Need help with status of cory eggs (new photos from today)

[KittenFishMom]

@nabokovfan87 , @itsfoxtail, and @Cinnebuns Here were go again.

There are fresh white eggs in both the shrimp tank and the 55 tank. A lot in the 55 tank, on the glass by the java moss. There are still some dark eggs waiting to hatch in the shrimp tank. I think I will add a bunch of java moss to the floor of the shrimp/cory tank.

I'm planning to do a water change in the shrimp/cory tank. The pH is very low. I am planning to use Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ in the RO water. I have wonder shells in the tank. I have SeaChem Alkaline buffer and am wondering if I should add some of this to the replacement water, or if I should mix up a little in a separate bottle and add a little bit at a time. I am thinking of moving one of the Wonder shells to the top of the sponge filter to increase the water flow around it. The wonder  shells are not dissolving as quickly as I would expect, but there are always a few shrimp on them.

Send me your thoughts.

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/14/2023 at 10:55 AM, KittenFishMom said:

I'm planning to do a water change in the shrimp/cory tank. The pH is very low. I am planning to use Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ in the RO water. I have wonder shells in the tank. I have SeaChem Alkaline buffer and am wondering if I should add some of this to the replacement water, or if I should mix up a little in a separate bottle and add a little bit at a time. I am thinking of moving one of the Wonder shells to the top of the sponge filter to increase the water flow around it. The wonder  shells are not dissolving as quickly as I would expect, but there are always a few shrimp on them.

What is the KH in your tap, in the tank, and what you wish it was via the buffer?  I would add a small amount to stabilize things, but given it's a shrimp tank you might want to slowly do so over a few weeks and then add it to your water at the higher level.  More details, then I can advise on method compared to my own with the alkalinity buffer.

On 1/14/2023 at 10:55 AM, KittenFishMom said:

I am thinking of moving one of the Wonder shells to the top of the sponge filter to increase the water flow around it. The wonder  shells are not dissolving as quickly as I would expect, but there are always a few shrimp on them.

Let it do it's thing.  It gives the shrimp the calcium and minerals similar to how cows or other animals use a salt lick.  The only way I'd move it would be if you're specifically using it as a water additive and not as a shrimp food (example, nano banquet block)

[KittenFishMom]

My "tap" water is RO/DI. It is like distilled water, no minerals at all. KH in the tank looks like zero right now. I would like to get the pH up to at least 6.4, but cause that is the lowest measure on the dip sticks.

How important is replacement water temperature to the shrimp and possible cory fry? I was thinking of cory for the adult corys, but the shrimp might need it warmer at the same temp as the tank.

A lot of eggs are high on the tank walls, so I will need to do a faster water change than I would like to keep the eggs wet.

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/14/2023 at 11:34 AM, KittenFishMom said:

How important is replacement water temperature to the shrimp and possible cory fry? I was thinking of cory for the adult corys, but the shrimp might need it warmer at the same temp as the tank.

You'd want to match temp just for the sake of eggs.  In terms of corydoras and shrimp they generally prefer the same temp water change.  Amanos and corydoras will handle cooler water changes and that usually triggers spawning behavior for them.   For Neo / Caridina species of "fancy shrimp" you'd want to get the temp as close as possible.
 

On 1/14/2023 at 11:34 AM, KittenFishMom said:

A lot of eggs are high on the tank walls, so I will need to do a faster water change than I would like to keep the eggs wet.

you can also try filling one side, draining the other if you're setup for that.    There is humidity, but I definitely understand the concern and went through that myself.
 

On 1/14/2023 at 11:34 AM, KittenFishMom said:

My "tap" water is RO/DI. It is like distilled water, no minerals at all. KH in the tank looks like zero right now. I would like to get the pH up to at least 6.4, but cause that is the lowest measure on the dip sticks.

Start small.  1/4 tsp per day per 5-10g.  Dose it every 2-3 days.  I dose in 3 1/8 tsp per 5g per water change.  Essentially right now if you want KH you'd half-dose the tank, let it adapt, then dose it another half dose, then let it adapt, then you should start reading something from the dosing.  Slowly shifting the PH/KH up slightly.  You can do small scale testing in a 5g bucket and then scale that up to your specific water change volume, add that amount to your dosing schedule when you condition or add in your water. 

 

Quote

To increase pH, use 1 teaspoon (6 g) for every 80 L (20 US gallons) daily until desired pH is reached (this dose raises alkalinity by about 1 meq/L (2.8 dKH)). For precise dosing, use the Seachem Digital Spoon Scale.

