Need advice on spawning Corydoras spp.

[luenny]

Hi all,
Just lost 2 sterbai eggs last night. Darn! Don't know how many more hidden eggs got eaten as well. So, now that my corys are breeding - hopefully they'll breed again soon, how do I seperate the eggs from the parents so that they don't get eaten? Do you bring the eggs out to another tank or do you put the parents into a breeding tank and take them out after they have done their business? But then, how do you know they have done their business since they usually hide their eggs well?

[CK Yeo]

You can try pick off the eggs with your fingers or with a blade. Don't worry, they are quite tough.

ck

[luenny]

Hmm ... ok, I'll have to go through the moss and drift wood to see if I can find anymore eggs left or not first.

[celticfish]

Here are some possible solutions.

a) Remove the eggs into a breeding trap placed in the tank.
Advantage: you don't need another tank.

b) Remove the eggs into a smaller tank with water from the main tank.
Main issue with this method is that your cannot fan an remove fungused eggs btter than the parent fish.
So most breeders use menthylene blue to stop unviable eggs from spreading the fungus to vialble one.

I believe (b) would be a "better" method as you will face the same fungus problem in the breeding trap too.
However, if the eggs are not laid "tightly" together you may just be able to get away with (a).

[CK Yeo]

Cory eggs usually hatch in 2 days in our weather and you need to be really sharp eyed to spot them among the vegetation.

I usually use option B if I want to remove the eggs. I tried Option A a few time but usually lead the fries to escaping into the tank and disappear forever.

ck

[luenny]

Hatch in 2 days you say?? Hmm ... then I may still have hope after all because I saw 2 eggs near the front of the aquarium for 2 days and the third day they're gone. I thought they were eaten. Maybe they've hatched.

By the way, how come you say fries escaping into the tank and disappear forever? Does the parents eat the fries?

Oh forgot to update, just saw the baby cory in the shrimp tank again. Seems to grow a bit already. Wonder what it eats there. Maybe it eats the leftover shrimp food? But still very skittish.

[celticfish]

CK Yeo,
I must admit I didnt realize cory eggs hatch that quick.
Thanks!

[Freshman]

I have tried using option A. The hatch rate is very poor because most of the eggs had fungus problem.

Will recommend option B to those who wished to breed cories. Add in anti fungus medication and aeration.

Anyway, my cories eggs hatched in the 3rd day or 4th day. That was during last December. Water temperature is around 26deg C to 27deg C.

[mickthefish]

when youv'e collected the eggs check their fertility, infertile eggs have a white spot usually inthe middle of the egg, then seperate the eggs so each egg has it's own space then if it does fungus it can't contaminate the others.
put a ketapang leaf in the hatching tank, one for the fry to hide under when they hatch,
in the UK we've also found we get a better hatch rate when we use them.
although this is tedious it might help you get some fry.
btw don't get the eggs out as soon as they're laid as your likely to burst the egg the outer shell hasn't hardened enough, leave it for at least 15 mins then take them out.

mick
ps i hope this is of some help to you.

[luenny]

Hi all,
Thanks for the advice. Sadly though, I don't see anymore eggs. Hopefully they've hatched already and are hiding somewhere. I do notice some eggs with white in the middle like what mick said. Maybe those are the ones that were eaten. Next time I see eggs, I'll try to take some photos and take them out to another tank.