Breeding CW010

[GTR]

I've had 11 CW010 that came from Mab through Rachel. They've been in a 60g here at my shop since about May 2011. In the same tank I have some very happy mixed BNP's that keep reproducing along with several 100 junk red cherry shrimp.

Will a 10g be ok for breeding? The BNPs seem happy with the reduced maintenance so I plan to move the cories to a different tank. My only in-house options right now are 10 and 20g tanks.

Also, since these tanks are at my shop in a back room (no traffic in front of the tank) the cories seem to have taken on a completely nocturnal lifestyle. If they are out they scatter as soon as I open the fish room door.

 

[minifoot77]

a 15 i think is what mike or mab breeds his in pm him he is very nice and knowledgeable

 

[mchambers]

I think a 10 gallon would be okay for breeding, if you're only putting a limited number in, say 5 or 6 max. 11 in a 10 gallon tank would be awfully crowded, I think.

For some reason, my cw010 seem to breed when I move them. That is, transferring a few to a new tank invariably seems to result in a large deposit of eggs within a few days. I've had this happen three times now. I don't know how to explain this. Doesn't seem to depend on the temperature or water quality in the new tank, just the fact of moving them.

Otherwise, I don't see much breeding activity.

 

[GTR]

Thanks, I'll net a few and move them to a 10g tank and take them home. I have room for 3-10g tanks at home so I can do some transferring if/when they spawn. The tanks at my shop only get care M-F.

 

[GTR]

Is it best to put the prospective parents in a bare bottom tank and then move them after they spawn?

Just seems like it would be easier to feed the fry in a tank without substrate. When the cories in my 90 spawn they always lay on the glass or the spray bar. Removing the eggs from the glass doesn't sound fun at all.

 

[Tony]

Is it best to put the prospective parents in a bare bottom tank and then move them after they spawn?

Just seems like it would be easier to feed the fry in a tank without substrate. When the cories in my 90 spawn they always lay on the glass or the spray bar. Removing the eggs from the glass doesn't sound fun at all.

I think a lot of breeders do it that way - no substrate. Eggs can be removed pretty easily from the glass with a careful razor blade.

Eggs are then put into a container with a bubble stone and some anti-fungal meds until they hatch and the parents can stay in the main tank.

 

[GTR]

So if I'm going to move the eggs and raise the fry in another tank then substrate in the breeding tank is irrelevant. Accept that I'll need three hands to scrape and siphon the eggs all in one motion so they don't get lost. lol

 

[Tony]

Only done it a couple of times (and never had any luck with raising fry), but yeah, the eggs sort of stick together in a mass. You can scoop them up with a small (BS) net.

 

[GTR]

When they lay in my 90g display the eggs are in a group but rarely touch.

Will the fry be able to take baby brine as a first food?

 

[mchambers]

I've read advice that corydoras, including fry, should not be in tanks without substrate, because of bacterial buildup on the glass. Don't know whether this is true or not.

I usually remove the eggs with my fingers, by rolling them, and putting them in small grow-out tank that has lots of moss and other easy plants and a thin sand substrate. I've had fairly good luck.

This week, I found about 60 eggs in a corydoras tank, and just decided to leave most of them in place to see if they make it. So far, no one has eaten the eggs. I don't know if the fry will survive or not, but I'm optimistic.

 

[BevN]

Or you can be a lazy fishkeeper such as myself. I use those livebearer nets..they are cheap. When the cories spawn I pick the eggs from the glass and drop them in the livebearer net in the parent tank with a few alder cones. It makes it easy to feed them bbs and make sure they are getting the food when they first hatch. I then transfer them into a 10 gallon tank with substrate after about a week or so.

