PlanetCatfish.com

I got some from barbie a while back. I've got 8 of them in a 28g plumbed rubbermaid on a 300g system. I've done long periods where they are in 1" of water and then raised it to about 10" did a huge water change and cooled it -10*F from aprx 80 to 70 instantly. All of this while the barometer was raising and sinking with spring weather paterns. I'm at my witts end with these damn things as one of the females is so full of eggs she can only make left turns. Any ideas would greatly be appreciated.

Waldo,
It could be many things from the decor to amount of food. But I don't think you'd have these problems. But, I would say lowering the water temp was an excellent move. I tend to keep C.paleatus in the low 70's F.all the time. I give them a drop in temp. from there and then they explode. Also, are sure the males are they mature enough? Once C.paleatus gets going, you won't know what to do with all the eggs.
Amanda

There is no decor. I use these tanks for breeding and they are all bare bottom.

I've been using tetra's new color extreme as it has cyclop eeze and is super high in protien, as well as black worms. Fasting them while they are just in the 1" of water then just the night prior giving them a buffett.

What's the "regular" temperature for these? I don't think they will spawn if the temperature is in the high 70's or 80's - they need to be kept fairly "cool" to spawn. So aim for, say, 72'F and drop it a few 'F to trigger them. This is purely from reading others posts, so I can't say for sure if this is wholly what is wrong with your setup (or maybe that's already what you're doing?).

--
Mats

Waldo,

Are these the high dorsal fin variety? If they are they are not C. paleatus but a species we are awaiting the publication of the description, they come from Argentina and live in water in the upper 60's, very low 70's, with a recommended breeding temperature of around 63º F. Is this your fish.


Picture courtesy Corydoras world

Firstly I would stop the high protein food and use a regular quality fake such as Aquarian or Tetra standard tropical flake, alternatively either companies Tablet food. black worms are Ok as are chopped earth worms.

I would also suggest a change in your water changing regime. To start with I would lower the tanks regular temperature to somewhere around 72 -3º F and still use 10º cooler water for the water changes, give this two weeks, if nothing happens alter the programme and change around 70% every other day. If that does not work after two weeks make the changes every day. But whatever you do only change one parameter at a time.

Ian

Wow. I thought that was another mutated gene pool. No they are not the high fin. Just regular C. Paleatus. I have a tank that can be seperated from the rest to lower the temperature. Problem is it would not be filtered except for water changes. I'll through some purigen in their to keep the ammonia down. After that I think I'm going to do a pH adjustment with store bought water.

I'll nail this one trigger at a time. The other thing I was wondering is I have about a 50/50 ratio of males to females. The Cat-e-log info says a higher ratio of males is needed. I'm not in short supply so should I take some out?

I used a stronger current when I did the Aeneus, but as I recalled that was not a trigger just a way to keep the eggs from getting fungus.

Waldo wrote:Wow. I thought that was another mutated gene pool. No they are not the high fin. Just regular C. Paleatus. I have a tank that can be seperated from the rest to lower the temperature. Problem is it would not be filtered except for water changes. I'll through some purigen in their to keep the ammonia down. After that I think I'm going to do a pH adjustment with store bought water.

That doesn't sound too great - can't you put a (mature) sponge-filter in there?

--
Mats

Yeah I moved them over and threw an aquaclear on with a sponge from another tank. I only run the sponges anyways.

Hey Waldo,
We share similar climate and water chemistry due our shared geology and close proximity so I know the C. paleatus spawn well with little more than fresh mid seventies water.

The females can become alarmingly huge with ripe roe.
What has worked well for me is to separate the sexes for a week or ten days. Then recombine them and continue to use the freshets/cool water regime and live blackworms.
They should spawn promptly soon after being reintroduced
to each other. I had so many last summer that I just put the fry in a wading pool under the car port which was filtered with a powerhead driven sponge filter.

From Clarkston, WA

Haha... ok. I might just do the whole seperating deal instead. I know they are native to cooler waters but I've never really had troubles with warming the natural temperatures of a fish just when I bring the temperature down. they are in the same water as before so let me try your idea before I dedicate a tank. I'm not much for overcrowding unless I can guarentee a descent regular water change.

