What If I Don't Want Babies?

[lotsabob]

Background: I took on an unwanted 43 litre tank a couple of years ago, full of guppies, one cory sterbai and a bristlenose plec. I'd never had fish before, and had a hellish time with the breeding guppies. It was a steep and miserable learning curve and I managed, eventually, to get a LFS and nearby fishkeeper with a huge tank to take all the guppies. For a while after I had only the BN and the sterbai, increasingly hidey with no other fish around. I got him an albino cory as a tankmate, to see how he'd get on with another cory after all that time deprived of cory friends, and they hung out together a bit. I got six harlequins at the same time. Knowing that corys should be in shoals, but concerned that I already had two different kinds, and not enough room for two sets of six. So last week I added another albino, another sterbai and two bronze. So now I have three pairs, and the BN and the six harlequins. No desire for more fish, I just want the ones I have to be happy.

And some of them seem to be so happy that a week in to their new home, with no major water change (though with some generous bloodworm feeds), I have eggs on the sides of the tank and a couple of plants - maybe 40 eggs. I've read through this forum everyone's joy at breeding, but it made my heart sink, reminding me of the nightmare I had being overrun with guppies as a novice. I don't want to breed corys, as my LFS isn't all that 'local', and I don't drive, so it's a bit of a trek by bus (and actually they don't generally take fish from customers). And whilst I love my fish and enjoy watching them, I don't want to turn it into a more time intensive 'hobby' by way of breeding - I just want happy, healthy fish (and I seem to have them, which is certainly a good feeling).

From the posts I've read tonight, it's quite possible that perhaps the eggs won't even hatch or be fertile, as some of the fish are quite immature - I'll check again in the morning for dark spots, there didn't seem to be any this evening. Perhaps the plec might eat the eggs? The corys might? The harlequins? I don't know...I don't have a breeding tank or a follow-on tank. I could just leave the eggs where they are and see what happens I guess. But I feel like a bad person for not being happy about this. I don't want to sabbotage their efforts, but I don't want regular batches of babies, not least because I think my tank is at stocking capacity. What do people do when they have corys and don't want them to breed? Am I being naive?? (nobody suggest bromide tea, please! ;-)

I wonder which have spawned. I can't be sure of my males and females yet. I'm assuming they'll only breed with their like - sterbai with sterbai etc?... (how about bronze and albino though, as they're of the same type?). Anyway, the new corys are delightful. They settled right in with no hiding, all now spend a lot of time rooting around in their pairs, but also as groups of four or six. Lots of swimming about the length and height of the tank and they're confident out on their own as individuals, too. And I'm seeing my original sterbai a lot more in the last week, as I had anticipated. I do love these fish, so peaceful and entertaining.

Am I panicking unnecessarily at the idea of being overrun by little corys??

 

[Baccus]

I wouldn't worry about the eggs and being over run by babies to much, because if you leave the eggs in place they will almost certianly get eaten by the cory's themselves or the harlequins. Most albino cory's are just albino bronze anyway so I would be pointing my suspisions in their direction. I can understand your fear and trepidation at the prospect of having hundreds of babies but honestly Cory's are just not like guppies in that reguard (I have guppies and I know how bad thier numbers can get in a short space of time). Cory fry can be rather fragile so even out of 40 eggs you would most likely not be able to raise all of them anyway. If you did want to risk raising a batch of eggs and see how you go I bet either an add in a local paper once the babies are big enough to move on, will see them sold pretty quickly, or even your not so local pet shop will probably take them off your hands. Most pet shops etc are leary of taking Guppies simply because on any given day they could have hundreds of people all offering them guppies and they can not take all of them. But cory's and many other species of fish that are a little more expensive to buy in and are not so commonly bred by the average hobbiest generally have no problems finding a shop willing to take them.

Don't feel bad that your not excited by the prospect of little cory's in your tank, your just being realistic and showing concern for the overall well being of all your fish.

