Bronze cories spawned!!

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I steeled myself to do it, scrubbed my hands like a surgeon again, and when I checked the cup, one was out! *happy dance*

So I'm not going to try and manually remove the egg casings, will leave the last two and let nature take its course. If one can still get out at this time, the other two should *touch wood* be able to. If they don't, I doubt they'd have made it with my help anyway.
They’re probably just slower in hatching. Good group! You did it.
 
They’re probably just slower in hatching. Good group! You did it.
Eeeekk, don't tempt fate! You know as well as I do that it's very early days yet... :unsure:
But yes, I should cheer up and celebrate that some have hatched at all! They could have all been infertile, or none hatched at all, so having 14 or so is really awesome :D

I should sit back and celebrate that! I'm just a bit of a nervous wreck about it. I remember the mortality rate last time, and so I'm fussing and worrying over them, checking if my microworm and banana worm colonies are growing (and they don't seem to be, so fretting about that too), trying to decide when to move wrigglers to new container away from unhatched eggs, worrying and fretting... anticipating losing all of them...

I don't know how much of the fretting is needed - I do need to see whether I need to order more microworms, for instance - and how much is anxiety disorder, or just my worrying, A type personality overthinking things as usual!

But I have to chill. Have a long haul ahead before they're in the safe zone. I can't remain in this panicky state for the duration! It's more of a hindrance than a help, and nature is going to do its thing regardless.
 
Eeeekk, don't tempt fate! You know as well as I do that it's very early days yet... :unsure:
But yes, I should cheer up and celebrate that some have hatched at all! They could have all been infertile, or none hatched at all, so having 14 or so is really awesome :D

I should sit back and celebrate that! I'm just a bit of a nervous wreck about it. I remember the mortality rate last time, and so I'm fussing and worrying over them, checking if my microworm and banana worm colonies are growing (and they don't seem to be, so fretting about that too), trying to decide when to move wrigglers to new container away from unhatched eggs, worrying and fretting... anticipating losing all of them...

I don't know how much of the fretting is needed - I do need to see whether I need to order more microworms, for instance - and how much is anxiety disorder, or just my worrying, A type personality overthinking things as usual!

But I have to chill. Have a long haul ahead before they're in the safe zone. I can't remain in this panicky state for the duration! It's more of a hindrance than a Ordered help, and nature is going to do its thing regardless.
I do agree. I was getting comfy last week at 4 weeks and found one dead. Next day I found another one dead. Freaked out and thought”here comes the dreaded bacterial infections”. Did the large water change and changed the sand out. Read all night on what I could treat fry with. Nothing found. Did another water change. I had never lost fry that old and big before. I kept thinking and felt water wasn’t really clear. Tested water and 40ppm. How with all of those water changes? I decided that due to the fact that I had a much larger brood, feeding more, and larger tank was too much for the sponge filter I had always used. Ordered a HOB filter made for fry. Arrived next day (thank you, Amazon). Another water change and added filter. No more casualties. Water is good. Whew! Not going to celebrate because you never know what is next. We just do our best.
 
Moved 20 wrigglers to the Kritter Keeper today!

There was one left with the head still in the egg, so I helped that one escape the egg too. Placed it gently in my palm and it wriggled against my skin, I think loostening the eggshell, then when I placed it back in the tub, I could see under a magnifying glass that the eggshell was loose, and the head lower down, so I gently pinched the outside of the eggshell, and the fry wriggled free.

I've put a little sand from the parent tank in the kritter keeper, a little java moss from parent tank too, plus some leaves and alder cones. I have added a little of the First Bites, since some of these guys came out of the eggs a while ago, I figure it won't hurt since I'll be cleaning the tub often.

I've heard of people utilising snails in the container since they won't harm the fry, but help as clean up crew? Anyone done this? The only snails I have are Malaysian Trumpet snails, would these do?
 
Moved 20 wrigglers to the Kritter Keeper today!
Yayyyyyyyyy!!!
There was one left with the head still in the egg, so I helped that one escape the egg too. Placed it gently in my palm and it wriggled against my skin, I think loostening the eggshell, then when I placed it back in the tub, I could see under a magnifying glass that the eggshell was loose, and the head lower down, so I gently pinched the outside of the eggshell, and the fry wriggled free.
WOW! That must have been extremely stressful!
I've put a little sand from the parent tank in the kritter keeper, a little java moss from parent tank too, plus some leaves and alder cones. I have added a little of the First Bites, since some of these guys came out of the eggs a while ago, I figure it won't hurt since I'll be cleaning the tub often.
Those fry must be living the life:cool:



I so hope they do ok for you!
 
Yayyyyyyyyy!!!

WOW! That must have been extremely stressful!

Those fry must be living the life:cool:



I so hope they do ok for you!
This is really sweet, thank you!

I hope they do well too, fingers crossed! I'll keep the thread updated as we go on :)
 
Moved 20 wrigglers to the Kritter Keeper today!

