Journal - 29G Black Schultzei Corydoras Breeding Project

[lewk]

On 12/16/2022 at 4:11 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

But, the real mention here is that if you are specifically raising fry, you want to release them back into your community tank, and you're limited on space.  I would not release them prior to 6 weeks, I would opt for 10 weeks if you can keep them in the breeder box for that long or the QT tank/tub setup.  There's a few reasons for this and perhaps that makes sense for another post on another day. 

I was wondering if you could elaborate on this. I was thinking of adding some babies back as early as 3 weeks as they seemed big enough. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 2/1/2023 at 7:01 PM, lewk said:

I was wondering if you could elaborate on this. I was thinking of adding some babies back as early as 3 weeks as they seemed big enough.

Sure thing.  When I had them at 3-4 weeks mine were getting their colors still.  At 5-6 they were at least a bit larger, could eat normal foods like repashy, they weren't afraid to be out and active.  In my case they also had their colors and could camouflage with the substrate.  size is 1/4" vs. 1/2" for most of the fish.

3 weeks:



5-6 weeks:
Breeder box 5 weeks:

Raised in tank, not in breeder box 6 weeks. 

 

[nabokovfan87]

I had a slightly busy week, but I did make a bit of progress with this tank.

I setup a little bit of a "holder" for my stuff by the tank.  Until I move things, the door hits the table, which knocks things and just isn't great.  The table was missing one of the cam locking nuts on it, fixed that as well.  Today i setup a jar for plants that sits under the "extra" section of light. I am guessing I don't need the airstone and having a clear lid would be better, but for now that's the setup.  Maybe that's a way to get the S.Repens to stay in place and grow a bit for the pieces that aren't quite ready for planting.

I had an issue with the spraybar+pumphead where there was an air pocket and the pump wasn't able to push the  

I drained out 10G of water and the corydoras looked like they were about ready to spawn or like they were having water issues.  Very, very, very active and everyone darting around.  I cleaned the filter earlier in the day, came back tonight to clean the prefilter and change water over.   I will test tomorrow once the dechlorinator and everything wears off as well as dose in the normal buffers.

I have opted to dose in EG / Seachem Iron 24 hours after water changes simply because I do tend to dose in extra dechlorinator and I don't want that to interfere with any other dosing chemicals.  Might mean nothing, but it is something that isn't a big deal to change. 

I recorded a brief video to try to show the fry and their size.  Just a fun tank right now.  Moss is back to being longer and the glue is now mostly hidden. 



I'll toss in some test results tomorrow on this post.  I will also be adding in a calculation for CO2 from now on as a part of the gamut of tests.
 

Test Results
Temp: 71.6
Phosphate: 1.0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 25
PH: 6.8
KH: 60
GH: 400+ (YAY!)
CO2 (Calculated): 18.7

Edited February 7, 2023 by nabokovfan87
Added Test Results

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 1/14/2023 at 1:39 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

I believe this is what it is:

The two fish look like they are having a nice neighborly chat. 😍

On 1/29/2023 at 9:16 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I need like a micro/nano level one for the sake of fitting

I believe I used something like this.  I don't remember having to cut it though.  It's been awhile since I've seen the stuff.

 

[nabokovfan87]

This is the only trouble spots I could find...

It looks like it's the rim, not the interior.

The ground doesn't show signs of seeping.

It is also very annoying that even the ground outside isn't flat.

[Theplatymaster]

On 2/11/2023 at 7:12 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

This is the only trouble spots I could find...

It looks like it's the rim, not the interior.

The ground doesn't show signs of seeping.

It is also very annoying that even the ground outside isn't flat.

is this your 75gallon tank?

[nabokovfan87]

On 2/11/2023 at 4:44 PM, Theplatymaster said:

is this your 75gallon tank?

Yeah. Working on some things.

Felt good to see it again.

Edited February 12, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[Theplatymaster]

On 2/11/2023 at 7:45 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Yeah. Working on some things.

are you going to set it up?

[knee]

On 2/11/2023 at 4:45 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Yeah. Working on some things.

Looking forward to this 🙂

[nabokovfan87]

On 2/11/2023 at 4:46 PM, Theplatymaster said:

are you going to set it up?

