Chasing Corys?

So I have this 20 gallon that has different Corys in it. Before we get started I understand the foot print of my 20 gallon and that each breed or species of Cory is supposed to be with so many of their own kind which is why I originally only had 7 green cats. Over the last few months my other added cats were rescues that I have grown attached to and am working hard to accommodate some extra space for them; BECAUSE I haven't found any place I trust enough to rehome them to.
Ok now, I have these 4 high finned peppered Corys. Recently my 3 smaller ones continuously chase the biggest one. Is this normal behavior? Do I need to separate them? What needs to happen because it seems that they are heavily stressing out this one poor Cory. Thank you in advance!

 

That's mating behavior! Those three smaller Cories are males, the larger is a female. Usually it's nothing to worry about, even if it looks a bit frantic they aren't being aggressive. But having 3 suitors might be tiring out your female. Make sure she has places to hide, and if it gets too bad you might have to separate them. But I doubt it will get to that point, I find that males give up after a while once it's clear that the ladies aren't interested.

 

Ok so yes now I have eggs. I want to raise them. They are my first. I tried the credit card trick didn't work I broke/smushed these 4. There is only a few left what can I do to successful save them. The others have already ate some too...

 

Oh don't worry! Once they start spawning, you'll definitely get more. Wait about 10 minutes after the eggs are laid so that they can harden. Keep your hand in the tank and chase off any prospective snackers if needed. Then, very, very carefully use your fingers to take them off the glass, using a rolling motion to detach them from the glass. You have to be incredibly gentle while doing this, you only need the lightest of touch. Luckily they are slightly sticky, so that helps them stay on your fingers. I usually use my pointer finger and thumb to do this. Then move them to whatever container you have available, a breeder net works best but a container filled with tank water will work. Put an airstone in if you have one.

 

Ok this was very successful! I have 4 that look great. Perfectly round as they looked right after she laid them. And I have 4 that I accidentally flattened or dented a bit but I kept them anyways. Then the 4 that my credit card tricked ruined lol. So, so far 12. And they are still chasing her...

I don't have an airstone. I still fairly new in this hobby. Is not having one gonna be a problem?

Edit:: In my panic to move them before eaten I accidentally put them in a container with no way for me to keep heated since I don't have a spare heater or can float it.

 

You will NEED an air stone to have any success in breeding and raising these fry.

 

You will NEED an air stone to have any success in breeding and raising these fry.

Well poo! Lol. Can I get one in my local Walmart? (For speediness they are already moved)

 

Ok this was very successful! I have 4 that look great. Perfectly round as they looked right after she laid them. And I have 4 that I accidentally flattened or dented a bit but I kept them anyways. Then the 4 that my credit card tricked ruined lol. So, so far 12. And they are still chasing her...

I don't have an airstone. I still fairly new in this hobby. Is not having one gonna be a problem?

It's major problem is that without water surface movement, the water runs out of oxygen and stagnates. You only need the smallest and cheapest air pump with a single air stone.

 

Yup. I breed cories so you can dm me if you have any urgent questions. Some people have used meth blue, but it didn't work for me. Keeping air going on the eggs are key to keep fungus from growing on the eggs.

 

So she is still laying. She has laid about 6 to 10 more so far. She is trying to lay them in hiding places or corners(behind the heater, behind the HOB filter, etc. I'm wondering if it would be safer to leave them there for now? How long can they go without an airstone?

I'm about to make me a make shift breeder box out of a sandwich container and suction cup like I did for my snail babies. Will this work?!

 

Any fish will eat the eggs. I would get them out with your fingers, be very gentle and gently pull lightly. This will go on for a few hours then it shall end. I have never not added air stones to the eggs. You can also just get some water and pour into the container until you got some air stones.

 

Any fish will eat the eggs. I would get them out with your fingers, be very gentle and gently pull lightly. This will go on for a few hours then it shall end. I have never not added air stones to the eggs. You can also just get some water and pour into the container until you got some air stones.

Will the breeder box idea work?

 

I’ve used a similar setup in the past, it works! You have to change the water very often though, at least once a day.

 

I’ve used a similar setup in the past, it works! You have to change the water very often though, at least once a day.

I do that every day for my snail container already. I use a medicine cup to dip most of the old water out and replace it with new tank water. Plus I also poked holes all through the bottom to for some air flow.

