What Sex Are My Cories?

[K.J.]

I have two platies and four peppers in a 10G tank (a little bit overstocked, I guess... None have died yet, though?) and there used to be 2 ADFs, but I moved them to a 2.5 gallon to make the fish happy. Plus, they seemed to be bothering the cories. Anyway, so my four cories look basically the same. One, however, is significantly smaller. Two are about the same size, and one in slightly smaller than the first two but significantly bigger than the first. Is there any way to tell sex? I've heard the males are "longer and slimmer." Well, the two big ones are pretty fat. The small one seems slim, but really just like a younger version of the first two. Do you think this could be a male? Sorry if this was repeated.

 

[jollysue]

Got pictures?

The females will look bulgy from the top. The bellies will continue to grow while the males will stay svelt.

This is a picture of a gravid female spawning with a male. They are San Juans, but a pepper female will look much the same once she matures.

 

[K.J.]

Well none of them are that bulgy. I'm thinking, maybe they aren't matured yet? They have been in my tank for about two weeks, and are abou an inch, or so - the big ones. I guess they grow to three inches? So maybe I can't tell yet? I'll see if I can get pics.

 

[K.J.]

Well, I can't really get pictures. The tank is planted, and if I try to net some out to put in a container to get pictures, the plants will get disturbed. Also, off topic, but I fed the cories and the platies bloodworms, and now one platy has red poop. This is normal, though, right?

 

[jollysue]

I know nothing about platies or their poop.

With experience you may be able to sex them quite young, but at that size it is harder. Nevertheless, peppers start spawning very young--a few months--so you will know soon enough. It is possible of course that some are younger and others older when they are that size. But a female pepper will start to bulge quite young, in my experience, and the pepper males are a randy lot.

 

[K.J.]

I know nothing about platies or their poop.

With experience you may be able to sex them quite young, but at that size it is harder. Nevertheless, peppers start spawning very young--a few months--so you will know soon enough. It is possible of course that some are younger and others older when they are that size. But a female pepper will start to bulge quite young, in my experience, and the pepper males are a randy lot.

Hmm. I doubt they'll spawn, I need to get lower wattage for the tank (at 50 now, I should have 30) because the tempature is usually at 80 and I want it at 75. Nobody's died yet, but I don't wanna risk the chance. Plus, she heater still isn't on and it's like that. On Tuesday I should be able to get them. The smallest one is hyperactive, he always has been, they usually shoal in a straight line and he's always at the front. Plus, I find him swimming side by side with one of them a lot. Don't think it means he's breeding, though, as I can imagine that's normal behaviour. Oh well, I'll wait a few months and see.

 

[jollysue]

If he is nosing and nudging, he is trying to spawn. The male will nudge and nuzzle the female. They call it "T" ing when the male gets it right.

 

[K.J.]

If he is nosing and nudging, he is trying to spawn. The male will nudge and nuzzle the female. They call it "T" ing when the male gets it right.

Tonight I noticed two were romping together, sometimes sort of pausing on top of each other in a "T" position. They parted, though, so I couldn't see if one looked like a male, and they haven't done it since, so I figured they were just playing.

 

[Castellop123]

n...

 

[jollysue]

Like I said peppers are a randy bunch and don't need much encouragement.

 

[K.J.]

If you wan to breed them, then do a 40% water change and replace with cold water... This should encourage your Cory's to spawn...

I do 20% colder water change every week, I just did it today. I guess I just started, since I'm trying to keep the water temp down. So maybe they were doing the T, I dunno.

 

[jollysue]

When the pepper female lays eggs she will smear them all over and they will show clearly on the glass of the tank. If you want to hatch them and raise fry, you will need to harvest them and separate them somehow. I use a breeders net, because I don't have time to fool with all the requirements of a separate tank. But there is no hurry, once they start they will continue. Peppers are one of the easier species to breed.

 

[K.J.]

When the pepper female lays eggs she will smear them all over and they will show clearly on the glass of the tank. If you want to hatch them and raise fry, you will need to harvest them and separate them somehow. I use a breeders net, because I don't have time to fool with all the requirements of a separate tank. But there is no hurry, once they start they will continue. Peppers are one of the easier species to breed.

Yeah, I read a lot of threads about that. I'm not entirely sure what I would do with the babies. I've read a few methods, I'm not sure what, though. If they are breeding, I'll probably just let them eat the eggs, since chances are they'll breed again. And I don't have microworms or anything.

 

[jollysue]

I use a breeders net in the parents tank. I feed them fry powder after I see them scooting around the net. At first you lose a few no matter what method you use until you learn the pitfalls. With the net there is less chance of the powder fungusing, which is the main negative of fry powder. The currents from the filter keep the nets from stagnating. and wash the powder through. If your water is hard you have a higher chance of fungus and will want to use Maroxy or something. It takes a bit for them to get big enough to add to the bioload.

 

[K.J.]

I use a breeders net in the parents tank. I feed them fry powder after I see them scooting around the net. At first you lose a few no matter what method you use until you learn the pitfalls. With the net there is less chance of the powder fungusing, which is the main negative of fry powder. The currents from the filter keep the nets from stagnating. and wash the powder through. If your water is hard you have a higher chance of fungus and will want to use Maroxy or something. It takes a bit for them to get big enough to add to the bioload.

Yeah, I heard about that, I was reading a thread and you mentioned that. I don't know if my water is hard, but the P.H is about 7-4 7-6, but I heard it's better just to leave it be than change it. I'll have to look over some threads.