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Corydoras paleatus "pepper cory" eggs!

3411 Views 13 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  somewhatshocked, 
acmarauder
Woke up this morning to a beautiful surprise, my school of 4 pepper corys have laid eggs on the glass! The mother looks to be very happy and protective of her eggs, and there are quite a few. I was on my way out the door to work when I saw them, knew it was not snail eggs by the size and shape. Only problem I have is the Betta is semi-interested in them also, but they're too big for his liking. I'm hoping to keep him fed so he doesn't want to consume the babies.

Anyway, this is great news for anyone in NKY who loves cory cats because I will be giving away (or trading, if you have some cherry shrimp). I have never had health issues with them and quite frankly never intended to breed them. I've had them for about a year with no signs of breeding, then I dialed my temp back from 80* to 78* hoping for better plant growth and the beautiful side effect is my first spawn! Woohoo!

So excited, can't wait... Any advice? I need to take a crash course fast. Since I wasn't intending to breed, I'm hoping the natural approach to letting the mother protect her eggs will be sufficient, so far she seems to be doing a great job.

:bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:
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acmarauder
My wife reports 63 eggs so far, and more coming every time she checks!

Seriously people, I have a few spoken for... no idea how many will survive but they will need homes, I'd rather not give them to the local shop if I can avoid it! I want them to go to a good home. Free of charge, I'll deliver within a certain distance if you're a contributing member in good standing.

Any advice to their successful spawn would be greatly appreciated. Will be reading up on this tonight, very excited.
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acmarauder
Some of the eggs, they're EVERYWHERE! :fish:

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acmarauder
Bummer, almost 100 views and no reply. Think I've figured out what I need to do on my part to help the process, but still welcome to suggestions especially on relocating the eggs. Should I get a breeder net and move them to it to protect them from the Betta? I think they're too big for him to eat, but I do see some missing. Everything I've read suggests the corys will eat many of their eggs, so is it a good idea to separate them in a breeder net within the tank? My 2g spec isn't quite ready for fish, and I don't really want to spend the money on another tank nor do I have a suitable container to make do with. Should I just take the natural approach? I'd love to keep one or two of the babies for myself and have a school of 6, and I have a friend who has said he would take 4 if I'm successful... but no other takers if I have many to give away. Should I let nature run its course?

Video!!
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii39/acmarauder/?action=view&current=VID00023-20120820-1709.mp4
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii39/acmarauder/?action=view&current=VID00024-20120820-1709.mp4
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D
Breeder net for success. Grindal worms or baby brine for food. People will show more interest in trades when you actually have babies to trade, not just eggs. Definitely isolate the eggs though IE egg tumbler or breeder net

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acmarauder
Thanks for the advice, will pick up a breeder box/net to isolate the eggs. Seems to be some great info on the net, but this forum has been great for the "what I shouldn't have done" style of advice. Given the fact they're still going at it, and I have quite a few eggs and a very well established tank I'd say there will be some that make it which is why I'm looking for good homes ahead of time, I do not have the tank capacity for more than 2 additional fish to maintain the water parameters.

I'm offering them free to local members, but wouldn't turn down a few cherry shrimp since I'm also nearly complete with my cycle on my nano and will be needing a few soon. :)
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rodcuda
Good luck with them, I would stick to the info you find from reliable sources. I would imagine that you wight want to ensure good circulation in the net as they can sometimes restrict water flow. You might need to aim a small powerhead at it, or place it near an area where there is good water movement.
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T
Just let nature process this.
one of my friends successfully breed a batch of cory even without noticing the eggs LOL. (She "surprisingly" found a bunch of babies one day :))
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D
theremetony said:
Just let nature process this.
one of my friends successfully breed a batch of cory even without noticing the eggs LOL. (She "surprisingly" found a bunch of babies one day :))
Click to expand...
I had corys lay eggs on the glass and then one of my female discus guarded them as her own lol. From that same spawn i ended up with 3x .5 inch juvies a month later when i cleaned out my canister filter. They must have gotten sucked in when they hatched because the eggs were right next to the canister intake, and grew over the next month down there

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LICfish
Congrats on the eggs. I remember the first time I saw a baby fish in my tank. I thought I was imagining it :)
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acmarauder
Thanks for the kind words all, it's moments like this that make all the headaches and bumps in the road along the way worth it... knowing my fish are happy with the environment I have created for them. Down to about 24 eggs now, but they don't seem to be as interested in eating them now. Letting nature run its course. It's amazing to watch their behavior, they have developed so much character lately. These little fish are amazing. Can't wait till I have berried cherries in my new nano too, but being patient with the tank and letting it mature while I learn to care for them properly.
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somewhatshocked
Well? How'd things turn out with the eggs?
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acmarauder
Forgot to post back, was in high hopes 10 would make it to hatch, but had a difficult root canal that kept me from driving out to get a breeder net. They've laid a few eggs since then, and again they ate them all. They're eager to breed, but I need another tank for the eggs. I'll catch a 5-10g on sale at petsmart and be ready for the next spawn.
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somewhatshocked
Rather than a breeder net, you may want to consider a hang-on breeder box. Marina makes several different sizes and they're roughly $10 for a large one.

That could be a great option for you to put the eggs in and wouldn't require another tank.
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