I have to move the pandas and the panda tank, move the swords, then move that tank, then I can work on moving things over in the black corydoras tank.

It's going to be a process and there's a few moving parts. Replacing the 2 29s with the 75 and then that should give me slightly more room. Need to arrange some things around and see if/what will fit before I do anything.

Today was just to see if I can even use that tank still.

[Theplatymaster]

@nabokovfan87 you're playing musical fish?! 😄

Yeah leak testing is important,you dont want to set everything up to have it fall apart with a tank issue.

so how will you be moving fish? ive considered this dilema myself, if the 75 should go where the 29s went, where will the fish in the 29s go? you are going to drain the water most of the way and carry the tanks? 💪

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 2/11/2023 at 4:58 PM, Theplatymaster said:

@nabokovfan87 you're playing musical fish?!

No not at all.

I had two tanks.

I had a 75G and a 29G. We moved. Everything went into tubs. Black corydoras in one, pandas in the other.

When winter came I was able/allowed to setup a 10G I had for pandas on a dresser and then have the 29G for the black corydoras (this journal). 

The dresser wilted and started to buckle, so that 10 moved to a desk while I got another 20L or 20G for them. Because I had a RTBS I wanted her to have the bigger space so I got the 29. Then I had family issues both tanks went to my room for the sake of sanitation and the fish having a safe and comfortable environment. The pandas were always in the family tank, the black corydoras were my own.

So.... When I moved that tank to my room I tried to move the existing 29G. Too heavy and I have too much water. The only way to move it was to drain it and empty it. The buckets already had fish, so that wasn't going to happen.

I currently have QT / plant tank. Plant jar and 2 29Gs. Only two of those 4 are meant for livestock. The rest is literally just for me to grow plants and enjoy green life in my room.

Because I am trying to get shrimp going everything needs to go back to one tank. My own personal 29G is going to be for shrimp (my other journal) which means that I don't want to cross the black and panda corydoras.

I have been trying to re-home them since I had moved and everything was in tubs before fish started freezing to death.  I know it seems like a lot, but it's basically two tanks, then one, then two, now we are going back to the original two but just with a lot of movement.

On 2/11/2023 at 4:58 PM, Theplatymaster said:

so how will you be moving fish? ive considered this dilema myself, if the 75 should go where the 29s went, where will the fish in the 29s go? you are going to drain the water most of the way and carry the tanks? 💪

I use 4-5 buckets.

1-2 for fish, one for plants, one for rocks/wood.

Edited February 12, 2023 by nabokovfan87
missed a comma

[nabokovfan87]

Guess who has yet another cut on their finger that happened day of maintenance.... 😞

Anyways, maintenance one handed is done.  I didn't pull wood or anything like that, but I did replant the stems again ambidextrously so that's fun.  One of those muscles I need to exercise more.

The S. Repens is growing in really well.  The new growth looks pretty awesome and a few of those floating stems had roots popping, which isn't the norm for me.  I'll grab photos eventually, but it's one of those things I sit and the tank and just check on pretty regularly.  The plants are doing the best they've been doing for me in a really, really long time.... which is awesome.

The other thing that stood out to me is how some corydoras are really slow growing and others are very big.  The fry are growing at quite a few different rates and that's an interesting dillema for me.  Is it because the bigger ones are female?  Is it because I'm not feeding enough or that the "runts" are getting out competed?

I do have a new plant on the way, one I have failed at far too many times, and so I am hoping it does a bit better this time.  I am still eyeballing the hygro pinnatifida and hoping that takes off as well.  My itching lighting finger is getting as such that I just feel like I need to have the light one for longer or more intense and I'm not sure which knob to adjust.

Moss is growing in well, the top is completely full again and the bottom region is about 1/2 way there.  The corydoras were sleeping on moss rock, which was fun to see.  They really are doing well and enjoying their tank..... I can't ask for more than that.

Test results tomorrow.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

My goodness, I get anxious even moving one small tank and there you are moving a whole bunch of larger ones. Sounds like, er, an adventure. Grace will love being in the 75.

