Shaddex
Fish Addict
Hello all !
Thought I would share my experience with you all with a hope that it brings someone better results with breeding Corydoras.
I can only give information based on the corys I have been breeding which are:
Setups:
Community Tank:
Im sure you all know what a community tank is
Breeding Tank: (AKA Spawning tank)
If you have the room, I would advise you get a spawning tank.
This does not have to be large, but I currently use a 36" x 15" x 12" - approx 100ltr.
Setup is simple:
Hatchery Tank:
Currently use a 12" x 10" x 10" - approx 20ltr.
Grow out Tank:
Currently use a 12" x 10" x 10" - approx 20ltr.
Breeding:
Ok, we have our tank setups and are now ready to start the Corys off spawning !!
Wrong ! lol
First we need to condition the fish so that the females are nice and plump and full of eggs.
To do this I follow a strict feeding regime:
Increase feeding from twice a day, to 3 times a day. (9am, 5pm, 11pm)
Feed sinking high protein pellets in the morning.
Feed Live food (or frozen) in the afternoon.
Feed sinking high protein pellets in the evening.
Only feed enough so your fish eat them within about 20 mins.
You do not want to leave any food waste that will contaminate your water.
It can take a number of weeks for your fish to become ready to spawn but you should notice that the female will get very rounded.
Once you see that the females are ready, you will need to move your females and males, at a ratio of 1:2 females to males, into your spawning tank.
Continue the feeding regime in the spawning tank and also do a 25% water change, daily, at about 3 degrees cooler (centigrade) than your community tank. (This simulates the rainy season coming with colder water)
My community tank sits at about 23.5C so I water change with 20-21C.
After about a further week (sometimes a lot sooner), you will see the infamous "Romance dancing", where the males peruse the females and form a t-shape with them. aka "The Romance Dance".
If the females are egg laden, they will "Drink" the male sperm whilst in this "T-Shape" and fertilize the eggs, and you will see eggs in the females ventral fins.
Now depending on the type of cory, you may see 1 egg, or in the case of peppered or Albino a lot more.
The females will then swim off and find a nice place to put her eggs.
Peppered and albino will place them on the tank glass or a flat surface which has a lot of water flow.
Loxozonus and Schwartzi place them under plant leaves or on a spawning mop.
Once the eggs have been place, the males may well eat them, but any that survive you can roll off on to your finger, and place them into your hatchery. Try to leave the eggs in the spawning tank for 30mins to an hour so that they harden off, as if you try and remove them instantly, you may squash them.
You may find it easier to use a razor blade to get the eggs off your tank sides.
If your fish are spawning and placing the eggs onto the spawning mop or plants, it may be easier to remove the plants / mop and then roll the eggs onto your finger.
Try to keep the eggs on the tank walls in the hatchery, rather than the bottom, but you will have to place some on the bottom as not all will stick to the tank walls.
Once in the hatchery, add the appropriate amount of methylene blue for your tank size.
This is VERY important to do as it will protect the eggs from fungus.
Make sure you have a flow of water over the eggs in your hatchery. Air stone to the rescue.
After 24 hours of the eggs being in your Hatchery, do a 50% water change with conditioned Tap water at the same temperature.
You should now be able to see a small dot in the middle of the eggs that are fertile, and the unfertilized eggs will have gone a white color.
Remove the unfertilized eggs from the hatchery, either with your finger, or a length of air hose.
Over the next 3 days you should repeat the 50% water changes, and by the 4th day, your eggs should be about to hatch and you will have removed the majority of the Methylene blue with your water changes.
Once the eggs hatch they will become "Egg heads" or wigglers. Do not feed them for the first 48 hours as they will consume their food from the egg sack.
Keep up the water changes, daily.
After the 6th day, (2nd day after hatching) you will need to start feeding the fry, which will now look like very tiny Corys.
I tend to feed live baby brine shrimp as I have had less fry loss feeding them BBS, and if you want to hatch BBS yourself its very easy to do. You need to start to hatch the BBS once your cory eggs hatch. It takes 2 days or thereabouts for your BBS to hatch, so its perfect timing.
If you do not have BBS, you can use flakes or dried blood worms. If you are using these, use a pestle and mortar to grind the food up.
Feed 3-4 times a day, but again, do not over feed.
Now that your fry are eating, they are also going to the little fry's room.
PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR WATER PARAMETERS AND WATER CHANGE WHEN NEEDED.
Because I have a cycled Sponge filter, my levels are not too bad, but I still do a 25-50% water change daily.
Test your water twice a day, morning and evening, with a GOOD liquid test kit.
After about a week after the fry hatching, I move them to my grow out tank.
Rinse, repeat...
I hope that I have covered all my procedures etc, but feel free to ask any questions and Ill try and answer them.
I am not the "Worlds greatest cory breeder", far from it. The information above is how I have managed to get around a 90% egg-fry-Juvenile result.
Ill try and get a few pictures up of my setup if it will help.
Thought I would share my experience with you all with a hope that it brings someone better results with breeding Corydoras.
I can only give information based on the corys I have been breeding which are:
- Albino (Bronze)
- Peppered
- Loxozonus
- Schwartzi
Setups:
Community Tank:
Im sure you all know what a community tank is
Breeding Tank: (AKA Spawning tank)
If you have the room, I would advise you get a spawning tank.
