Venezuelan Black Corys Breeding and tips

[aleksei king]

Hi guys! This is my first time posting in the aqurium coop forum. Im actually a saltwater hobbyist but I have recently got into  freshwater aquariums. I have  a 22 gallon long with 1 betta, 7 congo tetras, and just newly acquired 3 Venezuelan black catfish. I am looking to breed the corys and I am just posting to get some general tips. I am afraid of the congo tetras maybe getting to eggs before I can since they are so fast but anyways Nice to be here!

[Ken Burke]

I’m still working with my Venezuelan Corys. They spawn fairly regularly, but I have not managed to raise fry…. So take this as one learner to another, though I have managed to get babies out of panda Corys . 
 

breeding fish requires three things: patience, lots of high quality food, and tons of clean water (clean being free of ammonia and nitrites).
 

- my Venezuelans did not start spawning for a good 6-8 months after I purchased them. Now they have spawned each of the last 3 weeks.

- they also seem to be spawning when the tank water is starting to look a touch green.  

- my pandas seemed to be triggered by water changes, like many fish species. So there is another option to trigger them

- Corys are noted to eating their own eggs and fry.  Many people pull the eggs for that reason.  I’ve never had good luck with that, but @Fish Folkhas on pulling angel eggs here

 

 

[aleksei king]

Yeah I breed saltwater fish so I understand the three important tips you gave me just was asking for maybe anything specific to freshwater and I know i just got them but it's never too early to research and ask for help. Thank you for the tips and the send on fish folk pulling angel eggs. For your panda corydoras do you use a breeder box or do you set up another tank. For saltwater I personally use black tubs but I don't think I need to do all that for freshwater right? 

 

[Fish Folk]

On 4/17/2022 at 5:43 PM, aleksei king said:

Hi guys! This is my first time posting in the aqurium coop forum. Im actually a saltwater hobbyist but I have recently got into  freshwater aquariums. I have  a 22 gallon long with 1 betta, 7 congo tetras, and just newly acquired 3 Venezuelan black catfish. I am looking to breed the corys and I am just posting to get some general tips. I am afraid of the congo tetras maybe getting to eggs before I can since they are so fast but anyways Nice to be here!

Welcome aboard! The Corydoras Schultzei are so closely related to the Corydoras Aeneus, I'd follow a plan similar to how we bred Aeneus. You can follow a long breeding journal on the Forum here if you're bored. My son bred these for BAP with our fish club.

Honestly, I am not entirely sure how well you'll succeed breeding them in the same tank that you have a Betta and Congo Tetras in. But maybe it could work.

The keys: (1) You'll of course need males and females -- Females, when mature, are larger-bodied; males are smaller and thinner (2) They will need to be mature, breeding size -- catfish generally mature slower than many other fish in the hobby (3) Feed quality foods, black worms, blood worms, repashy, etc so that the females will produce roe (4) Add some water flow - Hydor circulars work nicely -- perhaps a gentle powerhead setup (5) Make sure you've got plants that are inviting for egg laying -- bronze crypts are a nice choice

Sometimes a nice big water change will trigger them. Typically, multiple factors all play a part in triggering them to spawn. If you're eager to breed them, you'll also need to be ready with a plan once they lay eggs everywhere. Remember that Corys are active at night, so you'll often find eggs early in the morning.

I have made a very simple DIY flow-through container for raising fry. I buy thee cheap plastic storage trays at Walmart, cut a styrofoam collar, silicone in place, add coarse filter sponge to the handles, then use rigid airline to attach a Ziss airstone to the bottom for gentle air flow. This floats inside the tank that the adults spawned in. Eggs are moved in, hatched, and fry are raised. It keeps water chemistry consistent, allows you to watch fry grow, etc.

 

[aleksei king]

On 4/17/2022 at 3:47 PM, Fish Folk said:

Welcome aboard! The Corydoras Schultzei are so closely related to the Corydoras Aeneus, I'd follow a plan similar to how we bred Aeneus. You can follow a long breeding journal on the Forum here if you're bored. My son bred these for BAP with our fish club.

Honestly, I am not entirely sure how well you'll succeed breeding them in the same tank that you have a Betta and Congo Tetras in. But maybe it could work.

The keys: (1) You'll of course need males and females -- Females, when mature, are larger-bodied; males are smaller and thinner (2) They will need to be mature, breeding size -- catfish generally mature slower than many other fish in the hobby (3) Feed quality foods, black worms, blood worms, repashy, etc so that the females will produce roe (4) Add some water flow - Hydor circulars work nicely -- perhaps a gentle powerhead setup (5) Make sure you've got plants that are inviting for egg laying -- bronze crypts are a nice choice

Sometimes a nice big water change will trigger them. Typically, multiple factors all play a part in triggering them to spawn. If you're eager to breed them, you'll also need to be ready with a plan once they lay eggs everywhere. Remember that Corys are active at night, so you'll often find eggs early in the morning.

I have made a very simple DIY flow-through container for raising fry. I buy thee cheap plastic storage trays at Walmart, cut a styrofoam collar, silicone in place, add coarse filter sponge to the handles, then use rigid airline to attach a Ziss airstone to the bottom for gentle air flow. This floats inside the tank that the adults spawned in. Eggs are moved in, hatched, and fry are raised. It keeps water chemistry consistent, allows you to watch fry grow, etc.