Hi Waldo

Have you read the article entitled
"An attempt to spawn on demand" in Shanes world; Catfish Basics Series, Part 9?

Yes. I've gone through a few different google searches as well as shane's world and the catelog. My main concern was that I wasn't forgeting an angle or that someone had another angle on breeding them. I've got a few more ideas from what other people have suggested which should last me for some time. If not I'll be back to complain. jk

Hi Waldo,
We met at the barbecue at Barbies last summer and earlier this Spring I took my breeding group to her store to find them a new home because I was sure she would know someone who could use them for further production. So if you were the aquarist that got them then you have breeders I raised.
I have been working with many new and rarer species and was clearing out many fish to make room for other Corys as well as an expansion into more SA dwarf Cichlids, Killies as I reduced my discus production to free up space.
Please let me know if they are one and the same group. Since I grew them up from 3/4 fry I know most of this groups background. Many of the females were very large. It was aquarists such as yourself I felt could breed many more thousands of fry over the next few years. They have had the benefits of large feedings of blackworms and good conditions so they should have many years left as breeders. They have good fry survival rates but I don't have enough room to raise many fish that wholesale at the price paleatus do. I have to specialize in fewer more expensive fish just to break even on the food. I run a non-profit small breeding set up down here and have to rely on regional sales to absorb my production as the LFS can't sell as many fish as I raise.
I am working on getting C.weitzmani to spawn but I now have many rare Corys all of which I am perfecting my skills at meeting their needs. Corys all spawn about the same way but their production levels and breeding styles cover a range of styles and each has it's requirements peculiar to their species. I am still trying to dial in each species most approriate set ups. Pandas, as an example lay most of their eggs amongst hair algae or similar dense plants but few eggs are placed on the glass. Others seem to prefer very clean bare glass like C. sterbai, at least that is what I am discovering.

I gotcha newt. Yeah they are probably your old ones. 3 females 5 males. I'[m going to try seperating them and then doing some water param changes. If you come up this way bring some killi eggs or killies. I'll buy anything but noth's!

Waldo,
If this is the case, and these are Larry's old fish, it maybe a matter of time and water temperature. My C.paleatus weren't spawning for a few months. They're in a 75 gallon tank with quite a few other smaller species. After giving them a few extra servings of worms, I did the big water change with the downward water temp. Within 24 hours, I had a lot of eggs. The party is still continuing. Careful what you wish for, Waldo. Once you turn these guys on, you can't turn them off!
Amanda

The ages range from 24 to 30 months for this group of C.paleatus.

Ha you don't have it down to the day? What kind of breeder are you. JK. Yeah... I'm going to give it a week of seperation and neglect and try again. I've got nothing but time.

Hi Waldo ,
I am an eclectic lackadaesical breeder.
One who has diverse interests and always trying something new. The only constant is that I always have some discus.

I usually bred the C. paleatus in bare 20L with a powerhead driven sponge filter. Furnishings included a few potted Amazon Swords and some free floating Najas guadelupensis. Also a piece of bogwood and that is all.

An alternate method I used was to place one female with two or three males in a ten gallon tank. This may actually prove to be the better approach.

Left together continuosly resulted in unpredictable spawns. That is why I would use the temporary segregation of the sexes. Food was mainly live blackworms. I found I would have more success this way. Often it is only one or two females that participate in a particular spawn but as you have seen the females are large and loaded so the yield can be very high. It is not unsusual for them to take breaks and not be very easy to spawn. Once you can break the ice you should get good numbers of eggs and their fertility rate is quite high.

Water changes and abundant blackworms seemed to be the easiest way to get them to spawn.
These were collected from various sources over time so that few are very closely related.

I am glad it was you who ended up with them because I know you have all the resources necessary to raise them. One suggestion I will make is that you also try breeding a different species of Corys while working with the C. paleatus. This is what I do because I am then always surprised over which species breeds first without working too hard at either one.