Very Eggy Female Or Just Fat

[juliehainsworth]

Ok my female corry looks like she is about to burst! I presume she is full of eggs either that or she is just plain obese (I'm not joking she is huge) I have two other corys in the tank which are smaller one is just a midget, I was wondering should I try and encourage them to spawn or just let nature take its course and see if they spawn on their own occord? The reason I ask is that I dont want her to become egg bound or anything and then die from it. If she doesnt spawn do corys reabsorb eggs or just expell them?

 

[trace1]

hiya
1 of the best ways to encorage spawning is to feed lots of live food to condition them for a couple of days & then do a water change with cooler water.
althou sometimes they do just spawn without any encoragment.
think some people also leave the heater off over night. hth

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Natsuko

I see in your profile that you have peppered corys. Unlike some corys, these females seem to get quite a bit larger than the males, so it might just be that the little one is a small male.

Peppered corys are often egg eaters. It's possible that they might be spawning and eating the eggs before you notice them. Watch their behavior carefully and maybe you will catch them.

What is the temperature of your tank? If it is too warm, these cool water corys won't spawn. If they are mature and healthy, they will usually spawn on their own or with very little encouragement. I've never known corys to have a problem with becoming egg bound, so I don't think you have to worry about that.

 

[juliehainsworth]

Thanks!

The temp is around 26ºc! I was just starting to worry about her as she is so big compared to the other two now (which is why I'm saying its a she)!

What sort of behaviour am I looking out for as they seem to take it in turns to pair up and swim around the tank together with one staying behind! I presume this is normal when you only have 3?

 

[juliehainsworth]

Ok got home last night to find my corries had spawned! Well I'm hoping its the corries if not I've got one big snail that I do not know about! Anyway I removed as many eggs that I could and placed them in a container within the tank with an airstone! Is that ok? There are still a few eggs left that the fish havent been able to get to because of the water from the filter!

How do I tell if they are fertile or infertile? Apart from waiting 5 days to see if they hatch!