Couple ?'s About Pygmy Cory's

[Koglin]

Since there were a bunch of threads popping up about people finding random cory eggs over the last month, I started keeping an even closer eye on my pygmy corys over the last couple of weeks.

One of my females has gotten more and more round (not bloating), and she keeps cleaning the larger plant leaves. I'll try and get a pic of her tomorrow when the lights are back on.

So my questions are these: Should I prepare for the possibility of them breeding? Or would I have to do the "rainfall simulation" stuff to initiate it? As I'm not exactly prepped for pygmy cory fry right now...

Water conditions:
0 am., 0 ni., 10ppm na.
ph 7* kh 4, gh 6
temp. stays around 76° F / 24.4° C

The tank is pretty understocked on fish, at maybe 50%, but it is a small tank (10g / 37.8l). They'll be moving into my 20 long soon though, and I'll be getting more (wanted to use the 10g later to try breeding them with).

*Edit - had hit the wrong # button for ph, corrected.

 

[itiwhetu]

What else is in the tank pygmy cats don't usually eat their eggs. It is the other guys you need to worry about. The best trigger for spawning is increase in atmospheric pressure and sun strike in the morning.

 

[Koglin]

Just 1 nerite snail from a friends tank that moved. The substrate is 200ppm calcium, and I have some cuttle bone in there too (soft for a nerite, but I didnt have anything else cycled yet). We plan on moving him to the 8.5 gallon soon where the water is harder (cycling).

So as long as I can block the sun well enough, you think I can prevent them from breeding for now - at least until I can move them to the 20 long soon? Or should I just start getting ready now in case they DO breed without influence?

 

[CassCats]

Water changes, good food, atmospheric pressure changes, and temperature drops will trigger many cories to spawn.

Watch close.

My pygmies do eat their own eggs given the chance, but some sources say they don't. So you may luck out, you may not.

Pygmies will prefer to lay their eggs singly on plant leaves, glass, and in the corners on the silicone. So keep a close eye on those areas, the eggs of pygmies are small, barely 1mm.


You can leave it totally to chance if you aren't ready, let nature take its course whether babies survive or eggs are eaten.
Once they spawn, they will often spawn again, so it wouldn't be a loss if you let them do as they want.

 

[itiwhetu]

Get rid of the snail and let them go for it. I had a 60 liter tank bred clown killis and pygmy cats at the same time. Ended up with 30 clown killis and 60 pygmy cats. They just had fun.

 

[Koglin]

Water changes, good food, atmospheric pressure changes, and temperature drops will trigger many cories to spawn.

Watch close.

My pygmies do eat their own eggs given the chance, but some sources say they don't. So you may luck out, you may not.

Pygmies will prefer to lay their eggs singly on plant leaves, glass, and in the corners on the silicone. So keep a close eye on those areas, the eggs of pygmies are small, barely 1mm.


You can leave it totally to chance if you aren't ready, let nature take its course whether babies survive or eggs are eaten.
Once they spawn, they will often spawn again, so it wouldn't be a loss if you let them do as they want.

Get rid of the snail and let them go for it. I had a 60 liter tank bred clown killis and pygmy cats at the same time. Ended up with 30 clown killis and 60 pygmy cats. They just had fun.

I see.. so, if they did lay eggs - can I move them? You guys ever used those floating fry bins or the mesh containers with suction cups? They're pretty cheap.. if it happens, maybe I could move any eggs to something like that and toss in some java moss to improve their odds?

Never bred fish before -.-' always just wanted to

 

[itiwhetu]

I never move eggs. For the simple fact that this is where the parents have decided their kids have the best chance of survival, if they didn't think they would survive they wouldn't spawn. So I always say leave the eggs and if you have to do something move the parents.

 

[CassCats]

You could move them, use a clean finger to gently roll them off whatever they're on, place them into a container with water taken from the parent tank and add an airstone.
Alternatively net all the parents out and move them, but lower the water in the tank, makes it easier for the fry to reach the surface for air (cories do breathe air)

Pygmy fry are super tiny, so they'd slip through the mesh on breeder nets. You could take pantyhose and cover it instead.

Add a couple alder cones to prevent fungus.

Remove any fungused eggs as you find them (check couple times a day) as they can spread to other eggs.

Cory eggs hatch between 3-5 days. For 3 days after they hatch they feed off their yolk sac, but on 3rd day you can begin to feed them. Pygmies are tiny so they need to start with tiny foods. Hikari First Bites is what I use, I dip a toothpick into it and dunk it under the water so it sinks immediately for the cory fry. You can also use egg yolk (itiwhetu's method) if in a pinch too, then move onto microworms or baby brine shrimp or similar once they're large enough. Feed 2-3 times daily.

Also daily water changes for fry to keep them growing well since they release a growth inhibiting hormone in the water which slows fry growth.

 

[Tz125m]

Be careful if you move them to a new tank.. I did and was emptying the old tank and noticed some fry before tipping the water out, super small about the same size of a grain of sand. Iv never seen the eggs. The fry are not easy to grow up iv had only two grow to adults and not had any fry since last winter. Will try again with guy soon.