Cory Cats mating!

Wow!

I have 3 false bandit cory cats in my planted 29 gallon tank, but I never used to see them at all. They spent all their time hiding out in the little pots I had in there for them. Sigh.

In the past week, I made two changes to the tank- I am now adding Co2, so the ph level dropped a bit and is now in the 7.2 ish average.
The second is that I removed the two little pots they were hiding in all the time.

I was just sitting in here looking at the tanks, and puttering online (like you do) and witnessed them mating! Wow! The pair is still at it, swimming up and down the tank extremely close to each other for a few minutes, then they go to the bottom of the tank and the male lies on his side and the female puts her nose to his belly and they stay completely still for about a minute, then they run back to the back of the tank where is shaded and plant filled.

And here I had been all worried that they were unhealthy because I never saw them out playing, lol.

--R

 

Hmm, she is carefully cleaning the underside of a leaf and planting each individual egg on a different leaf. Neat!!!! I am trying to get a photo of her holding the egg with her front fins, it is adorable.

I am a bit worried, because the eggs are milky. But, as they are *clearly* breeding they will most likely do so again and again!

--R, so excited!!!

 

Congrats, Radcliffe!!!!! Wow, you actually SAW her deposit the eggs? That must have been soooo special.

 

Yeah, I did! They kindly chose to mate right out in front of the tank, at lunchtime. I am reading more and it seems their eggs should be milky white, so yay to that, too! I am collecting the plant leaves with the eggs on (they nicely laid some in the floating plants on the surface of the tank) and put them in a breeder box with its own little filter. I have baby brine shrimp hatching currently, so when they are ready for it, they will have live food, too. Man am I tempted to get them their own little tank. lol.

I took a bunch of photos, but most of what they show is that I have green algae spots on the back of the sides of the tank, lol. I will post any that are suitable right away. I have one male and two females and if I am not mistaken, I think both are laying eggs. (busy guy!) I just read that one spawning can trigger another. I am only seeing them carry one egg at a time, rather then the few at a time I have seen in other accounts. They are still at it, though, so who knows how many they will lay.

Whee! My first fish eggs

--R

 

Here is the busy couple, the female (above) is holding an egg in her fins, looking for a place to put it.
Sorry for all of the algae!

 

Man, you've got some serious algae going on. Can't you send me some in the post?

 

congrats! very cool! I guess just watch for fungus and wait for them to hatch - do you have any meth. blue?

 

Man, you've got some serious algae going on. Can't you send me some in the post?

LOL, don't I wish! Despite my occasional efforts to stop it, the green spot algae is just a constant.
I do, however, have 5 very happy plump Ottos!

--R

 

Man, and I'm having my lights on somethign like 14h a day to get some tiny amounts of algae for my otos. Funny how it goes.

 

Well, I also have a LOT of wattage going. I have 2 65 watt bulbs for a 29 gallon tank, which makes for some happy plants, but lots of algae too.

 

Well, I also have a LOT of wattage going. I have 2 65 watt bulbs for a 29 gallon tank, which makes for some happy plants, but lots of algae too.

yea, that's a bit there. we've got 1 15w bulb for the 30 gallon tall, but we're not going with live plants in it. that is one lush looking tank.

 

Well, I also have a LOT of wattage going. I have 2 65 watt bulbs for a 29 gallon tank, which makes for some happy plants, but lots of algae too.

yea, that's a bit there. we've got 1 15w bulb for the 30 gallon tall, but we're not going with live plants in it. that is one lush looking tank.

Thanks so much!! I am just as into the plants as I am the fish, it seems. It gets a bunch of algae, yes, but it is also like having a sparkling world in my home. Soon with the added Co2 I should see the reds in the plants, instead of all green tones. Wheee!

So yeah, it might be the greenery and algae that encouraged the corys. My Ottos mated too, but I wasn't able to preserve any eggs this time. I have a little breeding box inside that tank now with the leaves with the eggs on them, we will see if I get wigglers in a week or so. I am so excited

--R

 

Good luck with them.. baby fish are the cutest.

 

I keep telling my friends that if I get baby Corys they will know from the squeals of glee they can hear all the way across town!

They are at it again, too. It is just so wonderful to see the female holding an egg in her fins so carefully. I am fascinated by the fish using their fins like hands. It seems they lay the eggs during the day, I didn't see any overnight. It might be one female laying the eggs, it might be both, I can't tell them apart. Apparently they can lay hundreds of eggs, and I am only seeing a couple dozen total so far. Both females are heartily plump, so who knows how long the egg laying might continue. I think I have a good set up for them- with the breeding box till they are free swimming then a fry tank.

-R, enthralled!

 

My goodness!!! Corys AND otos mating!!!

 

Yeah, a couple weeks ago I saw the Ottos doing the little t shape mating dance, but I never saw any eggs. So sad. I really hope the Ottos try again, they have plump algae bellies in that tank. I am waiting hopefully to see pics of the little fry Armadillo has!

R

 

hI hI hi, I promise I've got fry. I know it's difficult to believe, what with my camera being CONSTANTLY in the wrong country...

 

Have you been able to check on them? I think we are all wishing them (and you) well!



--R

 

Thanks, Radcliffe (presuming you're talking to me as am too lazy to read down the thread tonight). They're doing great. We weren't sure they'd survive our one week holiday, but they did, despite their automatic feeder getting jammed (we don't know when. For all we know, could have happened on first day!). Oh and we're doing great too!

