Need help breeding Pygmy Corydoras

[Liam]

Hello, as you can probably tell I need help breeding Pygmy Cories. They are super fat and happy but I can’t get any eggs from them. It is a heavily planted 10 gallon with Pygmy Cories and Amano Shrimp. I have 6 Cories and I definitely know that I have at least one female in the group. I hope someone has some advice. Thank You for reading!

[KBOzzie59]

Are they seeing any food that would be suitable for their fry?  I've not bred the pygmy but have others.  Also a cool water change may help trigger spawning.  If not, watch for a drop in barometric pressure and then do a cool water change.

[Liam]

I feed baby Brine every few days so they should know that there USB’s food for their fry. I was also thinking about starting to culture microworms but I read that they could eat my fish. I was wondering if you know if microworms are safe and would my breeding project.

[Colu]

Micro worms are great food for your fish never heard of them eat fish before

[ApolloAquatics6]

I have a group of 7 pygmy corys. 5 males and 2 females I believe. The tank they are in is 10 gallons, heavily planted, and has been going for about 1 year.  They have been spawning roughly 1-2 times a month for the past 4 months or so. There are several factors that I believe have attributed to my success, but there are several methods that can work. Just have to play around a little bit. For me, they love spawning early in the morning. Some indirect sunlight hits the tank as it rises, but im not sure if faint morning light actually makes a difference or not. It is important that they feel comfortable though. So, tons of cover, nothing harassing them, and many places to spawn. Your tank being heavily planted will definitely help with this. I find females prefer fine textured plants and "grassy" plants to lay on. Mine lay in water sprite, dwarf sagittaria, and Helanthium tennellum (dwarf chain sword) to name a few. They will also lay on the glass. Floating plants will help them feel more comfortable as well. Now, as far as "triggering" spawning I've never really had to do this. I rarely do water changes on the tank, and they will still spawn regularly for me. That being said, I find they almost always spawn for me immediately after a small water change when I do one every couple months or so. The final factor I believe has lead to my success is the food sources. I feed, repashy (soilant green + spawn and grow) fluval bug bites, spirulina tablets, frozen brine, frozen blood worms, and catfish shrimp pellets. The amounts and diversity of what is fed will also facilitate a healthy colony of microfauna in the substrate that the corys will constantly feed on. I believe softer water, neutral to slightly acidic pH will help, but is not 100% necessary. 

[ApolloAquatics6]

My pygmy cory tank. Also has tons of yellow neocaridina and MTS.

[Liam]

@ApolloAquatics6I was wondering how many times a day you feed your fish? I have Community Plus Repashy but I was wondering if maybe solient green would help them spawn. Thank you so much. 

[hamlet10]

I got eggs from my pygmy cories after I fed them live black worms.  A water change with cooler water is also a common trigger for cories.

Note that I never got the pygmy cory  eggs to hatch, but they would spawn and lay when I gave them live black worms.

[ApolloAquatics6]

1 hour ago, Liam said:

@ApolloAquatics6I was wondering how many times a day you feed your fish? I have Community Plus Repashy but I was wondering if maybe solient green would help them spawn. Thank you so much. 

@Liam typically if I feed prepared repashy or sinking pellets I feed a lot once a day. And by a lot I mean I feed at 9am, and they are still munching on the last bits at 9pm. For powder foods and fine granules I feed a smaller amount 2-3 times a day. 

[Liam]

@ApolloAquatics6Thank You.