Breeding corydoras

[Jimmy]

I’ve had corydoras rabauti and paleatus for a month now that I received from Dan. 7 of each in seperate 20 longs with sand plants and a little leaf littler.

How do you determine they corys are sexually mature and ready to breed? I understand common knowledge is a cold water change and access to good amount of food paired with clean water gets most of the busy. The fish aren’t super plump yet but are of decent size. I would guess nearing 2 inches.

 

If I was interested in live worm culture for them, what’s my easiest route and what is the source? Thanks! Photos are prior to getting plants and such into the tank. Water perimeters are spot on.

 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

They usually will be seen with 2 males and a female chasing around the tank. The females are bigger and will get plump with eggs. Different species like different things to induce spawning some want lots of flow and will put their eggs on certain areas - glass, plants, filter parts etc. Cold water changes and also softer water with the change can help. There’s two great videos on the AC YouTube channel with Eric Bodrock that are absolutely required watching when you want to breed corys. 
In terms of vermiculture this thread will help 

[Andy's Fish Den]

Corydoras love live blackworms, I use them to condition and entice some of mine to spawn. Also, make sure they are nice and well conditioned using some frozen brine or bloodworms. I have not kept or spawned rabauti before, but have paleatus. They are easily triggered with a cooler water change. What I do is, watch the weather and when a storm system is going to be coming through, I do a 50% water change that day or the day before with water that is about 5* cooler. The females will lay eggs usually on glass of tank, but sometimes will lay on a big leaved plant like a sword or a big anubias leaf. They may also use mops if no plants are available. 

Good luck and be sure to let us know if you get some breeding action going there. 

[Jimmy]

On 10/25/2021 at 7:04 AM, Andy's Fish Den said:

Corydoras love live blackworms, I use them to condition and entice some of mine to spawn. Also, make sure they are nice and well conditioned using some frozen brine or bloodworms. I have not kept or spawned rabauti before, but have paleatus. They are easily triggered with a cooler water change. What I do is, watch the weather and when a storm system is going to be coming through, I do a 50% water change that day or the day before with water that is about 5* cooler. The females will lay eggs usually on glass of tank, but sometimes will lay on a big leaved plant like a sword or a big anubias leaf. They may also use mops if no plants are available. 

Good luck and be sure to let us know if you get some breeding action going there. 

I want to try my hand at black worms soon

On 10/24/2021 at 7:52 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

They usually will be seen with 2 males and a female chasing around the tank. The females are bigger and will get plump with eggs. Different species like different things to induce spawning some want lots of flow and will put their eggs on certain areas - glass, plants, filter parts etc. Cold water changes and also softer water with the change can help. There’s two great videos on the AC YouTube channel with Eric Bodrock that are absolutely required watching when you want to breed corys. 
In terms of vermiculture this thread will help 

I’ve watched it, I will watch it again 

[Jimmy]

oh ya paleatus are breeding as we speak! Poor girl think it’s one plump female to 6 males. I pulled one egg not sure if she just started laying or if they ate some. I placed this single egg in another aquarium. Huge day for me!

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@Jimmycongratulations. I see 3-4 eggs in the pic. Hopefully more to come!

[Jimmy]

On 10/26/2021 at 4:58 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

@Jimmycongratulations. I see 3-4 eggs in the pic. Hopefully more to come!

It’s just the one, I have about 20 empty tanks it might just be some crap you see. I was able to grab one more egg. I’m gonna check the tank a few times tonight when lights go out and see if she finally lays a bunch. Pretty exciting 

[Yanni]

Congrats on the spawn!! Spawning corys is pretty easy once you find the trigger. All the corys I have bred really like to spawn in flow. Usually, you can direct where you want them to lay the eggs by putting an airstone in a corner and theyll lay the eggs in that corner. Cold water changes are pretty good but just make sure you feed well and make them comfortable. If the corys arent comfortable, they won't breed. I recommend using a dither fish like tetras, they'll eat some eggs but they'll make sure the corys are comfortable. 

[smoore]

On 10/26/2021 at 5:44 PM, Yanni said:

Congrats on the spawn!! Spawning corys is pretty easy once you find the trigger. All the corys I have bred really like to spawn in flow. Usually, you can direct where you want them to lay the eggs by putting an airstone in a corner and theyll lay the eggs in that corner. Cold water changes are pretty good but just make sure you feed well and make them comfortable. If the corys arent comfortable, they won't breed. I recommend using a dither fish like tetras, they'll eat some eggs but they'll make sure the corys are comfortable. 

I find this is true, Yanni.  They like to spawn after a "rain" (water added or water change).  I keep a bucket of water at room temp to add, just for this purpose.  Danios and guppies are good tank mates for Cory's also.  :-)

[Jimmy]

On 10/26/2021 at 5:44 PM, Yanni said:

Congrats on the spawn!! Spawning corys is pretty easy once you find the trigger. All the corys I have bred really like to spawn in flow. Usually, you can direct where you want them to lay the eggs by putting an airstone in a corner and theyll lay the eggs in that corner. Cold water changes are pretty good but just make sure you feed well and make them comfortable. If the corys arent comfortable, they won't breed. I recommend using a dither fish like tetras, they'll eat some eggs but they'll make sure the corys are comfortable. 

