Baby trilineatus cories!

[zenkatydid]

My trilineatus cories have laid eggs! Huzzah! I saw the big female with one of the little ones (males!) doing the dance and the t-position last night. And today, we have 5, individually-laid eggs, stuck to the glass. I plan on moving them into the safety of a net before they hatch, as I'm sure the guppies they share the tank with won't think twice before snacking on them. Can I do this just my scraping them off the side and transferring them? I've heard that fish eggs need to dtay under the water the whole time - is that true, or will a moment being exposed to air be ok for them? Anything else I should know?

 

[black hills tj]

congrats! doesn't seem like cories spawn very often.

 

[WaterPond]

actually, most cories are very easy to spawn, but most people keep cories in community tanks where the eggs get eaten.

Congrats zenkatydid!

 

[zenkatydid]

My guys are in a community tank along with a breeding colony of guppies, but it doesn't seem like the guppies can eat the eggs. Maybe something like a loach would be able to - but the guppies just mouth at them then give up, like they're too hard to get into.

I've bought a 1ft tank today to raise them in, as I don't trust the guppies with helpless fry. I'll be keeping it bare-bottom, with a cave for them to hide in, with just an airstone for water circulation, no filter. I've been advised not to change the water for the first week or so, as tiny fry can be sensitive. After that, I'll be doing small daily or bi-daily water changes. I plan on feeding them the same thing as the adults get, just crushed up. (So catfish pellets, algae disks, etc).

Is all that ok? Any advice on what I could do better?

 

[SparKy697]

Consider getting a bigger tank to raise them in. The 1ft tank may be enough room for them to swim in, but it seems like it is a small amount of water. As you know the smaller the tank the faster things can go wrong.

You may also want to consider a foam filter. It will still provide the bubbles for agitation that you desire and also gives beneficial bacteria a place to live which will greatly reduce the amount of water changes needed.

 

[Zagz]

Congrats and good luck. I agree with sparky on getting a sponge filter. The fry can't get sucked up in them and it helps to keep the tank clean. I don't know if I would avoid water changes, for a week. In smaller tanks parameters can get out of control quickly which will affect fry greatly. You can do water changes with an airline tubing and a white pail, that way if you suck any of the fry up the tube you will be able to see them and move them back with a turkey baster.

 

[plecoperson]

I have no useful advice, but what a nice surprise for you!

 

[zenkatydid]

Thanks guys, I have installed a cheapo sponge filter instead of just the airstone, with some filter media from another tank, so it shouldn't have any spikes. As it turned out, only 2 of the eggs made it - the others were eaten while my back was turned -.- But, those two are safe in the 1fter (which I'm sure is big enough for 2 little fry), and both are starting to wriggle with little inhabitants! I'll have to try and take a photo

 

[zenkatydid]

My two remaining eggs have both hatched! Yaaay! I have two tiny little guys, happily hiding under their cave. They are too small to photograph yet!

They must have hatched last night (it's now morning here) as I checked them before bed and they were still egg-shaped. However, from what I can see, there's no yolk-sac present. Could they have absorbed it already? Should I start feeding them yet?

Also, I plan to mostly feed them with crushed-up prepared foods, egg yolk, etc, as live food is difficult at the moment. I also found an old nano tank that has been abandoned for some time with some green muck in it. Would this stuff suit as a sort of infusoria?

I'm a little worried about overfeeding as it's hard to ration enough food for only two tiny guys. I've put in a handful of rmall ramshorn snails, hopefully they'll help.

 

[evercl92]

I pulled corydora eggs out of my community tank and placed them in my 10gal cherry/CRS tank. The snails will help you keep that little tank clean, maybe put in a couple small shrimp, if you have / can get some.

 

[zenkatydid]

i'm in australia, and it's exceedingly difficult to get shrimp here. there are some native species i've kept in the past that i got sent in the mail, but they are very sensitive and didn't last long.

any idea on when i should start feeding them?

 

[zenkatydid]

please help me, guys! what am i doing with feeding these babies? i've tried putting in some crushed up catfish pellet but they're just sitting there, not moving. i know they're alive, because they change locations occasionally. is this normal? i don't see any yolk sac, but maybe it's just small... when should they start being active and searching for food?

 

[evercl92]

I've read that hardboiled egg works well - chopped up really fine. Mine didn't start actively searching for several days, if not a week. Kinda just sat there, hanging out. Just be sure that food isn't left over, and fouls the water.

 

[zenkatydid]

if they don't actively search, how do they find food? i could try and inject it right in front of their mouths...

 

[evercl92]

They didn't search actively but they did search eventually. More slow, subtle movements, for a while. I never feed them anything special, just Hikari Crab Cuisine, that I through in for the shrimp. They've managed to do fine, and are now about 2months old. You could try putting a little bit right in front of them, make it easier for the little guys.

 

[Acer]

you shouldnt feed them untill you see them out & around searching for food or else you risk fouling the water w/uneaten food