Giant Cory Spawn!

[fishmad135]

So as the title suggests my cories have spawned again, but on a massive scale!

 

 I've had lots of experience breeding cories but have only ever kept around 50 eggs or less so not to get out of hand! This spawn however has left me with around 150 eggs, the majority of them turning dark already so I'm assuming they're mostly fertile.. 
 

 
I've done the usual - methylene blue, water flow around eggs, put java moss in there waiting for fry that hatch etc!
However.. I'm not actually sure if I'm going a little crazy in keeping around 150 eggs? What would you guys do? I can't wait for more fry as my Panda and Pygmaeus fry are pretty much all grown up and I'm feeling in the need for more babies around.. I just don't want it to get out of hand 

 
I sell my other cories to local fish stores for cash or credit so finding homes wouldn't be hard.. 

 

[Munroco]

Gratz, hopefully most of them make it to be little cories. I think LFS would be the main outlet. Cories always sell.

 

[cooledwhip]

Awesome. Any tips on breeding them and getting them to spawn?

 

[Akasha72]

it's unlikely that all will survive. My peppered cories once produced eggs in a similar number to yours and most of the fry died over a period of a few weeks. I can't exactly remember how many made it to the lfs but I think it was about 20 or so.
 
I'm finding with my panda cories that if I get 10% to survive I'm doing well. 

 

[fishmad135]

Gratz, hopefully most of them make it to be little cories. I think LFS would be the main outlet. Cories always sell.

Thanks! I hope so 

I woke up this morning to find that less are fertile than I thought (may be a small blessing!), I reckon there's approximately 70 fertile eggs now!
 

Awesome. Any tips on breeding them and getting them to spawn?

Breeding cories really isn't hard at all, most people find their cories will spawn of their own accord!
Some people believe that the best way to spawn them is to have a species only tank with a female to male ratio of 1:2. Whilst this probably optimises breeding performance I've never found the need for it, I keep my cories in a community tank with lots of plant coverage. Whenever I want the cories to breed I do cooler water changes (imitating the rainy seasons in which they breed in the wild!). I even put ice cubes in the top and feed lots frozen and live daphnia and blood worms! 
You should notice females getting very plumped and rounded. The males will start pursuing the females and the cories will begin to clean the areas of glass/plants/stones they will spawn on! 
Main tips:

• Food (live/frozen)
• Cool water (a few degrees)

 

[Fishmanic]

how old do they need to be approximately to breed?  What do you feed the fry?

 

[fishmad135]

how old do they need to be approximately to breed?  What do you feed the fry?

 
I don't know age for certain as I'm not quite sure how old the cories are when i get them however I find they start to breed anywhere between 6 months and a year! Someone with more knowledge may correct me though! 
I feed fry live brine shrimp when they are a week old, before that I use java moss (they eat muck and small organisms living on the moss) and a very small amount of liquifry (only a small amount - I don't want to foul the water!).

 

[Akasha72]

I also give my panda fry lots of java moss for about the first month or so. Then I start adding my New Era cory pellets. They are soft so they sort of melt to a fine dust and so the fry can manage them. I leave a pellet in with them for a couple of hours and then clean up anything they've not eaten. I do this three times a day.
 
I found limited success with liquifry ... it works for some but not for all. I've found a sponge filter and the moss works best. The sponge filter doubles up as a feeding station too as they can pick at the microscopic stuff on there too

EDIT: Just realised you are in the US Fishmanic so New Era cory pellets arn't available to you. Someone from your area might be able to suggest an alternative

 

[Fishmanic]

Can u feed frozen brine shrimp of crushed moistened flakes

 

[DoubleDutch]

Microworms and just hatched brineshrimp

 

[Akasha72]

cories won't eat flake ... I've never had one of mine eat any kind of flake. As DD says you could get a microworm culture running, brine shrimp might be a little big to begin with. You could try cyclops as that is tiny but difficult to clean up if they don't eat it all. 

 

[fishmad135]

I also give my panda fry lots of java moss for about the first month or so. Then I start adding my New Era cory pellets. They are soft so they sort of melt to a fine dust and so the fry can manage them. I leave a pellet in with them for a couple of hours and then clean up anything they've not eaten. I do this three times a day.
 
I found limited success with liquifry ... it works for some but not for all. I've found a sponge filter and the moss works best. The sponge filter doubles up as a feeding station too as they can pick at the microscopic stuff on there too

EDIT: Just realised you are in the US Fishmanic so New Era cory pellets arn't available to you. Someone from your area might be able to suggest an alternative

I've never heard of New Era Cory Pellets - I'll order some and see how the fry get on with them, thanks for the tip! 
I find a tiny amount of liquifry put directly on a cut of java moss always gets attention from bronzes and pepper fry but no interest what so ever from pandas or sterbai! 
 

cories won't eat flake ... I've never had one of mine eat any kind of flake. As DD says you could get a microworm culture running, brine shrimp might be a little big to begin with. You could try cyclops as that is tiny but difficult to clean up if they don't eat it all. 

I've also tried cyclops and had difficulties cleaning them up, resorted to siphoning it out with some spare airline hose!! Never don't micro worm culture, my mum doesn't like the idea of microworms for some reason so I'm not allowed! 
 
Whilst doing my saturday water changes I found some more eggs in my other tank! You can really see which eggs are fertile and which are not! Brilliant start to my summer holidays!! 

 

 

[Akasha72]

ooh congrats .. it'll probably be the low pressure system that's hanging around that's got them in the mood. My cories spawned this week too although she's hidden the eggs again. I've just found the odd one or two here and there but I know there's more somewhere.
 
The New Era food has had a rebrand recently - it's now called Vitalis so you might find it under either name. It's the best food I've come across. I was told this week that the aquarium centre's (sealife centre etc) are now using it as it's that good. My fish love it and they're doing really well on it. The cory pellets come in two different sizes. I'd recommend the 1.5mm size  

 

[fishmad135]

ooh congrats .. it'll probably be the low pressure system that's hanging around that's got them in the mood. My cories spawned this week too although she's hidden the eggs again. I've just found the odd one or two here and there but I know there's more somewhere.
 
The New Era food has had a rebrand recently - it's now called Vitalis so you might find it under either name. It's the best food I've come across. I was told this week that the aquarium centre's (sealife centre etc) are now using it as it's that good. My fish love it and they're doing really well on it. The cory pellets come in two different sizes. I'd recommend the 1.5mm size

 
Ohh  I think I've heard of vitalise,  I'll get some ordered!! Congrats on the spawn, what cories are they?? Very exciting!!
 think I have 1 day left till I can see what hatches!!  

 

[Akasha72]

panda cories. I got peppered (all really old now, too old to breed) bronze (all male) melini (I wish they'd spawn) and smudge-spot (all girls) My panda's are in the full breeding mode right now. I've got 5 fry about 1.5cm plus these eggs. I took 4 panda fry to my lfs about month ago so I've got a constant supply going now