There was one left with the head still in the egg, so I helped that one escape the egg too. Placed it gently in my palm and it wriggled against my skin, I think loostening the eggshell, then when I placed it back in the tub, I could see under a magnifying glass that the eggshell was loose, and the head lower down, so I gently pinched the outside of the eggshell, and the fry wriggled free.

I've put a little sand from the parent tank in the kritter keeper, a little java moss from parent tank too, plus some leaves and alder cones. I have added a little of the First Bites, since some of these guys came out of the eggs a while ago, I figure it won't hurt since I'll be cleaning the tub often.

I've heard of people utilising snails in the container since they won't harm the fry, but help as clean up crew? Anyone done this? The only snails I have are Malaysian Trumpet snails, would these do?
I always put a Snail in to clean up. I use ramshorn though. Even when “Solo” was in the breeder basket I kept one in there. NCAquatics told me to do it. :)
 
I always put a Snail in to clean up. I use ramshorn though. Even when “Solo” was in the breeder basket I kept one in there. NCAquatics told me to do it. :)
Ah, the only ramshorns I have are the teeny tiny pest ones, no good for this job!
We're limited in the snails we can get here, many species like Mystery and Apple snails are banned from import and sale.
 
Gave their tub a good clean today, just realised I forgot to take photos again! *touch wood* didn't find any that had passed away. I think I would have found them if any had since it was a pretty thorough clean, but with the sand and other bits in there, can't be 100% sure, and getting a head count seems impossible and like I'd drive myself nutty trying. But saw plenty that look healthy and active, so keep fingers crossed for these little guys!

Started feeding banana worms along with First Bites today :)
 
Gave their tub a good clean today, just realised I forgot to take photos again! *touch wood* didn't find any that had passed away. I think I would have found them if any had since it was a pretty thorough clean, but with the sand and other bits in there, can't be 100% sure, and getting a head count seems impossible and like I'd drive myself nutty trying. But saw plenty that look healthy and active, so keep fingers crossed for these little guys!

Started feeding banana worms along with First Bites today :)
Off to a great start then! :)
 
Can you take a photo and then count them?
I'll try... lol

It's also 'cos the sand I added is mostly white, but with darker flecks in it, and they blend in pretty well :)

I'll have a go at some photography when I do their water change/tub cleaning today :D
 
Managed to grab a couple of photos during today's clean/water change, have been using a turkey baster and airline tubing to clean the kritter keeper tub the fry are in. I counted 18 live wriggling babies, and they're four and five days old now :D I don't know whether I've lost the other two, and the bodies were consumed (last time, I found bodies, and doubt these fry could completely consume another that passed, but who knows) or whether there are still 20 in there, and two were just hard to see.

Trying really hard not get my hopes too high, since fry mortality rates are usually high, but I'm pleased that at least 18 have made it this far!

Not a pretty set up, but it seems to be working for me so far. This is the Kritter Keeper tub they're in, it's larger than the set up I had last time, and the fact I'll be able to see them better from the side once they're larger appeals to me. Held to the tank with an algae magnet, and I have an airstone running in there. Have been doing 50% water changes and tub cleaning twice daily, feeding 3-4 times a day. Both First Bites and banana worms. My microworm colony failed, so have ordered another starter culture which should arrive tomorrow, but glad that the banana worms have been producing, since they're half the size of microworms, so hopefully better for these guys while they're so tiny.
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Learning lessons from last time, I started feeding earlier, the day after the first one hatched, just in case they'd run out of yolk. Also the fact that the hatch rate was so slow, with one hatching before 4pm on the 18th March, and other were still hatching late on the 19th, I'd rather start feeding earlier than late and risk some starving. I don't remember the hatching dragging out for so long last time, if anyone has any info or personal experience on how long it usually takes for a cory batch to finish hatching, I'd love to hear it! Was very hard to find any info on that when I searched online.

I'm also adding fresh sand, java moss and leaves to the tub every few days. I say fresh, but I mean taken from the parent tank so it's good and weathered, since they will be covered in micro-organisms that the little guys can eat. I'm hoping that will improve the mortality rate. But as you can see, the fry blend pretty well into the sand!
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Couple of shots of some of the little guys. They hide under the leaves and moss most of the time, occasionally a brave swimmer will come to the surface and wriggle around there! So tiny and cute, it's still hard to believe that these are bronze corydoras. While I'm well aware that it's common to lose a lot of the wrigglers, I'm so attached already... very worried about losing any of them, but I can't think of anything else I can do to make sure they all make it. Any suggestions for improving their set up appreciated! Current plan is to keep them in the kritter keeper until they're around a month old, so it's easy for them to find food. Then release them into the 12.5 gallon (no other fish with them) when they'll be larger and more co-ordinated, and able to find food.
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Bb’s everywhere! They are looking good. I don’t think fry would eat a dead one. Snails will though. You are a great Cory mama. :)
 

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