g'day.
I have two tanks 50cm long 25cm wide and 25cm high and i wanted to breed peppered corys as i have read about it and it seems like alot of fun and i was just wondering what i need to do to get them to spawn and should i use one tank to put the fry in ect.
p.s. also would u be able to tell me how many to have and what substrate all the the required information.
thanks in advance
There is an article about c. paletus at this web site. As for substrate, either way will work bare tank or non-sharp gravel. I have done it both ways. The other question is how many cories do you want to raise? You need to consider how much grow out room (tanks) you will need? You can't raise 100 baby cories to selling size in one tank of the dimension you describe.
Are you planning to buy breeding size or raise small to spawn?
I would say that six adult would be able to spawn in that tank. The ideal numbers would be 2 female and four males. As long as would have both boys and girls any combination will work. I would suggest either having clumps of Java Moss or spawning mop. My peppers liked to hide the eggs in plants and on the side of the tank. If they spawn in plants in makes it very easy to move the eggs to a hatching container.
Remember there is more than one right way to do things.
Last edited by Viking Bear on 06 Dec 2003, 23:35, edited 1 time in total.
ok thanks for the info so far but just a couple more questions...1)do i need a heater in the tank(s)... 2)and do i need to do water changes if so how much how often thanks
p.s. i now this info is probably already on the site but i cant find it cuz im having a hard time navigatin the site. thanks.
As for asking if you need a heater, that is a God question? I don't know climate in you area of the world or your home. I would put water in the tank and measure the temperature several times a day to see the natural functions. If the temperature stays around seventy degrees Fahrenheit or twenty Celius, you probably can skip the heater. They are comfortable between 20 and 25 celius. A drop in temperature can trigger a spawn.
The normal rules of thumb is at least 25% water every weekr. Clean water prevent most of the problems aquarium fish have.
Adult C. paletus females can be also 7 or 8 cm (three inchnes). The females have a large belly when full with eggs.
Last edited by Viking Bear on 07 Dec 2003, 17:08, edited 1 time in total.
i know that for all tanks a weekly 25% water change is the way to go but i mean to trigger the spawning, a friend told me to do 20% every day is this true?
It really dpends on the species. C. paleatus you normally do not have do anything that special. They will spawn on their own. It will usually happen a day or two after the weekly water change. They might spawn all the eggs at once or they several small spawns on consecutive days. According to the articles this was the first cory spawn back in the 1880s.
Very often you will have to try thing a little different to the so called standard. Basically what I am saying is experiment a little, but only change ONE thing at a time and see what the result of that change is, AND make a record of what you do, a) so you can remember what you did and, b) what worked and what did not.
For a start I would make the next water change 50% using water the same temperature as your normal water changes, If that does not work the next time make the same 50% water change using water that is 8-10 degrees F cooler.
Not much I can add to Ian's post...other than how I drop the temps. I use ice cubes! My standard breeding tanks are kept at 72F. I drop the temp to 62 by adding ice cubes to the breeding tank. Don't go under 55...or the fish will start doing somersaults. R/O ice cubes work GREAT for certain species I only drop temp to induce spawning for thier 1st spawn. I don't continue the temp drops once the colony has started to breed. I keep single species breeding tanks with the exception of a pleco in each tank, to assist with maintenance. I've found that the bristlenose plecos can handle the temp swings...and do a great job keeping the glass clean.
Good luck!
Rich - Fishnut2
Hello all,
This topic has reminded me of a problem that I had some time ago and never found a solution to. Hopefully, someone can shed some light on the issue as it drove me mad for some time.
Several years ago, I kept mostly cories and was supplying 30 plus shops from my assorted collection. I was successfully breeding over 20 species on a regular basis, but could not get any paleatus eggs to hatch. They would color up and you could see the fry moving around inside, but none of the eggs would hatch on their own. I tried everything from siphoning thru airline to brushing the eggs and even RO water, but nothing ever resulted. Eventually, I left the species behind and still cannot get any of them to hatch. I recently tried the long-fin strain with the same results. Has anybody got any advice?
Larry Vires
Impossible only means that somebody hasn't done it correctly yet.
Pleco Breeder,
I've had problems like that with adolfoi and sterbai...but never paleatus. Sometimes I've WANTED the paleatus to fungus...lol. I had a colony of 18 paleatus that spawned 28 days in a row!!! Huge spawns too. Obviously it was different females spawning...but it was still a HUGE amount of eggs. I was happy to sell that colony...and no longer keep paleatus.
Here's what I found with adolfoi and sterbai. Maybe it will help with your paleatus. Some cory eggs are more sensitive to water parameters then others. The parents will spawn with no problem...but the eggs won't hatch. I've found that the egg membrane won't dissolve properly unless it's soft...acidic water. It makes sense. In the wild...the cories spawn during the rainy season. The rain water is soft/acidic water. They are getting a water change/cooler temp/and food is abundant.
Try softening the hatchery water...and adjust PH (if needed). In a month...you'll be sorry you read this post
Rich - Fishnut2
Oh,
Don't forget the live black worms! http://www.aquaticfoods.com There is a printable coupon for a free portion at your local LFS. You can print as many as you like...but only 1 per store.
Good luck!
Rich - Fishnut2
Hello Fishnut2,
I've tried the pH and hardness adjustments, but never made any difference. This is why I'm so stumped. I even gave consideration to the possibility that the temp was too high. That experiment just led to the belief that paleatus will spawn in anything that isn't frozen solid. When I first started working with the fish they were all albino, so I thought they just weren't fertile, but I've since had the same problems with even commons. I know that there is something I'm missing in the water quality that's causing this. I've adapted my cory spawning technique so that all my cold water changes are done with RO adjusted to a neutral pH and only 20 ppm TDS. This gets rid of the guess work as to whether a species will spawn. I've never failed at getting a species of cory to spawn eventually, but this 1 species just won't hatch for me. Any more ideas?
Larry Vires
Impossible only means that somebody hasn't done it correctly yet.
LOL @ the frozen solid,
The only other thing I can suggest...is to watch them spawn. Make sure the males are getting involved. Plan your water change for the weekend. It helps if there is a drop in barometric pressure (a storm front). Feed heavily in advance, so colony is conditioned properly. Enjoy the fascination of watching a cory spawn...and see 1st hand. what the problem might be.
Good luck!
Rich
I only drop temp to induce spawning for thier 1st spawn. I don't continue the temp drops once the colony has started to breed. I keep single species breeding tanks with the exception of a pleco in each tank, to assist with maintenance. I've found that the bristlenose plecos can handle the temp swings...and do a great job keeping the glass clean. 
When I first started working with the fish they were all albino, so I thought they just weren't fertile, but I've since had the same problems with even commons. I know that there is something I'm missing in the water quality that's causing this. I've adapted my cory spawning technique so that all my cold water changes are done with RO adjusted to a neutral pH and only 20 ppm TDS. This gets rid of the guess work as to whether a species will spawn. I've never failed at getting a species of cory to spawn eventually, but this 1 species just won't hatch for me. Any more ideas?