I don’t let cuts stop me from putting my hand in the water. Cory mentioned on a livestream he doesn’t either. I think you’ll be fine 🙂 

[nabokovfan87]

Middle of working. Good news, bad news. Which do you want first?

Bad News:

I know, I know.... everyone is very disappointed to hear this.  I was unable to move the tank today.  It's been a slightly busy day, but a lot of it is simply put that I didn't have enough time until it got a bit later.  Usually never an issue.  I need to get a power strip for the new location, again, not really a deal breaker, but just a good idea.

I am working out some details, fixing things, cleaning up some stuff, but ultimately, I just didn't get it done today.  The filter issue on Friday meant the take was really cloudy.  It cleared up a little bit, but hopefully things keep progressing.  The prefilter sponges are an annoyance, but It'll get fixed in time.

So I just got done with maintenance, everything was fine.  A bit of a rush this time because....

Good News:

I had mentioned activity, fully expecting to wake up to a spawn yesterday.  they were swimming around trying to find a spot for the eggs, no dice.  I watched the fish for a little while this morning frantically running around like they were placing eggs.  Males excited, and all of that....

Tonight, I find this:

More behavior, more frantic chasing as I drain water from the tank.

I am hoping they keep laying through the night, this is what they've gotten done so far after lights out.



^^
@KittenFishMom 'Tis the season..... that's for sure.

Edited February 20, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[KittenFishMom]

@nabokovfan87 I'm seeing more fry every time I look in both tanks. I hope to get the adults rehomed this week. I'm waiting to hear from the person who bought my 120 tank. She is a trauma nurse with 12 hour shifts, so it won't be for a few days.

[nabokovfan87]

On 2/19/2023 at 10:15 PM, KittenFishMom said:

@nabokovfan87 I'm seeing more fry every time I look in both tanks. I hope to get the adults rehomed this week. I'm waiting to hear from the person who bought my 120 tank. She is a trauma nurse with 12 hour shifts, so it won't be for a few days.

That'd be really, really awesome if you were able to get things with her going. Nurses are really special people and working in that part of the hospital is a lot of tension day to day at times.  Having an aquarium to go home to, I can only imagine how much of a calming place that could be for her on days off. 

Hopefully things work out and all goes well.

[nabokovfan87]

On 2/19/2023 at 9:27 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Second cluster is already gone. Probably a happy clown or swordtail.

First cluster there's just over a dozen eggs there still.

[nabokovfan87]

It's been a week....  Weather here in "Sunny SoCal" hasn't gotten any better and it's not a bad thing at all.  This is from yesterday morning, 2nd day of snow and the temperatures especially at night are expected to stay pretty cold for a few weeks.



Kind of reminds me of looking out of the window at Grandma's house in Denver. 

There's been a few changes and things shuffled around.  Not a great accomplishment visually yet and my room is a massive pile of messes that got moved around.  I would've loved to move the dresser in the spot that was a "closet" but is really a sheet of drywall and nothing more.  Unfortunately getting power there isn't the easiest.  I opted to move all the coffee stuff and go ahead and place that on the far wall, move the future shrimp tank by that wall.  I am using the stand that houses the black corydoras, so they were officially first to be moved out of the way.  I want to give them a calmer move and when all said and done that tank will basically run off an air pump and nothing else.  Once I get the big tank setup, the black cory tank will be empty and I can finally put the rubber pad on the stand.

Before:




After (phase 1):  Inspection crew doing their job.


Phase 2:
This is just the black corydoras and the black swordtail males.  The other fish are in a second bucket with the amanos. 


Tank in place


Finally done with the first part of the move.  You tell me if you can spot the 75G "hole" 🙂


Tea this morning.  I am going to have to figure out coffee here shortly, but that's for another day.

I think I decided on the 75G to run one tidal unmodded and one fully modded.  I don't have a prefilter sponge for the second one, so that is just what it's going to have to be for now. I haven't modded anything, but hoping to have enough silicone and that it didn't dry out yet.

Grace bumped her nose, has a little bit of damage there, but I think she's ok.  One of the large corydoras, might've injured itself.  All of the big ones freaked out on me when moving, but everyone was up and around today like nothing happened, which is a good sign.  I'll keep an eye on ammonia and try to give them time before anything happens next.  I already don't like fish right next to the door because it does freak them out when they hear the doors close in the hallway. (especially with no real walls on either side of the room)

I used a tub to hold water, tried to reserve as much as possible to keep parameters similar. This will matter a lot more when I move the shrimp and when I move this tank into the 75. 