How big will they be? Are these holes too big?

 

I do that every day for my snail container already. I use a medicine cup to dip most of the old water out and replace it with new tank water. Plus I also poked holes all through the bottom to for some air flow.

How big will they be? Are these holes too big?

They will be microscopic when they’re born, their bodies aren’t wider than a few millimeters. Any holes bigger than a pinprick will be too big.

 

Here's what they look like

 

Here's what they look like View attachment 454086

Oh wow well what I worked up won't do then... which means I'm going to have to move them again...

 

UPDATE: I haven't been lucky enough to witness anymore mating/or catch anymore eggs. I did happen to get about 20 from yesterday.
So it being about 24 hrs do these look like they are doing well?

 

UPDATE: I haven't been lucky enough to witness anymore mating/or catch anymore eggs. I did happen to get about 20 from yesterday.
So it being about 24 hrs do these look like they are doing well? View attachment 454298

Yes. The color of them still looks amber. If a fish egg dies, it usually turns bright white and will fungus quickly.

 

There’s 3 at the top that look like they might be infertile, but it’s hard to tell at this point. The rest seem viable!

 

There’s 3 at the top that look like they might be infertile, but it’s hard to tell at this point. The rest seem viable!

The 3 closest to the right side of the container?
Do the holes in my container look too big? I didn't want to move them again if I didn't have to.

 

Yes.....you can grab a cheap airstone and pump at Walmart in their pet section. Most walmarts carry them. Didn't see that answered yet.

 

While at Walmart you could always grab some mesh fabric to place over the holes as well. Gotta love Walmart.

 

I just got 100 more eggs today. I'm still trying to make the raising easier. Amber/light brown means they are fertile. Day three is when you will see two black eggs in each eggs turning. That's when they are soon gonna hatch!

 

I just got 100 more eggs today. I'm still trying to make the raising easier. Amber/light brown means they are fertile. Day three is when you will see two black eggs in each eggs turning. That's when they are soon gonna hatch!

100 dang. That's about how much my Peppered Cory laid yesterday but I wasn't quick enough on most of them and it being my first time I ruined some trying to move them too.
Ok wait so each egg ball thing is actually 2 eggs/babies? Or maybe I misread your comment lol.

 

100 dang. That's about how much my Peppered Cory laid yesterday but I wasn't quick enough on most of them and it being my first time I ruined some trying to move them too.
Ok wait so each egg ball thing is actually 2 eggs/babies? Or maybe I misread your comment lol.

on the second or third day you will see two black eyes. Those are cory eyes. I can show you a video of one of mine hatching if that helps?

 

The 3 closest to the right side of the container?
Do the holes in my container look too big? I didn't want to move them again if I didn't have to.

Here’s a quick screenshot, I circled the ones I think are bad. But don’t worry too much, it becomes really obvious which ones are bad as the days go by.




And yeah, those holes are way too big. Like I said before, anything bigger than a pinprick will be too big. They hatch with bodies less than half the size of the egg. I find that eggs tolerate being moved pretty well, and it’s best to do it sooner rather than later.

EDIT: I just found a photo of a newborn fry right next to some eggs, gives the perfect idea of their size.

 

Wow!! Thank you guys soo much for all the helpful finformation! I will move them into something more accommodating asap tonight when I do my daily "clear down routine" I was really just trying to keep water flow good going in and out. I have a container with itty bitty pin **** holes for my baby snails and the flow is horrible the water fouls very very quickly. I was trying to avoid this as much as possible to keep from ruining most of the eggs.

 

Update: Ok new update. I was able to successfully move the eggs from the container with bigger holes. I just gently took the old container out with the eggs still in it and as quickly as possible changed out suction cups from my old to new container. And then as gently as I could I swished the old around in the new until all the eggs floated into the new container. I'm really hoping everything went ok. As I'm quite worried because after moving them I couldn't see any little cute eyes in them anymore.
Since my last update I had about 20 eggs after removing all of the ones that were clearly bad I think I'm left with 11. Not a whole lot of room for error here guys...
The best pics I could get are below. The closer I got the fuzzier it gets.

 

Could you guys please tell me if these look right?! Because to me they look more like a dark gray then a copper color.