C. schultzei dropping eggs

[Inchworm]

When my C. schultzei spawned today, the female put some of the eggs on the glass, filter, and java moss, as she usually does, but she also just dropped a lot of them. I found them in clusters on the gravel. Once I saw this happen as she was seemingly on her way to deposit them on the glass. They just fell from between her fins. After the T-position, she usually leans to one side for a short period of time. I think most of them were dropped after this, rather than actually being deposited in the gravel.

She has not spawned since last year, probably because I kept my home warmer than usual last winter, but she appears to be in good health and has been conditioned on blackworms.

I have never had this problem with her, or with any of my other corys, for that matter. If anyone could give me some insight as to why this might have happened, and if this is something that is likely to happen to her in the future, it would be greatly appreciated.

These are some of the clusters I picked up from the bottom of the tank. There is also some fine gravel stuck to them.



This is the female with two of the males:

[fischkringli]

Congrats for the spawning!
Perhaps she had been disturbed while spawning.

[Inchworm]

Thanks for posting, fischkringli, but I don't think that's the reason. I've had these fish since 2005 and nothing has ever interfered with them spawning before.

I've spent hours watching them at it, and even taken flash pictures. They have been frequent and prolific spawners in the past, when conditions were right. The eggs that did make it to surfaces seemed as adhesive as normally would be expected. There were more eggs that were not shown in the picture above.