Want To Try And Kick Start My Corys Into Breeding....

[mattlee]

i have set up a seperate tank just for my corys and would like to try breeding them if poss, my water stats are good and i have a good mixed sex group of fish, some are tank bred and some are wild.
i know i cant make them breed but would love to try and give them a kick start....
i have read to do cold water changes, but how cold and how much % and how often?
ive also read about adding ice cubes to the tank....!
how often do i need to feed with frozen bloodworm etc?

the corys i have are green and gold stripes, my tank stats are -
ammonia = 0, nitrite = 0,, nitrate = 10 temp = 25 C, pH = 8.0

i know my pH is a little high but i have ordered some indian almond leaves to help reduce slightly and to keep the water stained brown. if anyone can aid me with the leaves on how to go about using them i would be gratefull as i dont want to reduce it too much or too fast.....

thanks, Matt

 

[Coryologist]

i have set up a seperate tank just for my corys and would like to try breeding them if poss, my water stats are good and i have a good mixed sex group of fish, some are tank bred and some are wild.
i know i cant make them breed but would love to try and give them a kick start....
i have read to do cold water changes, but how cold and how much % and how often?
ive also read about adding ice cubes to the tank....!
how often do i need to feed with frozen bloodworm etc?

the corys i have are green and gold stripes, my tank stats are -
ammonia = 0, nitrite = 0,, nitrate = 10 temp = 25 C, pH = 8.0

i know my pH is a little high but i have ordered some indian almond leaves to help reduce slightly and to keep the water stained brown. if anyone can aid me with the leaves on how to go about using them i would be gratefull as i dont want to reduce it too much or too fast.....

thanks, Matt

If you are going to attempt to breed your Corys, please separate the 2 species. That is what responsible fish keepers and breeders do.

I have spawned 60 species of Corys and gave never used any kind of leaves or ice cubes or brown water - or even a single spawning mop. You may as well throw in a few pagan rituals while you are at it and toss a few chicken bones around your tank.

It's really simple, but it's not easy. The pH should be closer to 7.0. Condition your fish with high-quality food, do 50% water changes, 2x per week with water a few degrees cooler, provide java moss for the eggs to be placed in and wait. It could take a day, a week, a month or a year and the possibility exist that they might never spawn. I've had groups of Corys that have never laid an egg in 10 years and others that lay eggs almost continuously.

I've said this before, but I'll repeat myself. You are looking for absolutes, where none exists and for success where none is guaranteed. The one thing I have learned. The less you do, the better your chances of success. Somehow, I feel you will follow your own path. That's fine - but why ask for advice if you're not going to follow it?

Above all, separate the species or you stand almost no chance of success at all. Four males and 2 females is the recommended ratio. I told you all of this in a PM, so obviously you have no respect for my input. Continuously asking people for advice - many of whom have never spawned a Cory, should help you a great deal. Let me know how that works for you. - Frank

 

[mattlee]

ok frank i think you have your wires crossed here mate... before starting to judge me please get to know me. i appreciate your pm messages and welcome any advice possible. i am going to seperate my corys when i get chance and another tank set up, i dont know how you roll but i have a very busy life and these things cant/dont happen overnight! i cant ever remember you mentioning anything about cooler water changes so im trying to find out how much colder i do them. is this such a crime? also i have read that bloodworms are a good way to condition them in a pinned topic on here and again im just trying to find out how often i should feed bloodworms? as i have heard that too much bloodworm/daphnia etc etc is not regarded as good for fish..... is it? isnt it? maybe i was told/read wrong but like i say im only trying to discover the best way of caring for my fish.
also i dont expect there to be eggs everywhere every morning, i took on board what you told me and it may never happen. but wheres the harm in trying to kick start them into maybe spawning? as the topic title states "want to try kick starting my corys into breeding" if it happens it happens, if it doesnt then it doesnt. catch my drift? i would just like to try like most other people on here i would be very excited if it did happen but if it doesnt then no loss as i have healthy beautifull corys.
i realise that the pH maybe slightly high for spwning thats why i am going to try reduce it a little using natural methods instead of pouring chems into my tank out of a bottle, the leaves will also give the tank the look im after with stained water which from my research is what most parts of the amazon are, are they not? so isnt trying to simulate the fishes natural home a good thing....? the reason i am enquiring about the leaves is because i have never used them before so would again like some usefull info on how to use them, how many for the tank or per gallon etc? is that so bad to ask? i dont want a pH shocked tank and want to try reduce and maintain a suitable pH level to give the corys a better chance, is that wrong?
do you get where im coming from now? i am new to breeding corys or even relatively new to owning either of these species, you must have plenty of cory experience with corys which i dont doubt and as said before all info given or researched is taken in and i do appreciate anyones knowledge on any topic typed as this can be very valuable to people trying different things whether it be equipment or livestock or anything else. where you get that "i dont respect your info" from i dont know and the fact that i ask people on here things "some of who may never have spawned corys" isnt acceptable then? im sure if people have not spawned corys then they would not respond to topics asking about spawning corys, maybe they would i dont know, do you know?
so before chucking your dummy out the pram or taking your ball home about peoples questions just remember we are not all as good or knowledgable as you are. i will let you know how i get on as you requested, maybe they will spawn tonight maybe they wont maybe it will never happen but i cant see the problem in trying and researching my corys and since there is very little info on these fish on the net its really down to peoples personal experiences with them. bye for now and cheer up its almost christmas.......