 

I hate when my camera is in the wrong country. on the fry and you doing well.

 

Congrats on the corys mating. It truly is a marvelous sight. Once they spawn they will do it over and over again. Mine usually cover the glass although I did manage to get a batch to hatch last fall.
Lots of food and a large water change will also stimulate them to spawn(doesn't hurt if there's a storm coming) so you can almost get them to mate when you want them to. In the wild they spawn in the spring rainy season and these things simulate their natural spawning time.
carol

 

Well it's easily done for me considering the fact that the 2 countries involved are a 2-hour drive away from each other. Nothing as glamorous as Australia and US or something.

I hate when my camera is in the wrong country.

 

Oh, and here's the fry pictures.

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!! adorable!

 

Cute, hey? I love these little guys. Especially that it was totally against all odds. I mean we only got the otos to get rid of algae in our molly nursery tank. Wouldn't you know it, 2 months later, we are kicking the molly fry out to leave more room for the otos, and growing algae in the garden to keep 'em happy!

 

Oh what amazing photographs! Thank you so much for sharing! You are right, they do take on the Otto shape very very soon!

My MTS is having a field day with the idea of nursery tanks, lol. The cory eggs are progressing. A few have gotten fuzzy and been removed carefully with a turkey baster. (which makes me think of the betta vs baster icon someone had) A few still look the milky clear. Most look milky clear but with a noticeable solid spot in the center, making it look more like an egg. The few I am especially excited about look like there is a bit of finely ground pepper inside them. I am hoping these develop into wigglers, because if so then I am on my way to having a nice brood of baby corys to add to the nursery tank. Right now the nursery tank has a gaggle of baby platys in it, and they will either move to a main tank or share with the baby corys when they are free swimming. My 55 gallon is cycled, but still nearly empty. It has a Tahitian moon black sand bottom, lots of driftwood, a few juvenile Mollys and Gourami and would surely make a good home for a school of corys.

--R

 

sounds great, can't wait for pics and/or vids of the little fry.

 

Thanks, Radcliffe.

If you see that black spot in them, then it's looking good. How long do they take to hatch again, Coryes?

You're going to have the world's cutest tank if you have a tank with only fry in it!

Oh what amazing photographs! Thank you so much for sharing! You are right, they do take on the Otto shape very very soon!

My MTS is having a field day with the idea of nursery tanks, lol. The cory eggs are progressing. A few have gotten fuzzy and been removed carefully with a turkey baster. (which makes me think of the betta vs baster icon someone had) A few still look the milky clear. Most look milky clear but with a noticeable solid spot in the center, making it look more like an egg. The few I am especially excited about look like there is a bit of finely ground pepper inside them. I am hoping these develop into wigglers, because if so then I am on my way to having a nice brood of baby corys to add to the nursery tank. Right now the nursery tank has a gaggle of baby platys in it, and they will either move to a main tank or share with the baby corys when they are free swimming. My 55 gallon is cycled, but still nearly empty. It has a Tahitian moon black sand bottom, lots of driftwood, a few juvenile Mollys and Gourami and would surely make a good home for a school of corys.

--R

 

Cory eggs take 3-4 days to go wigglers, then 3-4 days to go free swimming
Carol

 

Oooh good to know!

More of the eggs are getting that dark look, so that is a good sign. A lot of them aren't though- so I am carefully and sadly removing them. If all continues to go well, I should have at least 10 wigglers, and up to double that.



--R

 

Oooooh, that'd be great. Baby cories.

 

I don't know how I will get anything done around the house if I do end up with a tank full of baby corys and platys. The platys are too cute on their own!

I'll need an intervention to peel me away from the glass, lol

--R

 

Tell me about it. The other day, we were in kind of a hurry, but we figured. Bah, what the heck, what's 10 more minutes going to change? So we parked ourselves in front of his tank. Next thing we knew it was 1.5 hrs later and we were REALLY late!

 

lol I know how you feel!! I woke up with 4 baby guppies!!!!!

First batch of babies for me EVER! I don't even want to go anywhere today! I just keep checking on them!

 

Oh it's your first batch? That's sooooo special. Congratulations again, Amanda! I was giving a presentation to our customer on my first batch, and Thijs called me, and I was soooo high on the news that I had to make it part of my presentation! My customer was really cool about it, and really pleased for me.

 

hahaha yeah. That's why I'm all ....

not to hijack your post... I just wanted to tell you I posted some pictures! Everyone loves baby pictures... even if they're not human!

 

Oh, I think we all like talking about, and seeing photos of fry!
Hijack away! I am hoping to have wigglers today- IEEEEIIIEEEE!!!

And you are so right- seeing your first baby fish is such an amazing moment!

--R

 

Yes, it is certainly amazing! I saw the darkened eggs, then they disappeared. I left the breeder box with the leaves in it till just now, just in case. Well, I was about to do a water change for that tank (it gets partial changes every few days trying to clear out algae) and I went to take out the breeder box.

There are two tiny fry in there! I put in some newly hatched brine shrimp in for them, and they have algae to snack on. Wow teeny little cory fry- after I had long given up on them, too!

Hooray!

--R

 

yipppeee!! They are such cute little things too!
Carol

 

it's so fun watching the "mini-fish" do their thing, huh? ;D