 

[lotsabob]

Hi Baccus, I really appreciate your thoughtful reply, thank you. Okay, I'll try not to panic. most of the eggs are still there this morning, but it looks as though a leaf edge which held some has been nibbled away (along with the eggs)in the night. Can't see any black dots in those eggs, but perhaps it's too early. Perhaps they are all duds... time will tell! One of my albinos - the older one I've had a while, was going a bit crazy this morning, all over the place, up and down and repeatedly going to the eggs and really shadowing my smaller bronze at times. Calmed down long enough to eat though ;-) Funny, I've been watching these guys so much since the new arrivals, just because there has been so much more to watch now there's six of them seemingly having fun, and I've been so encouraged to see my older corys finally have the company they need. Yet I've seen no breeding type activity. I had wondered whether one of the bronzes had come to me pregnant from the fish store. It was larger than most in the tank, and the white bib at the front seemed more prominent and rounded than on the others...though that's not changed much since the eggs appeared. Anyway, now I'm just speculating! Thank you again though, I'll contact a couple of other fish stores in the area to see whether I have takers lined up if I try to raise young.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

As noted the odds are good the eggs will become lunch. However, many may also not be fertile as corys are "group" spawners. This is due to the fact that a female produces more eggs than a single male can fertilize. So the female needs multiple males to insure all her eggs might be fertilized. This spawning regimin also insures there will be gentic diversity among the offspring. Ain't nature grand?

 

[lotsabob]

Thanks TwoTankAmin, my panic is subsiding by the hour! That's good to know, particularly as I counted up the eggs and there's nearer 100 than 40! Really appreciate your comment, cheers. Nature's grand indeed!

 

[lotsabob]

Just a bit of an update. All of the eggs from one part of glass have disappeared, and a lot of those laid on a plant leaf have gone, too. So there's some snacking going on. The other eggs don't appear to be changing or to have black dots in them, so quite likely I will not be seeing little corys soon without a bit of effort on my part. But I take the eggs as a sign of fairly happy fish and good parameters, which is encouraging.

 

[Tizer]

Soem corys will spawn in poor conditions, water parameters are not a massive factor in their spawning. Do a 50% water change and add cold water and most bronze corys will spawn. Dont treat it as a sign of good water, if in doubt most certainly test for ammonia and nitrite etc. etc.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi lotsabob

While some corys will eat their eggs, most of them don't. What they will do, however, is eat the fry when they hatch and fall to the bottom of the tank. If they spawn again and you still don't want to raise any cory fry, just remove the eggs with a new plastic scrubbing pad and wash them down the sink. It will save you the mess and the stress.

 

[lotsabob]

Thanks Tizer - I probably shouldn't have used the word 'parameters'. I wouldn't take the spawning in lieu of keeping tabs on my water quality. I test that regularly and always before introducing new fish. I guess what I was referring to was the comments of people regarding spawning fish - "they must be happy". They may not be happy, for all I know, just a bit frisky!!!

Thanks Inchworm. They have spwned again - it is the bronzes; was interesting to see the eggs being distributed! No clear provocation this time, no big blood worm feed, no significant water change. Ah well. This was last night and already some of the eggs have gone. Perhaps not the corys eating them, could be the BN plec or the harlequins perhaps. But good point, I could just remove them to avoid having to worry about them. No, I really don't want to raise fry. It's not a big enough tank for me to have infants.

 

[minnnt]

Hi there. I don't understand why you would want to try and stop them? Just let nature take its cause. If a couple survive then you have increased your stock for free, if a few more survive then offload them to a friend or lfs. If you get a tub of food as credit then you have done good. Corys are pretty easy to shift on so I wouldn't worry too much. The spawning might not be a sign of good water parameters, but must be a sign of the fish being happy, especially if it keeps happening.

Keep up the good work I say!

 

[lotsabob]

Thank you for the encouragement Minnnt; the reason for not wanting babies, though, is that I don't want to increase my stock - I feel my tank is at capacity. And as I don't have a car, my lfs is actually quite a bus ride away, and I don't have any friends who keep fish... So I'm keen to not have surplus fish to have to re-home, even if they are cute and in-demand ones like young corys! But I am calmer at the thought that if baies hapen, I'm likely to only have a few make it, unless I deliverately try to protect eggs and fry. Two lots of eggs so far (all gone), and no black dots.