 

[StrontiumDog]

Hi Mattlee,

My person experience of breeding my cories is just a over a year old. At first they just spawned on their own with no
interaction by me to start them off, but the last two weeks they have been triggered by water changes.

The first week was a 90% water change and filter clean, water was around 2 degrees lower than normal temp of 25. With no different food than they usually have, they spawned the next morning.

The second week (Yesterday) My fluval 2 is failing so I put a spare fluval 3 to run along side it, and about a 50% water change at about 3 degrees lower. They had blood worm last night, They are spawning right now.

My PH is around 7.2 so I dont have to mess with it, there is some info on almond leaves in the betta section. I'm not sure but doesn't bog wood relase tannings in the water if it isn't soaked before its use.

 

[iffles]

bogwood does leach tannins, but im not sure if its the same as Indian almond leaves . i think the main keys to breeding cories is cold water changes and possibly feeding them up a little with bloodworms and maybe white worms. btw what species of cory/s do you have? some are easier than others (bronze is probably the easiest)

 

[iffles]

read this topic: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=165155

i found it was quite good and simple step by step

 

[mattlee]

thanks for the input guys my corys are peru green striped & gold striped they dont seen to be classified as a certain species and its hard trying to find info on them...
the bogwood does release tannins but it will only do this for so long and after a few months of water changes it will probably be all gone. i have no experience with the almond leaves but have been told oak leaves are also good the almond leaves have a certain acid in them that is released into the water and lowers the pH, also they are suppposed to have some natural healing properties or something.... like i said i have no experience with these and am just going on what i have read/been told.
i ordered them as i wanted a tannin stained tank for looks and to try and create a more natural environment for the fish but im not sure about messing with pH levels as i dont want to stress the fish.....

 

[karigupi]

Good luck with them, they are so beautiful, the fry would be gorgeous.

No experience with thos types of cory's, my peppered always seem to spawn after a water change, 50% at about 2 degrees lower than tank water.

I use Indian Almond Leaves in my betta tanks, I use them for medicinal use & havent really paid attention to the change in PH if you'd like I can compare the PH in both?

 

[mattlee]

Good luck with them, they are so beautiful, the fry would be gorgeous.

No experience with thos types of cory's, my peppered always seem to spawn after a water change, 50% at about 2 degrees lower than tank water.

I use Indian Almond Leaves in my betta tanks, I use them for medicinal use & havent really paid attention to the change in PH if you'd like I can compare the PH in both?

yes please that would be a great help could you tell me how many leaves you put in and in how much water? heres a pic of some of my corys before i set up the new tank

 

[Harlequins]

they are so gorgeous

First in queue for any offspring

 

[mattlee]

i have eggs.....

 

[lilacamy931]

Second in queue for offspring! LOL, congrats again and best of luck with them! Can I ask where you got these beauties from?

 

[mattlee]

Second in queue for offspring! LOL, congrats again and best of luck with them! Can I ask where you got these beauties from?

sure, i got some of the greens from sweet knowle aquatics in stratford and some from a breeder and the golds were a find at maidenhead. ill keep it posted how they get on

 

[lilacamy931]

Well they are stunning (thanks for that mattlee!) do keep us posted xx