Needing help pronto with hatching!

Taratron · Post by **Taratron** » 27 Nov 2003, 10:04

The quick spiel is that my friend keeps bronze cories, and they spawn regularly (having 2 girls and 3 boys certainly helps matters!).

They last spawned this Sunday, and on Tuesday, she gave me some eggs that she had pulled from the main tank, and kept in a small vase with an air stone.

I hence put the eggs in a 1.5 gallon, halfway filled with water, and some java moss, and a huge air stone. Earlier today, I was suspecting that all the eggs were flukes, since many had fungused.

Only to see wrigglers today! At least, I assume they are babies...they look like eggs with tails!

I did NOT expect any of them to hatch, not with the differences in our water.....and while I realize I should have been prepared, I'm obviously not, and I need help from anyone who has bred these guys before....what do I do now????

Viking Bear · Post by **Viking Bear** » 27 Nov 2003, 16:02

There are may article on the net that describe how to raise baby cories. You will need to get some brine shrimp eggs. It takes about two or three days for the babies to absorb the yolk sac. They will need food within a few hours. If you have a dirty sponge filter the fry will eat the micro-organism for their first. Brine shrimp are another perfect meal. It takes about one and half days for the shrimp to hatch become free swimming. Add only a small amount at a time. You should be able to find them at your local fish store. You can tell if they are eating because the bellies with be round and orange like the shrimp. Feed them twice day and wait until most are gone before adding. You will also need a bring shrimp net to remove the shrimp from the salt water. When they are a two weeks old you can use TetraMin tablets. It really depend on how many fry you have? If you have 100 fry maybe one half of a tablet. If you feed too much the water will foul killing all the fry. It is hard to explain exactly how much to use since the amount of food that the fry will change each day. They grow very rapidly especially the first month.

Tomorrow get some bring shrimp and TetraMin tablet.

You can fing direction on how to hatch shrimp in many places on the internet. I use air line to siphon the shrimp out and leave most of the egg capcules behind in the hatching container. I use empty two liter pop bottle with the top cut off for hatching containers.

Taratron · Post by **Taratron** » 27 Nov 2003, 17:23

I posted because I have found a lot of conflicting infor---some sites say brine shrimp and microworms, others say crushed wet flake is okay.

I have around 10 babies.

Since they hatched out early this morning, does that mean they will need food by tomorrow, or do I have at least a day or so before they use their yolk sacs?

I also read that keeping java moss or plants in the tank will provide them with microscopic food. Truth or BS?

Post by **Silurus** » 27 Nov 2003, 17:31

Since they hatched out early this morning, does that mean they will need food by tomorrow, or do I have at least a day or so before they use their yolk sacs?

They will not begin feeding until the yolk sacs are fully resorbed.

Taratron · Post by **Taratron** » 27 Nov 2003, 17:47

The babies are all clear, in fact, and they do look like sperm!

I don't see any eggsac, nor any coloration that would indicate an eggsac, but I know they all hatched early this morning (like 3am). What color should the sac be?

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 27 Nov 2003, 20:58

Hi!

Usually it takes about 2 days for the yolk sac to be totally absorbed, so wait until then to start feeding, also them might find something to eat into the java moss for the first few hours...
If you look side ways you will see the yolk sac pretty well...
Cheers
Yann

Post by **Coryman** » 27 Nov 2003, 21:17

It takes two or more days, depending on the temperature of the water for the fry to absorb the yoke sac. Once the fry fave used up their reserves they will need feeding.

The choice is yours as to what you give them. There are commersial fry foods available, but here chose a well known quality one. (Don't use any liquid fry food) If you use one of these fine powdered foods, make sure you pre-soak it so that it will sink sa soon as it toutches the water. For C. aeneus fry both freshly hatched brine shrimp or micro worm are accepted readily. The important things to remember are to change 50% oof their water daily and give them a variety of foods, this will ensure the best possible growth and keep them in the best possible condition.

Ian

Taratron · Post by **Taratron** » 27 Nov 2003, 21:35

Thanks guys.

I really did not expect any eggs to hatch!

Is it okay to keep the java moss in there? Will they get any chow from it?

Also, should I keep the air stone on? It seems to be a strong current, and some of the babies are being blown around.

What color are the yolk sacs??

Taratron · Post by **Taratron** » 27 Nov 2003, 21:40

Coryman, I must say that your site has been of the most help.

But I haven't seen the fry food you recommend, the flake food, around AZ anywhere. What other flakes would be good?

Post by **Coryman** » 27 Nov 2003, 23:15

I know Aquarian is available there and tetra tabimin, the tabinin is very good because it crushes down easily with your fingers and sinks without pre-soaking. The yoke sac is prety much the same as the fry in colour, but just looks like a buble on the belly, you will see when it has all gone.

Java moss is fine it will help keep the water good and the air stone is OK just turn it down a little.

Ian

Viking Bear · Post by **Viking Bear** » 28 Nov 2003, 06:54

do you have albino or regular c. aeneus? You can tell the different very easy in fresh hatched fry. Albino are very pale and you can't see the eyes. Regular are a grayish color. Remember describe them looking like a ball with a tail. The ball is the egg sac. Tomorrow the fry will be bigger and the sac will shrink. It is located the same place as the belly very close to the two pectoral fins. If you tank has a clear bottom and you can pick it is easy to see from the under side. The amount of time it takes to be absorb temperature depend. The cooler that longer it will take.

Myself, I prefer live food since it is less likely to foul the water. The movement of the live food excite the babies to start eating. There is more than one right way to do it. You can ask four fish breedersw how to raise cories and get six answers. Ian is very knowledge on the subject. He has raised more species of cories than most of the cory breeders on the planet.

Taratron · Post by **Taratron** » 28 Nov 2003, 07:31

Question---I watched some of these guys hatch around 3am on 11-27.

I've read about a phase called the swimming phase, and that's when they should be fed.

But my little boogers are swimming around, then pausing to rest.....sleep....then a few more dashes around.....I think I can see the egg sacs still, so I know they don't need food already.....right?

And to think, I thought all the eggs were duds!

We're up to almost 20 babies!

When should I transfer them to a larger tank?

Post by **Coryman** » 28 Nov 2003, 20:13

The 1.5 gal container is more than large enough to house the fry for a month, so long as you make daily partial water changes.
My moto with fry is plenty of clean water and plenty of good food.

Ian

Taratron · Post by **Taratron** » 30 Nov 2003, 05:36

I think the babies are finally done hatching: there's around 30 of them!

I'm keeping up with 50% water changes a day, may start doing them twice a day. Java moss, duckweed, and today added a moss ball to the 1.5 gallon tank, which 90% of the babies are hiding around and under.

I just want to thank everyone who's helped me get these babies started off on the right fin!