New Cory eggs while out of town (hybrid)!

[Catfish-ologist]

I am currently on a month long trip very far from home, and today I got a text from my fish care-taker along the lines of this: Congratulations! You are going to be a grandparent! ( with the image at the bottom attached). This was huge I had to think about what fish could have laid them sense they are in a community tank! The only inhabitants of this tank are as follows:
2 milky way wood-cats (un-sexed)
3 African dwarf frogs (15 years old!)
1 upside-down catfish ( female)
1 peppered Cory (female)
1 green Cory (male)
Well the woodcats lay eggs in a white mucus-ball in plants. The frogs are too old and don't lay eggs on the glass, and the upside down cat is unhappy (going to get a new home soon). So this only left me with one option my Corys! My peppered is 3 years old, I purchased her with a panda Cory but sadly the panda died due to stress from transportation. My green Cory is a new addition to my tank, added on December 31, 2020, and is still very young. This was a huge surprise considering my Corys have never wanted to breed before and that there are only 2 of them( getting added to a larger home with friends soon!) There is a major good side to this: my fish are happy so I am doing something right, I have now officially bred Corys. There is also a major bad side... nobody likes hybrids!!! . I don't like hybridizing animals but, it was not my fault, this was just supposed to be a happy little community tank with NO breeding but, THEY found love and I respect that. So, I looked back through the camera footage of the tank and the eggs were laid on Tuesday night at 7 o'clock so... about 2 days ago. I know that this batch of eggs will most likely be eaten by the parents or the other tank members but, there is a low chance that they won't be eaten. I believe the eggs look fertile... would you agree? Has anyone ever seen records of these two species ever trying to hybridize? Would you agree that these are Cory eggs?... I hope so I just spent 2 hours ranting on and on about 2 inch miniature catfish I do not like killing fertile eggs or separating a pair so please please don't be mean in the comments about this!
The eggs!

cheers!

-- Sean

[bekateen]

Those don't look anything like cory eggs to me. Those look exactly like my

Duringlanis perugiae

eggs. I suspect your woodcats have been busy.

You said the woodcat eggs are normally in a milky ball. Have they ever hatched? I've had woodcats scatter eggs around the tank, with the milky ones not hatching and the yellow eggs hatching. These look like fertilized woodcat eggs to me, my friend.

Of course, you know your tank better than anyone. As I asked before, what has been the outcome of your past woodcat spawns?

I'm eager to find out how these eggs develop. Good luck with them!

Cheers, Eric

[Catfish-ologist]

I have not yet had successful spawning of my wood cats. I have only had them since January 5, 2021. I have only read this one spawning report on this species: https://www.planetcatfish.com/shaneswor ... cle_id=423

I thought these were Cory eggs because the egg mass didn't match this report.
Let me know if you need any more info.

Cheers,
--Sean

[jeremybasch]

These are certainly woodcat eggs. To sex your woodcats, look at the anal fin. It will look like that of a livebearer. They are pretty easy to sex once you see it. Congrats!

[jeremybasch]

Are there any photos of the potential parent woodcats?

[bekateen]

These are certainly woodcat eggs. To sex your woodcats, look at the anal fin. It will look like that of a livebearer. They are pretty easy to sex once you see it. Congrats!

Like this, shown here: https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/im ... ge_id=7502

[Catfish-ologist]

OK I recently got a steal on eBay on a pair of "milky-way wood catfish" I originally thought they were
Tatia intermedia
but, that species based on multiple breeding (including the one above) reports lays eggs in a white clump.
so is this Tatia intermedia or another species like Tatia jaracatia
please help Identify!!!
my woodcat (of some sort)

Cheers,
--Sean

[jeremybasch]

We can rule out T. galaxias. Likely T. intermedia. Any collection info would help further.

[Catfish-ologist]

No clue like I said a guy on eBay with "pair of milky way wood cats" no collection info was given... though i could contact the seller and see if I can get any more info

[bekateen]

Your top photo shows a male based on the oversized upper lobe to the caudal fin.

Cheers, Eric

[Catfish-ologist]

OK so male And there are eggs so I have a female too Any more species Ideas,
Has anyone kept Tatia jaracatia I believe some of the photos in its page are close or, is that a falsely Identified Tatia intermedia???

[Catfish-ologist]

OK, I did contact the seller will let you know when he responds,

[bekateen]

I edited my comment above about the male. Yes the caudal fin confirms male, but looking at the anal fin, it should be much more modified than what we see in your picture. I'm now questioning which is the male and female. Can you get better side view shots of the other fish?

Also, I don't think your fish is

Tatia jaracatia

. I'm attaching the pic of the holotype, and here is another photo of T. jaracatia: https://pecescriollos.de/de/tatia-jaracatia/

What's critical besides the color pattern, is that the humoral process (green circle) extends beyond the vertical line below the dorsal spine (red line). I don't see that trait on your fish, although the photo isn't exactly clear.

Cheers, Eric

[bekateen]

FWIW, and I may be wrong here, I'm not convinced that any of the photos (at least certainly not the first two pics) on the

Tatia jaracatia

CLOG page show real T. jaracatia. The description says the tail is either solid dark color, or a light color with large dark circular blotches. By contrast, T. intermedia have a tail color pattern which is similar to body color pattern.

Jeremy, your thoughts?

Cheers, Eric

[Catfish-ologist]

Unfortunately, I am out of town for another 2 weeks and these were the clearest photos I happen to have of them. They were taken with my iPhone. I do, however, happen to have a nest camera on my tanks to monitor my fish while I am away. I have gone back in the camera history to look for who laid the eggs. Thus far I've only seen the wood cats swim by the camera when the automatic feeder drops their food. Would there be any specific behavior I should look for when they spawn (i.e. is it a fast or slow)? When my Discus lays eggs and she spends the better part of the day placing them on the pillar.

[bekateen]

I've only seen a couple of species of wood cats spawn. A lot of chasing, some kind of clamping, then separate. My Auchenipterichthys and Trachelyichthys spread the eggs all around the tank. My perugiae lay eggs in a cave. And yet I've never seen any actually laying the eggs.

[Catfish-ologist]

There was only one piece of odd footage on my camera on Wednesday night a single Woodcat did loops around the front glass panel of the tank and then figure 8's on the same panel, do you think this could be a sign?

[bekateen]

I couldn't really say, but if a single fish, then probably no. That pattern you describe is how mine swim all the time.

[Catfish-ologist]

OK, It was just unusual for mine.

[characinkid]

My Tatia Intermedia just laid eggs 3 weeks ago and these look just the same! They look to be in a cluster, almost like frogs eggs.
They should hatch in 3-4 days and then be free swimming 3-4 days after that.
Good luck with them.

[Catfish-ologist]

Thanks, good luck with your pair

[Catfish-ologist]

Great! mine should then hatch within 24 hrs I am hoping for the best since this is a community tank... the fry that hatch while i'm gone will most likely be eaten but, there is always a small chance! thank you all
CHEERIO!
-- Sean