toeknee

Well... a year after my return to hobby aquaria, my wife and I have
four tanks. Various fish in all, and quite a few iterations in
decoration and tank-mates to get to our current spread.

In our room we have a 30gallon, long, HOT Magnum filter (canister and
biowheel), and a small airstone (wife likes the look.) The tank has
some small gravel and Tahitian black sand for substrate, Mostly
Anacharis and Water Sprite for planting. In the middle we have a
resin log/branch.

It is occupied by about 12 male guppies, and three corydoras aeneus
(according to LFS.) Best I have been able to tell, this is a good
clasification. Verifying it has gotten difficult, since adding black
Tahitian sand, they have darkened up quite a bit... a nice charcoal
grey all over.

This tank has been relatively untouched for about six months, about
three months ago we removed most of the gravel and replaced it with
the sand, This took about two weeks, slow and sure. Prior to
departing on vacation in mid-December we removed all the female
guppies to another tank, and all the males from that tank to this one.
So ends the major changes.

December 15th we performed a 50% water change. I had been building
up to this for about a week and a half, every three days doing another
water change, each being progressively more water removed. With us
about to be gone for two weeks, we wanted the best chance for all the
tanks.

When we returned on 12/31 I started looking at doing another set, on
01/01/05 I started with a 10%, then two days later, 15%, then 30%,
then 50%.

Here we are two weeks after getting home and I go to feed the guppies
and corys dinner. I see something small and grey near the bottom,
thinking it is just another baby guppy (I got a few extra.. anybody
want some? just pay shipping!!!) I had the shock of my life (well
almost) when I noticed it had whiskers!!!! I looked closely and sure
enough, that was no guppy, it is a baby cory!! (second shock of the
day, well, third, first was replacing a wall switch (two breakers, not
one) and the second was my son using his new potty for the first
time!!!)

I don't know when they did this, or where they hid the egg(s), or if
there are anymore (didn't see any.) We are sooo stoked! I almost
wish my Otto's had reproduced before dying off (three cheers to Red
Foreman for that one!), but couldn't be happier!

Last year was really crappy for me, two jobs lost to outsourcing,
increased back problems, and diagnosed sleeping disorder... but the
way this year is starting... I think it will be a good one. (hoping
our Panda Corys will follow suit!)

I want to thank the Academy, and all you out there who have helped
make my return, and my wifes foray, into aquaria successful, and look
forward to many more years of happy fish washing...

Happy New Year!!!

Tony...


--Tony

tom randy

LOL!!! Congrats "dad"!

blank

Interesting little buggers corys. My daughter has a smallish tank which she
more or less criminally neglects, yet her corys are constantly splaying eggs
onto the glass, only to be eaten by other fish in the tank. She knows
nothing about fish and cares less, and yet she gets the result I would give
my right arm for. Life is cruel sometimes.

rick

Corydoras, ya gotta love them. I have 20 varieties right now. Basically what
you did with the frequent water changes is condition them to spawn. Cold ,
large water changes are one of the most common methods used by us Corydoras
fans to induce spawning. I just moved my C.gossei from the tank they were in
to a 10g which I had just cleaned and refilled with clean water and the next
day (yesterday) was rewarded with over 100 eggs. You C. aeneus are a
continual spawner, watch for them to appear agitated after water changes,
moving up and down the glass. You should see eggs. Left to hatch in the main
tank few will survive but obviously as you have noticed occasionally one or
two will beat the odds.

Rick

c+j tondreau

Oh that is soooo cool! I just picked up 3 little Panda Corys yesterday and
now I too will live in hope of sweet little babies.

Jacqui

toeknee

<snip>


Rick,

Since you seem to have they experience, and have replied to that...
What do the eggs look like?

I read an article about the Pandas placing the eggs on the front
glass. I have over the last few months seen a number of egg clusters
on the glass, but assumed that theese were snails. I am over run
with snails, which makes the Clowns happy...

Any recomendations for moving the egg clutches? Would placing them in
a small, clean lightly planted tank with snails be ok?

