Cory babies lighter than parents due to substrate?

The babies are growing up, so I figured I’d split the groups up into short fin and long fin adults with some kids. Well, parents are dark, the fry raised in tank on dark substrate are dark. The ones raised outside or inside on bare tank or sand are light.





Watched two little ones reunite in their tank after I had moved 2 too many. Put one light one back in the tank after it was “alone” for maybe 3 minutes (other, darker Cories were all together). When I netted another light one that was slightly larger and put it in there, man. That little one lit up and chased the other all over the tank. They cuddled in a shell for a few minutes together before going to meet the extended family.

 

Any color change when moving them to darker substrate?

 

So far, no.

 

That's really interesting.

Try raising some with bright red substrate

 

I honestly noticed this difference when they were barely larger than fry. There were a couple I found in the tank that I put in with the bare bottom ones. I have two dark and 8 light with one light one being near albino (it’s obv not)

On the lighter ones I can certainly see why it might be called Blue Leopard Cory on occasion. Really nice mottled pattern of blue sheen.

 

Seem to be holding their colors.

Maybe I’ll experiment with it next year.

I do tubs for Endlers each year. I’ll setup one with light substrate and one dark.

The eggs will be hatched like these were and allowed to grow a bit in a sterilite tub with a bubbler and some tank water.

I’m thinking 6 tubs here.

Dark
Light
Mix 60/40 dark/light (control)
Mix 60/40 light dark (control)
Then since it was brought up, a color. Again one dark and one light. Maybe use blue here to see if I can force the natural blue sheen to be more evident? Light blue and dark blue?

Anyway, let them get big enough to not be snacks, then divide them evenly into the indoor and outdoor tubs and tanks. I’ll use the dragon substrate again when I set up the 20 long at some point so light ones can go there, dark will go into the current French blue tank once are in the 20 long. Guess maybe I’ll put the one orchid Endler in there with a couple misc virgin females and see how he breeds.

The logistics involved with MTS lol

 

Yes, you have a severe case...

I will, however, encourage you to not stop.

Looking forward to following along.

 

C.paleatus simply come in 50 shades of grey. It's mire to genetics than to substratecolor / lighting.

 

C.paleatus simply come in 50 shades of grey. It's mire to genetics than to substratecolor / lighting.

Exactly what I thought...genetics.

Besides, you'll have no idea who will come from a batch of fish. Your cories could be hybrids for all we know, BPSabelhaus

 

Genetics only go so far in a new environment

While I doubt red is possible, enhancing the blue is a maybe, lighter / darker is much more inline with evolution. Dark fry on light substrate will get eaten quickly. I imagine the dark / light divide is determined pretty early on. By removing predators I can control the experiment better.