I came out this morning no new eggs. Female is still huge. I have 6 20 longs, 4 of which are empty. If I wanted to turn all 6 into Cory breeding tanks would some small diminutive tetras disrupt breeding to much? I have 17 empty aquariums at this point but fear the day once they are all stocked lol

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I’d avoid tetras as dithers they are really good at picking off eggs. I know some people like guppies as the pheromones they release in The water seem to stimulate their roommates. I know some pleco breeders who do that but then again plecos are cave spawners. 

[Guppysnail]

You may want to avoid guppies. Mine actively and voraciously hunt and eat the eggs minutes after they are placed. 

[Jimmy]

Female is huge and is frantically trying to lay but the males chase her relentlessly and eat them immediately. I was able to get a few more eggs! Should I remove her to a tank so she can lay or would this likely cause more stress? I have many empty tanks that can house her temporarily.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@Jimmyhow many males are in with her? Reverse trios work well based on videos I’ve seen with 2 m 1 f so if you can break them down to those numbers maybe you’d have a better shot at keeping some of the eggs.

[Jimmy]

On 10/29/2021 at 8:29 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

@Jimmyhow many males are in with her? Reverse trios work well based on videos I’ve seen with 2 m 1 f so if you can break them down to those numbers maybe you’d have a better shot at keeping some of the eggs.

It’s looking like 6 males maybe 5 I can’t tell. Unfortunately that batch of rabauti I have looks to be all males at this point

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@Jimmywhat a bummer, I’d check in with Dan and see if when he gets another group in if he can id some females for you.

[Jimmy]

On 10/30/2021 at 12:39 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

@Jimmywhat a bummer, I’d check in with Dan and see if when he gets another group in if he can id some females for you.

He still has 3 listed I’ve contemplated it

[Gator]

Cory's live for 15 years and are sexually viable for 12 of those years. Mine are Corydora aeneous (Bronze Cory) and I have 8 of them in two different tanks. I have 3 in a 29 G community tank and they only bred once and that baby is one of the three, the other 5 are in a species only tank and they breed with regularity.

I give all of my fish a varied diet just like they'd get in the wild and that may be a small part of my success, I don't know.

I'll feed all of my fish flake food one day, Bug Bites for small fish the next, frozen Bloodworms the next day, frozen Brine shrimp the next day, and I finish with pureed nightcrawlers before I start the cycle again.

I keep records of my breeding attempts regardless of species and I've noticed that if I feed Cory's on my schedule and change 25% of the water the day before a full moon, the Cory's will lay eggs all over all 4 sides of the tank and sometimes on plant leaves early the next morning.

Cories don't eat their own eggs, but they will eat their own young just as soon as they hatch so I'll harvest the eggs the same day though I may not harvest them until the next morning to make sure they're finished egg laying.

I'll transfer the eggs to a bare bottomed tank with a sponge filter and a 6 inch piece of Cholla wood, I'll check on them daily. The babies are about 3mm long when they're free swimming so I'll use a medicine dropper to put a couple of drops of pureed nightcrawler in the vicinity of the Cholla wood where they'll hang out, presumably for a place to hide for safety though they don't have anything to worry about.

When they grow a little bit, they aren't going to look anything like their parents for several months. In the meantime, they're going to appear pretty comical, they will have a mottled appearance, maybe it's camouflaged, and it will have a dorsal fin that seems way too tall for the fish.

Good luck, remember the varied diet, pureed nightcrawlers, change 25% of the water the day before a full moon and on the morning of the full moon, you may be rewarded with a lot of eggs.  

 

[Odd Duck]

@Gator I’ve seen my bronze cories eating their own eggs many times, whether they were in their initial 20 gallon tank or now in their 100 gallon tank.  I think it varies between species and likely between individuals whether they eat their eggs or not.  I haven’t set my orange laser cories up in their breeding tank, yet.  They’re still in QT and some of them are still young, so it will likely be at least another couple months before they breed.  I’ll touch back once I have them set up for breeding and how they behave toward their eggs and fry.

[Andy's Fish Den]

On 10/30/2021 at 11:34 PM, Gator said:

 

Cories don't eat their own eggs, but they will eat their own young just as soon as they hatch so I'll harvest the eggs the same day though I may not harvest them until the next morning to make sure they're finished egg laying.

 

 

I have seen severla species of corydoras eat their own eggs as well as eggs that others of the same species in that tank has laid. I had bronze aeneus, albino aeneus, weitzmani and pygmy corys all do it. I've had a reverse trio of weitzmani in a breeding tank, one male will be following female as she lays the eggs on glass and eating the eggs right behind her.