 

holy, thank for the whole process. I really appreciate it. Ah very resourceful and diy-ey with the walmart plastic trays for a fry raiser in the same tank. I will be sure to constantly look back top this for reference.  For most freshwater fish or corys specifically would you feed bbs or are there any prepared foods. Ill check the forum you linked and find the answer but I appreciate the answers :D.

[Ken Burke]

On 4/17/2022 at 5:45 PM, aleksei king said:

Yeah I breed saltwater fish so I understand the three important tips you gave me just was asking for maybe anything specific to freshwater and I know i just got them but it's never too early to research and ask for help. Thank you for the tips and the send on fish folk pulling angel eggs. For your panda corydoras do you use a breeder box or do you set up another tank. For saltwater I personally use black tubs but I don't think I need to do all that for freshwater right? 

 

When I had them breeding they were in a 10g tank with 4-6 harlequin rasboras, anf a betta. Lots of plants along with some driftwood and rocks created hiding spots for fry.  With my pandas I never found eggs, but the babies kept coming.  I could sell 10 to 20 a month, so not bad for my level of effort.  Pulling the eggs and using a breeder box, and growout tanks would give a better yield. 

[aleksei king]

On 4/17/2022 at 4:06 PM, Ken Burke said:

When I had them breeding they were in a 10g tank with 4-6 harlequin rasboras, anf a betta. Lots of plants along with some driftwood and rocks created hiding spots for fry.  With my pandas I never found eggs, but the babies kept coming.  I could sell 10 to 20 a month, so not bad for my level of effort.  Pulling the eggs and using a breeder box, and growout tanks would give a better yield. 

Oh neat. Babies coming even without finding eggs seems amazing to me. Yeah I think breeder box is what Ima aim for. Thanks!

[Ken Burke]

On 4/17/2022 at 6:05 PM, aleksei king said:

holy, thank for the whole process. I really appreciate it. Ah very resourceful and diy-ey with the walmart plastic trays for a fry raiser in the same tank. I will be sure to constantly look back top this for reference.  For most freshwater fish or corys specifically would you feed bbs or are there any prepared foods. Ill check the forum you linked and find the answer but I appreciate the answers :D.

I luv @Fish Folk’s breeder box design.  I found angel fry before I go the styrofoam, so I had to use a spring clamp. 
 

bbs definitely increases growth rate.

[Fish Folk]

On 4/17/2022 at 7:05 PM, aleksei king said:

holy, thank for the whole process. I really appreciate it. Ah very resourceful and diy-ey with the walmart plastic trays for a fry raiser in the same tank. I will be sure to constantly look back top this for reference.  For most freshwater fish or corys specifically would you feed bbs or are there any prepared foods. Ill check the forum you linked and find the answer but I appreciate the answers :D.

First off, Corydoras fry are the most adorable baby fish ever. You'll love them! I like to add a catappa leaf to the eggs to add tannins to their environment and provide context for infusoria to multiply for their first week or so of life. As soon as they're large enough to eat them, I definitely do feed some baby brine shrimp. I like to supplement with fry powder foods like SERA Micron, New Life Spectrum Fry Grow powder, etc.

[gardenman]

The pH can be an issue with the wilder, more native type of corys. They often come from very acidic water. The more domesticated, tank bred fish tend to be more adaptable to different water types while those closer to the wild might need a lower pH to trigger spawning or for successful fry rearing. More tannins and leaf litter can help also. If you're breeding common corys that have been in the hobby forever, almost anything will do. If you're trying to breed the more exotic, wild caught fish, or fish closer to the wild types, you may need to tweak the pH and water conditions more.

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/17/2022 at 2:43 PM, aleksei king said:

just newly acquired 3 Venezuelan black catfish

 

On 4/17/2022 at 3:39 PM, Ken Burke said:

my Venezuelans did not start spawning for a good 6-8 months after I purchased them. Now they have spawned each of the last 3 weeks.

Mine were not a fan of mops (going to try one again here shortly) and the big thing I will say is you probably need more to get the numbers down right.  They likely (still trying to get mine to grow) will spawn on moss or susswassertang.  they tend to lay eggs on the glass or on the underside of broad leaves for me.  I was diving into research and found that some corys prefer flat rocks, other prefer to hide their eggs under things.  Mine seem to be the "under things" variety. 

I did wake up to a massive spawn after a storm rolled in and the room got cold.  It started with 10, I have 3 that remain, and I have 2 fry that I have spawned / have survived for me.  There is a lot of behavior I see that one of the males wants to breed, but the female just isn't having it. LOL

Best of luck.  There is a link in my prof. if you want to read a bit about the "black corydoras" and their origin.  It's a really interesting history into the hobby.

Edited May 3, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[SimmonsSnailsNScales]

On 4/17/2022 at 5:47 PM, Fish Folk said:

I looked into making a flow through box like that but was unable to find a sturdy acrylic box for a reasonable price. I ended up buying the fluval breeder box. It hangs on the outside of the aquarium and all you have to do is connect an airline to it for a gentle flow of water from your tank. I only paid 20 bucks and it required zero effort. There are two sizes. This is the larger one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fish Folk]

On 5/3/2022 at 1:53 AM, SimmonsSnailsNScales said:

 

Looking good! Lots of folks like it. That’s a great price. I’d have to use it myself before making any serious critique. One concern is temperature. For Rams, a lower temp might be a problem. But for other species, that’s not a concern.