TIA....


--Tony

rick

hey Tony.

if the eggs you are seeing appear like a jelly mass then they are snail
eggs. Corydora eggs will be stuck to the glass or in many cases on plants
and are individual little eggs. My C. aeneus albinos just laid probably 150
eggs all over the glass, front, back, sides, haha. Do not leave the eggs in
a tank with snails as they will simply become snail buffet food. Most
Corydoras eggs are pretty hardy and can be removed by gently rolling them
with your finger. If you remove then shortly after being laid they will be
sticky and you can place them as I do in a food grade container, tupper ware
or similar with an inch or so of water. Add a couple of drops of methelyne
blue to prevent fungus and about 5 days later you should have them hatching
out. It is very important with hatching Corydoras IMHO to remove the hatched
egg shells ASAP. They will quickly foul the water the fry are in and losses
will occur. I wait usually 4 days or so until the eggs sacks are used up and
then begin feeding micro worms and BBS. Some take the fry as soon as they
hatch and put them in a small aquarium with about 2 to 3" of water. I put a
heater in a pickle jar which heats the tank water to the desired temp. I
normally leave mine in the tupper ware container for a week after feeding
begins an when their belly's are nice and orange from all that shrimp they
are eating and then transfer them. I feed 3 times a day and clean any
uneaten food out of the container an hour or so after feeding and then add
some fresh water. Once in a small aquarium I normally clean the tank once a
day initially and then once every couple of days after that. I replace with
fresh water and add more than I took out so that slowly but surely you will
fill the aquarium up. Corydoras fry are susceptible to osmotic pressure
changes so if hatched out in a small container and then dumped into a 10 g
tank you will suffer large losses.

Rick

toeknee

<snip><snip><snip>

Wow... I counted 19 eggs this evening. Been doing every-other day
changes... not quite five gallons each.

Tonight I fed the tank some brine shrimp, about 48 hours old, tiny
little things... love to watch them myself... almost a shame to feed
the fish.

A few hours later I went to the tank to farm out snails for the Clowns
in the other tank and found egg clusters everywhere!!, front, back,
side, and on filter intake...

Thank you Rick! they are now in a clean 5 gallon bucket with tank
water and a heater.

On a side note I found an egg just like these in my big tank... the
only cory pair I have in there are panda's. I had taken that out,
placed in a small plastic bottle and put in my 5 gallon, the only
thing I found a few days later were snails and small white worms
(nematodes??) Now I'm pretty sure that it was a Panda.... Oh well..
next time.

Thanks again, too all here, and Rick especially on this one...


--Tony

wez

cories are one of my personal favourite catfish, they are just a
delight to keep and will readily breed with the right conditions. They
are a "personality fish" they swim against the current of my filter for
fun. My friend loves them so much he has set up a shed out the back
with 20 or more tanks out the back full of all sorts of corydoras. I
have bred large quantities in a bare 60L (heated) tank I put 5 in the
tank and once a month feed large quantities of good quality food
(frozen, mashed BS and ML) and then frequent water changes about 20
percent 4-5 times a week for a few days. This for me triggers spawning.
You can remove either the eggs or the cories I have many tanks so I
remove the cories into an already prepared tank. I then use methylene
blue to prevent fouling the eggs. They hatch in about 3-5 days
depending on temperature, begin to feed them after 4 days of hatching
after they have eated their egg sack remove the eggs at this stage if
there are still some present. I feed them BBS other people feed them
other commercial products I do this 3 or more times a day. Just
regularly clean the tank and they should grow up nice and healthy.

P.S Many people use differnt methods it just comes down to what works
best for you.


--Wez

rick

you're welcome Tony. I just transferred about 25 Corydoras sp Baianinho 11's
fry into a grow out tank this morning. Greedy little guys, nice orange
belly's from all the BBS. I also have loads of eggs in my C. habrosus tank.
I leave these eggs in with the parents as they do not eat the fry. Spawning
maching is really churning in my fish room right now.

Rick