Hi guys!
I'm having trouble with safely catching cories. Have heard never to use a net, since their defensive barbs can get caught in the netting and injure them. Makes sense! But really struggling to find a good technique and equipment to move month old cory fry, pygmy cories, and bronze cories of different sizes. When I've searched youtube vids, can't find any specifically about how to catch cories (and plecos, since I'll need to move mine soon), and all the vids I found where someone was transferring cories, they'd used a net.
I had to rehome some young pygmies recently since my tank was STOCKED, and they're still spawning - I asked a hobbyist friend of mine who was taking a batch, what the best way to catch them was. He suggested a tupperware, trapping the cory against the glass and moving it up. In my heavily planted tank, this proved impossible since I needed to catch 16 of them, and the old, young and mid-sized are all in a breeding colony, so I needed to catch large batches and move to another container to sort which would return to the tank and which would go to new homes. I also tried using a large deep disposable cup, hoping it being deeper would stop them escaping like they did with the tupperware. But fish dodged around it, only managed to catch one that way! I was worried about their stress levels, herding them gently around the tank with my hand to drive them towards the tub/cup, but pygmies spook easily, and having to do it repeatedly... I hate stressing fish out so much, especially when they then have to go through the stress of acclimating to a new home right after...
Friend said that if you resort to a net, then put some sand in the bottom of the net, so I ended up doing that. But one of the pygmies I kept was injured, had a bloody spot on his side where the barb would be. Felt awful, and frustrated! Fortunately, the fish gradually healed and seemed okay, no losses. And the eight youngsters I gave to my friend ended up spawning the day after they were introduced into their new tank
But I never want to hurt one by catching them again.
When I take down my large cory tank, I plan to drop the water level really low before attempted to catch the cories. Not a problem if the tank is emptied of plant and hardscape. But the trouble with catching a few individuals from a heavily planted established tank, is that dropping the water level just leaves a dense mass of plant matter for them to hide in, and no room to move the container around to catch in.
There must be better ways, teach me! Share your catching wisdom, or any videos/articles you recommend!
I'm having trouble with safely catching cories. Have heard never to use a net, since their defensive barbs can get caught in the netting and injure them. Makes sense! But really struggling to find a good technique and equipment to move month old cory fry, pygmy cories, and bronze cories of different sizes. When I've searched youtube vids, can't find any specifically about how to catch cories (and plecos, since I'll need to move mine soon), and all the vids I found where someone was transferring cories, they'd used a net.
I had to rehome some young pygmies recently since my tank was STOCKED, and they're still spawning - I asked a hobbyist friend of mine who was taking a batch, what the best way to catch them was. He suggested a tupperware, trapping the cory against the glass and moving it up. In my heavily planted tank, this proved impossible since I needed to catch 16 of them, and the old, young and mid-sized are all in a breeding colony, so I needed to catch large batches and move to another container to sort which would return to the tank and which would go to new homes. I also tried using a large deep disposable cup, hoping it being deeper would stop them escaping like they did with the tupperware. But fish dodged around it, only managed to catch one that way! I was worried about their stress levels, herding them gently around the tank with my hand to drive them towards the tub/cup, but pygmies spook easily, and having to do it repeatedly... I hate stressing fish out so much, especially when they then have to go through the stress of acclimating to a new home right after...
Friend said that if you resort to a net, then put some sand in the bottom of the net, so I ended up doing that. But one of the pygmies I kept was injured, had a bloody spot on his side where the barb would be. Felt awful, and frustrated! Fortunately, the fish gradually healed and seemed okay, no losses. And the eight youngsters I gave to my friend ended up spawning the day after they were introduced into their new tank
But I never want to hurt one by catching them again.When I take down my large cory tank, I plan to drop the water level really low before attempted to catch the cories. Not a problem if the tank is emptied of plant and hardscape. But the trouble with catching a few individuals from a heavily planted established tank, is that dropping the water level just leaves a dense mass of plant matter for them to hide in, and no room to move the container around to catch in.
There must be better ways, teach me! Share your catching wisdom, or any videos/articles you recommend!
Wondering if superfine is even more risky for trapping one of those spines than a larger mesh would, you know? Harder for the cory to escape if the spine is stuck in a very small hole.
They're adorable. Still can't believe there are so many. Bit nervous about moving them to a different tank since they're doing well where they are, even though the water is almost the same. Cory fry are so sensitive, and large losses so common, it makes me nervous. Like maybe I should give them another week or so where they are. But conflicted part of me thinks 40-50 growing babies in a tiny breeder box isn't great. Worked great when they were eggs and tiny wrigglers, but they might do better now they're bigger with more space to swim and get strong. They're about 3-4 weeks old now.
/aquazone-indo.com/index.php/2021/10/19/keen-on-corys/#:~:text=To protect themselves from predation,the base of the spines
