cycled tank? breeding corys

[tomasm87]

Does a tank need to be cycled for some fish to breed? Im trying to breed peppered corys and id like to breed other corys. but ill start with the easiest. i have them in a 10 gallon thats been running for 2 weeks now. I know its not cycled but i do a PWC everyday sometimes twice a day.

I feed them twice a day frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp and i turned the temp down. Breeding doesn't happen instantly but my females are getting fat. On average how long does it take for them to start breeding?

 

[Fallout801]

You are doing things very backwards. If you are cycling your tank still then you need to be doing less water changes. If you don't have a cycled tank then the heavy high protein feeding you are doing is quickly turning your water poisonous. So to keep your fish alive you must change water. But at the rate you are doing it your tank will eventually cycle... Someday.... You need to build up ammonia first in your tank before you can develop the bacteria to break it down you have to also have a constant amount of nitrites to develop the bacteria to break it down changing water on a daily or twice daily bases is going to severely retard or completely stop the process. Generally but not always breeding takes paces while you aren't at the aquarium disturbing its inhabitants. Changing water that much, disturbing your corries, along with constant rise and fall of poisons in the tank will probably yield no results and potentially cause your breeding goal to take even longer than if you would've cycled the tank before trying to make babies. I suggest if you want to continue your current process to buy a water test kit and test your water before you change it. All the ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. See where they are at and how fast they are climbing. It will give you a better game plan and make your breeding success more likely

 

[HN1]

A few things...

First, most cories sold are fairly young and not sexually mature so they need to be grown out for awhile before you can really hope to breed them.

Secondly, fish shouldn't be in a non-cycled tank. Water changes will not negatively impact your cycle and will be necessary to keep the fish alive until the cycle is complete and stable.

I would suggest reading the following articles.

Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side - Aquarium Advice
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice

Once the fish are healthy and mature in a stable environment, triggering spawning in cories is fairly easy. Saving eggs and raising fry, a bit more difficult.

 

[tomasm87]

Ok I'll let it cycle. I said to myself as soon as I added them to the tank "perhaps the tank should be cycled first." Which is why I asked. Ive had the corys for a few months now no telling how old they were when I bought them. But feeding them and turning down the temp is the way to go right?

 

[Cafrye]

I have peppered corys and albino corys. For the first time I have been getting eggs on the side of my tank and I now have my first baby albino cory swimming in another tank. Eggs just started I think it was late October.
When the eggs show up I scrape them off with a stiff card (drivers license works well for this) and put the eggs in a floating net for baby fish. In about 2-4 days eggs hatch ( I have only been getting one to hatch at a time). I hope this batch I get more. Mine have been laying eggs every 2 weeks.

Good luck.