This does not have to be large, but I currently use a 36" x 15" x 12" - approx 100ltr.
Setup is simple:
- 150w heater
- 350lph internal box filter.
- 1 piece Bog wood
- Sand substrate
- Lighting
- Plants / Spawning mop (Depends on what cory you are trying to breeding)
- Temp of about 23-24, with 0ppm Ammonia / Nitrite. PH is about 7.2
Hatchery Tank:
Currently use a 12" x 10" x 10" - approx 20ltr.
- 50w heater
- Sponge Filter / Air Pump.
- Air Stone / Air Pump.
- Lighting.
- Temp and levels the same as your spawning tank.
Grow out Tank:
Currently use a 12" x 10" x 10" - approx 20ltr.
- 50w heater
- Sponge Filter / Air Pump.
- Lighting.
- Temp and levels the same as your spawning tank.
Breeding:
Ok, we have our tank setups and are now ready to start the Corys off spawning !!
Wrong ! lol
First we need to condition the fish so that the females are nice and plump and full of eggs.
To do this I follow a strict feeding regime:
Increase feeding from twice a day, to 3 times a day. (9am, 5pm, 11pm)
Feed sinking high protein pellets in the morning.
Feed Live food (or frozen) in the afternoon.
Feed sinking high protein pellets in the evening.
Only feed enough so your fish eat them within about 20 mins.
You do not want to leave any food waste that will contaminate your water.
It can take a number of weeks for your fish to become ready to spawn but you should notice that the female will get very rounded.
Once you see that the females are ready, you will need to move your females and males, at a ratio of 1:2 females to males, into your spawning tank.
Continue the feeding regime in the spawning tank and also do a 25% water change, daily, at about 3 degrees cooler (centigrade) than your community tank. (This simulates the rainy season coming with colder water)
My community tank sits at about 23.5C so I water change with 20-21C.
After about a further week (sometimes a lot sooner), you will see the infamous "Romance dancing", where the males peruse the females and form a t-shape with them. aka "The Romance Dance".
If the females are egg laden, they will "Drink" the male sperm whilst in this "T-Shape" and fertilize the eggs, and you will see eggs in the females ventral fins.
Now depending on the type of cory, you may see 1 egg, or in the case of peppered or Albino a lot more.
The females will then swim off and find a nice place to put her eggs.
Peppered and albino will place them on the tank glass or a flat surface which has a lot of water flow.
Loxozonus and Schwartzi place them under plant leaves or on a spawning mop.
Once the eggs have been place, the males may well eat them, but any that survive you can roll off on to your finger, and place them into your hatchery. Try to leave the eggs in the spawning tank for 30mins to an hour so that they harden off, as if you try and remove them instantly, you may squash them.
You may find it easier to use a razor blade to get the eggs off your tank sides.
If your fish are spawning and placing the eggs onto the spawning mop or plants, it may be easier to remove the plants / mop and then roll the eggs onto your finger.
Try to keep the eggs on the tank walls in the hatchery, rather than the bottom, but you will have to place some on the bottom as not all will stick to the tank walls.
Once in the hatchery, add the appropriate amount of methylene blue for your tank size.
This is VERY important to do as it will protect the eggs from fungus.
Make sure you have a flow of water over the eggs in your hatchery. Air stone to the rescue.
After 24 hours of the eggs being in your Hatchery, do a 50% water change with conditioned Tap water at the same temperature.
You should now be able to see a small dot in the middle of the eggs that are fertile, and the unfertilized eggs will have gone a white color.
Remove the unfertilized eggs from the hatchery, either with your finger, or a length of air hose.
Over the next 3 days you should repeat the 50% water changes, and by the 4th day, your eggs should be about to hatch and you will have removed the majority of the Methylene blue with your water changes.
Once the eggs hatch they will become "Egg heads" or wigglers. Do not feed them for the first 48 hours as they will consume their food from the egg sack.
Keep up the water changes, daily.
After the 6th day, (2nd day after hatching) you will need to start feeding the fry, which will now look like very tiny Corys.
I tend to feed live baby brine shrimp as I have had less fry loss feeding them BBS, and if you want to hatch BBS yourself its very easy to do. You need to start to hatch the BBS once your cory eggs hatch. It takes 2 days or thereabouts for your BBS to hatch, so its perfect timing.
If you do not have BBS, you can use flakes or dried blood worms. If you are using these, use a pestle and mortar to grind the food up.
Feed 3-4 times a day, but again, do not over feed.
Now that your fry are eating, they are also going to the little fry's room.
PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR WATER PARAMETERS AND WATER CHANGE WHEN NEEDED.
Because I have a cycled Sponge filter, my levels are not too bad, but I still do a 25-50% water change daily.
Test your water twice a day, morning and evening, with a GOOD liquid test kit.
After about a week after the fry hatching, I move them to my grow out tank.
Rinse, repeat...
I hope that I have covered all my procedures etc, but feel free to ask any questions and Ill try and answer them.
I am not the "Worlds greatest cory breeder", far from it. The information above is how I have managed to get around a 90% egg-fry-Juvenile result.
Ill try and get a few pictures up of my setup if it will help.