In order to adjust pH gradually, use Alkaline Buffer™ with Acid Buffer™. When using Alkaline Buffer™ & Acid Buffer™ together to target a specific pH, utilize the suggested ratio chart.

HINT: First determine the amount of Alkaline Buffer™ needed for the volume of water. This should be determined based upon your desired alkalinity (KH). Then, divide by the number in the middle column to obtain the correct amount of Acid Buffer™ required.

https://www.seachem.com/alkaline-buffer.php

[Cinnebuns]

On 1/14/2023 at 12:55 PM, KittenFishMom said:

@nabokovfan87 , @itsfoxtail, and @Cinnebuns Here were go again.

There are fresh white eggs in both the shrimp tank and the 55 tank. A lot in the 55 tank, on the glass by the java moss. There are still some dark eggs waiting to hatch in the shrimp tank. I think I will add a bunch of java moss to the floor of the shrimp/cory tank.

I'm planning to do a water change in the shrimp/cory tank. The pH is very low. I am planning to use Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ in the RO water. I have wonder shells in the tank. I have SeaChem Alkaline buffer and am wondering if I should add some of this to the replacement water, or if I should mix up a little in a separate bottle and add a little bit at a time. I am thinking of moving one of the Wonder shells to the top of the sponge filter to increase the water flow around it. The wonder  shells are not dissolving as quickly as I would expect, but there are always a few shrimp on them.

Send me your thoughts.

I would be careful. Shrimp are very sensitive to changing parameters and especially gh, kh and ph. Do you happen to know what parameters they were born in?  That's important info to have. Getting close to that is ideal. Typically people have 9 gh and around 7.2ish ph for shrimp but some people do different. For example, mine are 14 gh and 8.0 ph. That's about top end for them. If you go higher they will not be able to molt. That's where I caution the wonder shell. They aren't like snails where you can never have too high of a gh. They can die from too high gh. 

 

On 1/14/2023 at 1:34 PM, KittenFishMom said:

My "tap" water is RO/DI. It is like distilled water, no minerals at all. KH in the tank looks like zero right now. I would like to get the pH up to at least 6.4, but cause that is the lowest measure on the dip sticks.

What are you using to remineralize the water?  That is going to be a better move than the wonder shell because you can manage it specifically and have it the same every time. 

 

On 1/14/2023 at 1:34 PM, KittenFishMom said:

How important is replacement water temperature to the shrimp and possible cory fry? I was thinking of cory for the adult corys, but the shrimp might

Honestly, temp is not an issue. Here's why:  first of all the water you are placing in will not change the overall tank temp by much even if you add it all in at once. Furthermore, with shrimp you should not be adding it all in at once. You need to add it slowly. They are very sensitive to changes. You need to either drip it in or add a little at a time over the course of hours. I'm not kidding hours. I sometimes spend all day putting the water back in. 

 

On 1/14/2023 at 1:59 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

You'd want to match temp just for the sake of eggs

I honestly don't think that's an issue at all. Especially considering what I said just above. 

 

On 1/14/2023 at 1:34 PM, KittenFishMom said:

lot of eggs are high on the tank walls, so I will need to do a faster water change than I would like to keep the eggs

Don't worry about moving eggs if you want to. They are pretty sturdy and hard to squish. The extremely rare ones that do squish weren't healthy anyway. After some time they do lose their stickiness so they may not stick to the walls but having them on the ground is fine as well. 

[Cinnebuns]

Oh, idk if you've seen these videos but you might enjoy them. 

First is my first ever cory egg hatching. Idk how I got so lucky to catch my first one on video!

 

 

Next is a fry moving around in the egg

 

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Cinnebuns

[Cinnebuns]

Oh here's another one from one time my fry tank was popping

 

[KittenFishMom]

@Cinnebuns and @nabokovfan87 I saw my first super tiny corys swimming around the tank tonight. At first I thought they might be a hornwort leaf or an insect larva, they were SO SMALL. I got out a magnifying glass, and saw they were tiny tiny little cory fish!!!  How long does it take to see them well?

The bag thing is I found an adult scud in the shrimp/cory tank. It must have hitched a ride on my arm or a net or something. I hope there are not more scuds in there.

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/15/2023 at 6:46 PM, KittenFishMom said:

How long does it take to see them well?

They get fins after about 7-10 days.  And then at about 3 weeks or so they are pretty good size.

[KittenFishMom]

@Cinnebuns I hope I don't miss any of your questions.

I asked the shrimp seller about his water parms. He said he had  run out of test strip and could not remember what they were normally. I figured $35 for 30 shrimp was a good price. so I didn't give him a hard time. If I decide to get more, I'll take him some test strips. 