 

[GTR]

OK I'm moving forward. I pulled all the wood out of the 60g these CW010 were in so I could catch them. After picking up 3 BNP's off the floor that were hiding in the wood I was able to net them all. Brought them home to a smaller tank along with a sponge filter and a box filter running on other tanks. I was really surprised to find all 11 that I bought last March. I could go a week without seeing one in the 60g. lol

This tank has been running for about 6 months and the last 2 months it's been fishless. Got up this morning and found the temp was up to almost 84°, way too high. Quick water change dropped it a few degrees and adjusted the heater.

They've been real light and motion shy over the last few months. My fish room at the shop gets very little traffic in front of the tanks. Hopefully here at home they'll snap out of it. lol

 

[GTR]

That was fast.

Brought them home on the 20th and been doing 30-40% water changes everyday. Feeding a few pellets but also live worms twice a day. When I got home yesterday there were maybe a dozen eggs on the glass and driftwood. This morning as I was sitting in the garage with them I could see 3 small cories following/chasing a single female.

A bit later I watched as she was depositing the eggs on the glass in several places. This time it was at least 30 or so.

They've never spawned before and it only took 4 days to get them going.

Not really ready since I just ordered some live food cultures yesterday. We'll see how they fare on powdered foods.

 

[Avatar]

Well alright then

Not really ready since I just ordered some live food cultures yesterday. We'll see how they fare on powdered foods.

Hakiri's "First Bites" works very well in my experience even for small-mouthed fry and is available most everywhere. A good wad of Java moss can provide a lot of microscopic forage as well.

 

[GTR]

I do have a pouch of that in the freezer. I just don't remember ever having much luck with dry foods and fry. 40 years ago I could kill off a tank full of fry in a few short days with the stuff they sold then that came pre-mixed with water in a tube.

I've gotten rid of all my moss but I do have a good size mat of hair algae in a BNP tank.

 

[Avatar]

I do have a pouch of that in the freezer. I just don't remember ever having much luck with dry foods and fry. 40 years ago I could kill off a tank full of fry in a few short days with the stuff they sold then that came pre-mixed with water in a tube.

I've gotten rid of all my moss but I do have a good size mat of hair algae in a BNP tank.

It's all good - an established mop of hair algae is probably just chock full of microscopic bite size critters for baby aquatic anythings which reminds me that it must be time to get my lab-scope out of the closet. This should be fun...

 

[minifoot77]

It's all good - an established mop of hair algae is probably just chock full of microscopic bite size critters for baby aquatic anythings which reminds me that it must be time to get my lab-scope out of the closet. This should be fun...

wheres your pocket sized one?

 

[Avatar]

Grist for the mill

wheres your pocket sized one?

Actually I had two. One is still being "assessed' by the Homeland Security gang at Dulles - seemed to think it was some sort of "layz-er dee-vice". The other I loaned to Frannie - she was having one of those inconsolable crying jags in the parking lot after the last meeting going on about "lost youth" and the "thanklessness of office" or some such and as I was all out of Tootsie Pops it was the only thing near to hand. Sure hope that weren't any of your doing.

This whole CCA Presidency thing is just brutal - I mean our last CinC was still on crutches last time I saw him even though it's been well over a year. Now Fran's on the edge and anytime I see Tony anymore all I can think is how frail and unprepared he is to assume leadership and wonder what will happen to Maria when he's just a broken and used-up empty shell. D*mn these infernal heartless cichlidiots!.

 

[GTR]

lol

Found far more eggs than I had first seen. Both back corners must have at least 50 per. These were laid for sure over a 2 day period but maybe 3 days. The fertility rate seems ok with only a few showing the white color and no longer clearish. Those I can get close enough to see with a hand lens are showing signs of being viable. I'm guessing they should start to hatch this weekend and maybe some today.

I'm still in awe that this all happened after owning them for 10 months without a spawn. Moved them to a much smaller tank and in 4 days they spawn,

 

[mchambers]

I've had similar experiences with CW010. Move them to a new tank and they spawn. Doesn't matter if the new tank is established or newly set up. I can't explain this.

It's a real pain to catch them, however.