaves in the thicket of Java fern (so much for Sandford and Bailey who claim peppered corys always lay in the upper half of the water column). She did not seem interested in the tank glass, perhaps it wasn't clean enough.

I uprooted the small plant and plonked it in a breeder trap but left the other two, so we'll see how we go. I'm very happy just to treat this as a learning experience. Learning experience for them as well, as they were quite young when I bought them and this is almost certainly their first spawning.

Oh, and we've been wrong to blame Mickey the platy for eating the eggs. I saw the laying female herself come back and gobble her eggs up, prior to laying some more. I suppose it could be seen as illustrating the limitations of instinct over thought. Instinct says: get the sperm, clean this leaf, lay the egg, get the sperm, clean this leaf (oops it was the same leaf ).

As for Mickey, he always was slow when it came to working out that new food was edible, he's not the brightest of fish. I console myself with the thought that those platy fry which have managed to survive the tender mercies of their mother in the main tank are likely to be the ones most like their mother and least like him.

Incidentally, one of my books says peppered corys lay the eggs and the male fertilises them during laying; another book says it is thought that she drinks his sperm and it then passes through her body to fertilise the eggs as she lays them. Nobody else mentions this second theory, but it definitely seemed to be happening in my tank: every session started with her slurping at his side. Or is that just stimulating him?

They are now, I assume, slumped at the back of the tank in a state of sexual exhaustion. I'll leave the water change and feed until tonight and let them sleep it off.

Yep it was definatly the platy because mine gobble up my corys eggs within seconds of them being layed, it may be good you miss feeding him tonight as he'll be full up with cory eggs no doubt .

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[Bloo]

They are now, I assume, slumped at the back of the tank in a state of sexual exhaustion. I'll leave the water change and feed until tonight and let them sleep it off.

I don't know much about cory spawning - even though years back when I had some pepper cories in a community tank, they somehow spawned and a couple of the fry survived to grow up

But good luck with yours !

 

[Inchworm]

Hi dwarfgourami

Peppered corys ( C. paleatus) are prolific spawners, but notorious as egg eaters! I've only managed to save a few of mine and have given up on saving any number of them. Mine are so bad that I've actually seen one of the males try to take the newly laid eggs out from between the female's fins.

On the other hand, many corys go to the other extreme, inspecting them and removing any that might be infertile and apt to fungus. My C. aeneus bronze have always done this.

If you have been fortunate enough to save some of the eggs, be certain that you keep excellent water circulation around them, until they hatch, to avoid fungus setting in.

Good luck with them.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Thanks, I'll do my best with the water. I have c. half a dozen eggs on a plant in the plastic breeder trap (where I try to make the water circulate by "pumping" it up and down at regular intervals) and about as many stuck on plants outside the trap (not yet found by greedy parents or others).

Is it 48 hrs for them to hatch? And then, how long until they have consumed their yolk sac?

Hi dwarfgourami

Peppered corys ( C. paleatus) are prolific spawners, but notorious as egg eaters! I've only managed to save a few of mine and have given up on saving any number of them. Mine are so bad that I've actually seen one of the males try to take the newly laid eggs out from between the female's fins.

On the other hand, many corys go to the other extreme, inspecting them and removing any that might be infertile and apt to fungus. My C. aeneus bronze have always done this.

If you have been fortunate enough to save some of the eggs, be certain that you keep excellent water circulation around them, until they hatch, to avoid fungus setting in.

Good luck with them.

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[Inchworm]

Hi dwarfgourami

I usually figure about 4 days for cory eggs to hatch. While it might take a little more or less time for certain species to hatch, and it will also be influenced by the water temperature, 4 days is probably average.

If you have trouble with fungus develping, you might have to consider setting up a special tank for the eggs and fry. This would allow you to place an airstone close to them to insure that they have good circulation around them. It would also enable them to grow in safety and make it easy for you to keep the water clean for them.

It usually takes between 24 to 48 hours for the little fry to absorb their egg sacs and begin eating. I usually add a few drops of Liquifry after they have been hatched one day to get them off to a good start.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Thanks a lot!

