Panda Cory Aging?

[Cinnebuns]

I have been breeding my panda cories for over 2 years now and I love it!  When I started, I had 2 large females in my initial colony that did most of the spawning. I'm not sure how old they were when I got them but they were definitely at least over a year and probably more. I have since rehomed one of them because she was throwing some undesirable traits for my breeding. The 2nd one seems to be slowing down a lot. I haven't seen her spawn in a long time. She's also not out and active with the others like she used to. At one point, I was concerned that maybe she died and went looking for her. 

There is one thing to note about the entire colony. 6 months or so ago I introduced a yoyo loach to this tank. It ended up being mean and spooking the cories. Even after I rehomed it, they would not come out of hiding. After 2 months of hoping they would realize it's now safe, I added some of my juveniles in with them. I had heard that sometimes the presence of young makes them realize its safe for the young and jumps them into spawning. It worked. The next day they came out and the day after that they spawned. They still hid a little more than before but over time they have come out more and more. Today they are having a late night party which they haven't done in a long time. But still, the older female is not participating. 

How long do panda cories live?  Is she maybe getting elderly and slowing down in her old age and can't party like the kids do nowadays?

Do cories stop becoming sexually fertile at a certain age?  Maybe that's why I haven't seen her spawn.

Here's some pictures of the females when I first got them. They are the long fins. Maybe this will help determine what age they were when I first got them I'm not sure. 

[Cinnebuns]

Oh, this is in the wrong place. I'm sorry. I meant to put it in general. Hmm. Is there a way I can move it?

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/24/2023 at 10:11 PM, Cinnebuns said:

How long do panda cories live?  Is she maybe getting elderly and slowing down in her old age and can't party like the kids do nowadays?

 

On 6/24/2023 at 10:11 PM, Cinnebuns said:

Do cories stop becoming sexually fertile at a certain age?  Maybe that's why I haven't seen her spawn.

My female in my colony is definitely old.  Just her behavior you can tell she isn't going to put up with too much.  I do think there is a point when they stop spawning, but I am not sure how long that would be.  My pandas took almost 3 years off of spawning.  They would do their up downs, but just never spawn.  They would play in the flow, get all the normal things, but the tank wasn't setup for them for spawning and so they just didn't.   They were in a tub, they were in a bare tank for a bit.  When they did get a little bit of their old tank setup back, I did get one more fry.

I've seen breeding / spawning behavior in as little as 4-6 months.  This is just behavior, I can't say they are mature enough to spawn.  I can say they can spawn in under a year with certainty.  This is an excerpt from an article online.
 

Quote

 

The act of spawning can be extremely stressful for fish if they are not sexually mature. Another reason why breeding your fish prematurely is a bad idea. It is most likely that your male corydoras will be sexually mature between 6-9 months old, but try and refrain from breeding them this early on.

Make sure your corydoras are at least 2.5 inches long before breeding them, even if they are 12 months old. After all, fish mature at different rates, and size is the best indicator here.

 

As for lifespan... you're going to see estimates all over the place.

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Cory catfish live for a maximum of 5 years. They will only reach this age if you keep them happy and healthy. Do not forget that the happiness of your fish is just as important as their health.

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On average, Cory Catfish live between 10 and 15 years. This depends on the tank conditions. In optimal conditions, Cory Catfish may get up to 20 years old. 

It’s often claimed that Cory Catfish only get up to 5 years old. This is because, unfortunately, it’s often kept in not optimal conditions. Read further to know how to ensure your Cory Catfish live a long and happy life.

I imagine things like powerfeeding, water conditions, water quality, setup (stress), and disease all play a role with how well or poorly the corydoras do.   I would tent to lean more towards the ~10+ year mark based on my own experiences for lifespan. 

[Cinnebuns]

On 6/25/2023 at 1:03 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

I can say they can spawn in under a year with

I agree. I have personally raised a panda and watched it become sexually mature before 12 months. I do know estimates tend to be between 9 to 12 months. 

On 6/25/2023 at 1:03 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

As for lifespan... you're going to see estimates all over the place.

Quote

I noticed that too when I was looking it up. Anywhere from 5 to 15 years.  If it's 5, then aging makes sense and maybe she's gone through fishy menopause and is no longer producing eggs. If it's 15 then that doesn't make sense. Articles online written by bots will do that. It messes with finding accurate info. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/24/2023 at 11:39 PM, Cinnebuns said:

Articles online written by bots will do that. It messes with finding accurate info. 

Yep!  Unfortunately I am not sure who or where to ask.  Planetcatfish, Eric Bodrock, or maybe someone who has given the corydoras talks on the co-op channel?

[Cinnebuns]

On 6/25/2023 at 2:04 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Yep!  Unfortunately I am not sure who or where to ask.  Planetcatfish, Eric Bodrock, or maybe someone who has given the corydoras talks on the co-op channel?

So. Funny thing. The group I posted this question to on Facebook has Eric Bodrock in it. Maybe I can tag him to get his attention to the post. 

Ar least I think it's him? Lol. I hope so because I tagged him. 

Edited June 25, 2023 by Cinnebuns

[lefty o]

lifespan, a few years to who knows.  i know not exactly the same, but i have a bronze cory that is 16/17 yrs old, and its buddy died a couple years ago at 14/15.