I'm using Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ to remineralize.  I have done two 10 liter water changes so far. The water is cloudy, so I might do another one tomorrow. I am very worried about accidently getting some fry. They are so hard for me to see. I only saw them because I was using a strong flashlight.

I split up a large softball size (or maybe bigger) ball of java moss I had been growing and spread it around the bottom of my shrimp/cory tank. Tonight at first IO thought all the shrimp were gone, but most were in the java  moss. They would pop out one place and swim a little and pop back in at another place.

The female cory also seems to be hiding from the males. Every time she is swimming in open water the males rush over to try to get her to spawn.  I think she is tired.

 

 

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/15/2023 at 7:00 PM, KittenFishMom said:

I'm using Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ to remineralize.  I have done two 10 liter water changes so far. The water is cloudy, so I might do another one tomorrow. I am very worried about accidently getting some fry. They are so hard for me to see. I only saw them because I was using a strong flashlight.

I have a video I'll have to send you.  It's a mod you can do, make a siphon where it's impossible to get fry and it's using something I guarantee you have around.  Just stick to mid-water siphoning until you're confident and can see the fry. No big deal. They need the food on the substrate anyways.

On 1/15/2023 at 7:00 PM, KittenFishMom said:

The female cory also seems to be hiding from the males. Every time she is swimming in open water the males rush over to try to get her to spawn.  I think she is tired.

Feed brine shrimp, repashy and help her get some strength back.  Repashy overnight does wonders.  Just keep an eye out.  If she's still lethargic add an air stone and check the pumps and what not to ensure good flow.

[KittenFishMom]

@nabokovfan87 There are 3 air stone in the 10 gallon tank. I'll make some repashy for her. I have community plus and spawn and grow, but the spawn and grow has been open for a while. Maybe I should mix them.

[Cinnebuns]

On 1/15/2023 at 9:00 PM, KittenFishMom said:

The water is cloudy, so I might do another one tomorrow. I

If it's bacteria bloom cloudy do NOT water change for that reason. If you need to water change for other reasons that's fine but a water change will just make a bacteria bloom worse. 

 

On 1/15/2023 at 9:00 PM, KittenFishMom said:

I am very worried about accidently getting some fry.

I usually don't siphon in that tank but literally scoop out with a cup for that reason. It shouldn't need a gravel vac anyway. 

[KittenFishMom]

@Cinnebuns and @nabokovfan87 My shrimp/cory tank has some nitrites, very faint pink. I do think the cloudiness is a bacteria bloom. I think it is from over feeding, because between the spawning corys and the 30 shrimp, I really haven't gotten a good feel for how much to feed. I am also feeding some fine powder for the fry.

I could do a water change, or add some "7" and/or "turbo 700". or do both.

For a water change in that tank, I normally mix up 10 liters of of RO water with a scoop of Salty Shrimp GH/KH+. Then after it is well mixed change the full 10 litters (2.6 gallons) which is about 25% of the tank.

If I take the eggs off the higher areas of the walls of the tank, the eggs will fall into java moss. Do you think there will be enough water flow in the moss for the eggs to survive? I've also noticed some of the new eggs seem to have been eaten, so I think the adult corys are hungry. I'm going to freeze some of the live brine shrimp so they are easier for the corys to find and eat.

Let me know what you think.

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/16/2023 at 9:57 AM, KittenFishMom said:

Let me know what you think.

Ignore the cloudiness. When I have it I resolve it with water changes over time.

As for the eggs and the water change, it's entirely possible and entirely will be fine without moving the eggs. If you're concerned or you feel like it's going to take longer than you're comfortable with prepare a spray bottle with tank water and spray the eggs every 5 minutes or so. 

Just do your normal water changes, leave the substrate alone with the siphon, but..... When you put the water back in just try to go as slow as you can as to keep from thrashing the water around extremely hard. 5G buckets aren't great for that.

[KittenFishMom]

@nabokovfan87 I put the water in with a cup. I might set up a siphon with a flow adjuster.

Trying to locate a new intake sponge to put on the siphon, then I will cover it with a knee high nylon stocking. I don't have a tea strainer

[KittenFishMom]

@nabokovfan87 I used a small slotted plant basket/pot inside a knee high nylon stocking over the end of my siphon to take the water out. The water is drizzling back in through an air hose with a flow adjuster, will probable take another hour. I put the bucket of fresh water on the corner of the tank. Next time I'll only put part of the water, and continue to fill the bucket as the level drops. Much easier on me and the tank than putting the full amount of refill water above the tank. 8-)

I think we have an IV pole on wheels someplace.....

Edited January 16, 2023 by KittenFishMom
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