We'll see how it all goes, but step 1 is done. Ended up finishing at about 3 AM last night.  I hope I didn't make too much noise and I'm glad it's done.

Edited February 26, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[Theplatymaster]

On 2/26/2023 at 6:24 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

This is just the black corydoras and the black swordtail males.  The other fish are in a second bucket with the amanos. 

i did not realize you had so many black corydoras.

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 2/26/2023 at 6:24 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

to run one tidal unmodded

What?!! 🤣 ARE YOU OKAY??? ❓

It looks really good. It must be hard catching corydoras. They’re always so energetic and up and down and all around.

Are you going to vinyl the side of the tank that’s next to the doorway so they don’t get stressed every time you come and go?

[nabokovfan87]

On 2/26/2023 at 3:46 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Are you going to vinyl the side of the tank that’s next to the doorway so they don’t get stressed every time you come and go?

Thank tank I will dry out, the other one that has the mopani I'll move on that stand.  I probably will end up adding it to the sides for the shrimp.  Help me see them, if anything.

The black cory tank has that pest algae on the seams and so I don't want to use that tank longer term if I don't have to given I probably damaged them trying to clean it out.

On 2/26/2023 at 3:46 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

It looks really good. It must be hard catching corydoras. They’re always so energetic and up and down and all around.

They like to go up. LOL.  I had to drain the water a bit, but once that was done, no biggie.  When I took out the adults water was still pretty high and they thought they could get out. 

[nabokovfan87]

I spent a little bit of time staring at the tank today and checking on everything.  I put the plants back in the substrate from the move and as always the tidal was trying to suck them in.  CO2 was a little low and so I turned up the dial.  I'll verify it again tomorrow, but I adjusted the flow on the spraybar to push more CO2 around as well.  When I move things to the new tank I'll probably be able to set up the more powerful pump and make it a bit longer.  I have to figure out a better method.  You'll see in the video above the algae showing up from co2 dropping a little bit.  😞

Clown Pleco sighting!


I also relocated the hygro pinnatifida and I'm trying to decide how/when to update things.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Nice to see Grace made an appearance or two. The Amanos are cool.

[nabokovfan87]

On 3/3/2023 at 4:26 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Nice to see Grace made an appearance or two. The Amanos are cool.

Her behavior was basically the equivalent of asking me if everything is ok.

She wasn't used to me sitting there in front of that tank, I had realized I didn't yet and didn't check on her as much as I should've.  Usually I wake up, sit there and let the eyeballs operate and watch the tank.  She's got her bump on her nose you could see and she does the "morning shimmy" 😂.

She pops her head out....
"oh hey you"
backs up into her cave then gently glides out to say good morning
"I'm ok, I'm here, what's going on?"
then she will do a few laps around the tank.

She repeats that for a little while.  If she's uncomfortable or stressed out she just won't ever come out of hiding.  Good to see, good to capture it, and all I could think is how excited she'll be to have that extra room.

I went to the big box store today to check on stock of things.  I guess they got rid of 95% of the stuff that isn't branded for their in house store... thanks.  I'm going to end up having to order some substrate online.  I'll mod the filter up tomorrow and let that cure.  Then I am going to fix the Tidal 55 and hopefully mail that off to someone for a special project.  My plan is to write my own manual, explain features, and make a bit of fun project out of it.  Mark up the box and cross out things not applicable, etc.  Have some fun with it. 🙂
 

I checked on the co2 this afternoon and found out I had completely adjusted the needle valve extremely high and nearly gassed the tank.  (Always make adjustments with the drop checker full)

I'll end up dialing that in for a little bit now, get it "fine" and then redo everything once I get it on the new tank with the new pumphead and spraybar setup.

I also noticed tufts of the black beard submerged in the substrate.  As soon as I move things over I am sure I'll find a bit of algae in there that got mixed during the move.  Not great, but hopefully it doesn't cause issues.

.....It's always something.