Just got back after a day out. The situation is as follows: I cannot see any eggs still on the plants in the tank (Mickey the platy must finally have got his thinking cap on).
The eggs in the breeder trap are still sitting there, I think there are 6 of them, not buried under a layer of fuzz, but not doing anything much either.
Should they hatch (and I'm beginning to feel doubtful about this), is there any substitute for Liquifry, which my local shop doesn't seem to do? I can easily organise any of the following: egg yolk, homegrown infusoria or TetraMinBabyFryFood (powdered)? Or I could ring round the other shops.

Hi dwarfgourami

I usually figure about 4 days for cory eggs to hatch. While it might take a little more or less time for certain species to hatch, and it will also be influenced by the water temperature, 4 days is probably average.

If you have trouble with fungus develping, you might have to consider setting up a special tank for the eggs and fry. This would allow you to place an airstone close to them to insure that they have good circulation around them. It would also enable them to grow in safety and make it easy for you to keep the water clean for them.

It usually takes between 24 to 48 hours for the little fry to absorb their egg sacs and begin eating. I usually add a few drops of Liquifry after they have been hatched one day to get them off to a good start.

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[Inchworm]

Hi dwarfgourami

Your best bet would be to check out the other lfs in your area. You might try a tiny bit of disolved hard boiled egg yolk, but I tried it once and found it to be very messy.

Perhaps the most important thing to consider when raising cory fry is that they need very clean water. The easiest and safest way to go is to keep them in a tank by themselves and do daily small water changes. Uneaten food will quickly be eaten by bacteria which are harmful to the tiny babies. It is for this reason that I only give them the liquid food for a couple of days and then get them right onto microworms which live for some time in the water.

Good luck with your eggs. One way or the other, you will know what is going to happen with them soon.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Thanks, Inchworm, I removed the eggs this morning as they were developing fungus. I'll try again some other time and have a better arrangement for keeping the water flow.

Speaking of which, when might it be reasonable to try to spawn them again, with a better setup? Presumably in the wild they only spawn once a year, at the onset of the rainy season? What would be sensible in captivity?

Hi dwarfgourami

Your best bet would be to check out the other lfs in your area. You might try a tiny bit of disolved hard boiled egg yolk, but I tried it once and found it to be very messy.

Perhaps the most important thing to consider when raising cory fry is that they need very clean water. The easiest and safest way to go is to keep them in a tank by themselves and do daily small water changes. Uneaten food will quickly be eaten by bacteria which are harmful to the tiny babies. It is for this reason that I only give them the liquid food for a couple of days and then get them right onto microworms which live for some time in the water.

Good luck with your eggs. One way or the other, you will know what is going to happen with them soon.

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[Inchworm]

Hi dwarfgourami

It's too bad that your eggs didn't make it. The good news is that peppered corys do tend to be very prolific and will probably spawn again for you in 2 weeks or so, if you are lucky.

In their native waters corys tend to be more likely to be effected by the seasons, but most peppered corys have been tank raised for many generations and are apt to spawn at any time.

This time you might want to think about setting up a small breeding tank for them. It's a lot safer and easier to move the fish, once they have finished spawning, than it is to move the eggs. It will also be easier to control the circulation around them and to raise the fry once they hatch.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Thanks Inchworm, I'm learning lots here.
I'll be doing one of two things: either persuading my husband that what this house needs is another fish tank (hmmm), or just letting them enjoy themselves as they like and not expect any results. At least nobody is being harmed by it (unfertilised eggs can hardly count as sentient beings) and it's quite clear that they are having fun; I've never seen them look so good.
I cant help thinking they'd get on better without Mickey the goofy platy though. It's not that he's vicious; he just tries to join them, he's been schooling with them for months so he wants to be with them and see what's going on. They don't seem very impressed by his technique, though.
Unfortunately, I can't move him in with the livebearers, as he would a)eat his fry b)make more fry.
Clearly, another tank is what we need.

Hi dwarfgourami 

It's too bad that your eggs didn't make it.  The good news is that peppered corys do tend to be very prolific and will probably spawn again for you in 2 weeks or so, if you are lucky. 

In their native waters corys tend to be more likely to be effected by the seasons, but most peppered corys have been tank raised for many generations and are apt to spawn at any time.

This time you might want to think about setting up a small breeding tank for them.  It's a lot safer and easier to move the fish, once they have finished spawning, than it is to move the eggs.  It will also be easier to control the circulation around them and to raise the fry once they hatch. 

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[Inchworm]

Clearly, another tank is what we need.

It looks like MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome) has struck again!