Spawning Albino Cory Catfish

[hops523]

Hey all. Ok I guess I have really bad luck when it come to breeding corys. I can breed angelfish and bettas but now ALBINO CORYS, and I always read they are so easy to breed. Well first I tried with 8 in a 29 gallon, then 3 in a 10 gallon. What am I doing wrong. I am attempting to try again since it is summer, and I have a lot of time on my hands to devote to them spawning. Here is what my set up is going to be, or things I already have. I have a ten gallon tank with larger rocks/pebbles on the bottom, filter, airstones for when I stick the eggs in the net breeders, I have a really big plastic plant that I used to have in a 25 gallon, that I am going to cut so I can have a few smaller little plants so if the corys want to lay eggs on them. How many corys should I get? Should I put anything else in there?

 

[Dakota Ice]

I'd suggest getting real plants.

Put in a big group, not just a trio. Add water and viola! They will spawn, just give them time.

Feed them frozen/live bloodworms.

 

[hops523]

What would you consider a bid group? Do they like frozen brine shrimp?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi hops523

A breeding group of corys is usually considered 5 - 6 or even more, although having a large number isn't as important as getting them into breeding condition. Since full grown females can lay many eggs, it's usually a good idea to have more males than females to insure a good rate of fertilization.

If they do not spawn for you, perhaps they are not fully mature. It could just be that they are not ready. Unlike many species of corys, albino C. aeneus are not difficult to breed, and will usually spawn spontaneously (even in a community tank) if the time is right.

Live blackworms or tubifex worms, or frozen blackworms are the best thing to feed them to get them ready to spawn. These foods help the females develop eggs inside them. Brine shrimp will not work as well since they are nowhere near as nutritious.

What temperature do you keep your tank at?

 

[hops523]

How can I tell for sure that the corys are mature? How big will the male and female be? What age do they mature at? Right now I have the tank at about 75 degrees.

 

[Dakota Ice]

My C. Panda spawned at around 1". I don't know about albinos, but a lot of cories like cooler water, the low 70's. I had mine in 69-70F when they spawned first. Now they spawn no matter what the temperature is.

 

[hops523]

Right now I have six of them. they seem to really be liking the frozen bloodworms. How long did it take yours to spawn? Besides feeding and cooler water, are there any other triggers?

 

[Dakota Ice]

Mine spawned probably less than a week after I placed them in their tank. =)

 

[hops523]

ok so here is the deal right now. I think they are about to breed because my biggest cory and one of my smaller cories look like they are cleaning this one spot. Both of them are in the same exact spot. its on the side of my plastic breeding contraption. The only reason I think they are cleaning it is because when the female is upu at the top usually she makes bubbles, but now she is in the same spot where she makes bubbles, but there are no bubbles this time. That is the only thing they do as of now. I just walked in on them. Does it sound like they might breed today? How long do they clean the spot for? What can I get the eggs out with?

 

[Dakota Ice]

Cories don't really "clean" where they lay their eggs simply because they don't know where they're going to lay their eggs until they lay it. (Whoo, long sentence, lol) Cories scatter their eggs wherever they feel like it.

Usual signs of spawning are restless behavior, swimming up and down the tank walls, etc. and finally, the males will ruthlessly chase down the female and never leave her alone until she does start spawning.

 

[hops523]

In all the books I read it said that they pick numerous spots and clean them. I think this is true due to the fact that this female have been in the same spot looking like she is scrubbing it down for about 2 hours now, maybe even more because I might have walked in late.

 

[Dakota Ice]

Well, I was just saying.. I've never seen any of my cories do that.

 

[flumpit2]

what iv seen from personal experience with my peppers is that after they have Td & the female has got the eggs in her egg basket & ferilised them she will swim around to pick a spot in the tank to deposit the eggs.when shes picked a spot she will clean any algae etc away to make sure the eggs will stick then deposits the eggs.

i have never in the 20 odd times that my peppers have laid eggs witnessed them cleaning a spot for over two hours before even mating.usualy they only clean for about 20 seconds,deposit the eggs then start the T position again.i think what youv read in the books has been mis interpereted.yes they do clean numerous spots in the tank but its only when theyv got the eggs in the basket ready to deposit them.they never IME clean a spot for two hours before hand because they dont know where there gona deposit the eggs until the time.if your corys do spawn for you (which i hope they do!) you will see what i mean.she will go to deposit her eggs somewhere & the males will still be chasing her so she will change her mind several times before she finds what she deems the safest place to lay her eggs.

hope this helps.