Breeding Panda Cories

[Jofish]

My panda cories were spawning like mad last night. I was so torn between what to do. I have had success with leave them alone in as much as I have two babies which have survived. But I am sure many more have not. So this morning when I saw some eggs had made it through the night I took the whole bunch of weed and put it in a breeding net. I think I have at least 10 eggs.

Here is my question. Given that cories are bottom dwellers and the weed is floating in the net should I try to pin it down? Or should I try to make the net a little more homely given that any which hatch will have to stay in net for at least a couple of weeks. I am not sure how I would do that. I have a couple of shells which might be light enough to go in net.

Any thoughts on this would be welcome.

 

[Byron]

When the eggs hatch, the fry will naturally drop to the bottom so no need to pin down the plants.
 
I have never raised cory fry in nets, but I would want to provide them with a sand substrate early on, as they will naturally "expect" to sift through this for food.
 
I currently have several dozen pygmy cory fry at various stages (due to spawnings from the adults over several weeks) in a 10g with play sand, chunks of wood, some chain swords, and lots and lots of dry oak leaves.  The fry of any fish will develop faster if dried leaves are added to the tank; infusoria is produced on the leaves, and the leaves themselves may be food as they break down.  Now being autumn you can collect these; oak, beech, maple are safe species.  Collect them after they fall so they are completely dead.  Rinse them off and lay them out to fully dry, then store in plastic bags and add a few to the tank every week.  They can be permanently left in the tank as they will break down in time, or you can remove them when they begin to do this.  These are the only foods I am using, and the fry are growing very fast on this plus the microscopic natural live foods occurring in the tank.  Another advantage of the sand, wood and plants in an established tank.  Your previous surviving fry in the main tank found sufficient food.  Predation by other fish is the real issue.
 
Byron.

 

[nic1]

... I wish I knew this about the dead leaves when my corys had bred. I started with 40 and ended with 4, they are white with a grey patch on their sides- I have two groups of albinos and bronze, so I'm guessing I have hybrids.
Great tip for the future If i should ever save any eggs again.

 

[Jofish]

Thanks Byron I will put a little sand in the net, but I will have to be careful with the weight. The leaves will be better after they hatch.

 

[HAMBONE]

When the eggs hatch, the fry will naturally drop to the bottom so no need to pin down the plants.
 
I have never raised cory fry in nets, but I would want to provide them with a sand substrate early on, as they will naturally "expect" to sift through this for food.
 
I currently have several dozen pygmy cory fry at various stages (due to spawnings from the adults over several weeks) in a 10g with play sand, chunks of wood, some chain swords, and lots and lots of dry oak leaves.  The fry of any fish will develop faster if dried leaves are added to the tank; infusoria is produced on the leaves, and the leaves themselves may be food as they break down.  Now being autumn you can collect these; oak, beech, maple are safe species.  Collect them after they fall so they are completely dead.  Rinse them off and lay them out to fully dry, then store in plastic bags and add a few to the tank every week.  They can be permanently left in the tank as they will break down in time, or you can remove them when they begin to do this.  These are the only foods I am using, and the fry are growing very fast on this plus the microscopic natural live foods occurring in the tank.  Another advantage of the sand, wood and plants in an established tank.  Your previous surviving fry in the main tank found sufficient food.  Predation by other fish is the real issue.
 
Byron.

respeck yo.. I will try that leaf trick some day.. not now, but some day..

 

[Jofish]

If I bought a small tank today and set it up would it be OK to move the eggs in given that it would not have cycled. I would move some media from my cycled tank. Or should I wait for eggs to hatch and try to get tank cycled quickly

 

[Lillefishy]

Yes it'd be fine to move the eggs, use water from the parent tank & don't have it too deep.
4/5 inches is enough to hatch fry in, as they get bigger & stronger you can gradually increase the depth, when doing water changes use water from the parent tank as long as the parameters are good & there are no meds in it.

 

[Byron]

I agree too.  And I would put some floating plants in, and dried leaves (oak, beech, maple work).  Dimming the light is important, but also floating plants take up a lot of ammonia.
 
Byron.

 

[Jofish]

I have bought 18 litre tank. Set up with water and plants from one of my other tanks. Will move a little media today and then the contents of the net.

This has to be the last tank! I now have three. I started with 120 litre, then I acquired a pregnant Mollie and set up a 40 litre for her babies ,which of course ended up stocked with other fish including the panda cories. And now this one.

My husband says this has to be JUST for babies. We will see!!

 

[Jofish]

Well they spawned again last night. I moved some eggs to the new tank and then this morning there were more eggs in the moss ball I added to the tank yesterday,at least three ,so I have moved that.

Then I saw a tiny Cory in tank two!!

How long are they likely To go on spawning for. There was only three days between the last two.

 

[Byron]

Assuming you have a group, it is likely that several different fish are spawning, and this will be simultaneously.  In the wild, environmental factors trigger spawning (the onset of the rainy season when water parameters may change, especially temperature lowering) so they all get in the act.
 
Spawning is drawn out, as the female carries an egg (I believe sometimes it may be two or perhaps three) in her pelvic fins and chooses the spot to place it.  There will be several eggs per bout of spawning.  And this species according to Burgess will spawn 10-14 times over a five-month period.  Usually there are fewer than 20 eggs per spawning.  Eggs hatch after 4-5 days.
 
Byron.

 

[Jofish]

Thanks Byron.

 

[Byron]

Thanks Byron.

You're welcome.  And I did mention it previously, but if you can collect some dry leaves and put a few of these in the tank, and add a couple more each water change, you will not have to provide any "fry" foods.  Feed normal cory foods (sinking shrimp pellets, etc) and the fry will first feed off the leaves (and grow faster than without), and then on the prepared foods.  My pygmy cory fry are growing quite fast on this menu.
 
Byron.

 

[Jofish]

Have added a few leaves. Plenty around at present.

 

[Byron]

Have added a few leaves. Plenty around at present.

Yes, autumn.  You can collect them for use throughout the year.  Pick them up from the ground, never when still attached to the tree.  Give them a rinse off, then lay out flat to dry (on paper towels, not newsprint as the ink can come off).  When completely dry, store in plastic bags.  When placed in the aquarium, it takes a couple days for the leaf to become waterlogged and sink, then you can lay it on the substrate or place it anywhere.  I collect a few hundred each autumn.  Just make sure they are not from an area exposed to pesticides, industry, along roads, etc.