(don't worry, I am responsible and no hybrids)Sorry for the long post, if you want to skip to the questions, read below the _________ line. Thanks!
Well here is my plan. I am planning on setting up a heavily planted 180 gallon tank. The primary focus of that tank is to grow out a ton of plants as a means to sell and keep me going in this aquatic hobby (as well as recuperate the thousands I have already spent on this hobby haha). Due to it's weight and sheer size, it will have to be set up in the garage, so it will be out of sight, and so I want to maintain it as little as possible. Yes, I will feed daily (though I fast them once a week or so) and maintain the filters as necessary.
I will just let the plants grow wild and I am just wanting to stock a few species of fish and want them to breed on their own and hoping with the big tank and plenty of plant cover that fry survival rate will be pretty high without human intervention. So pretty much, I will just let the planted tank do it's own thing, but still trying to select the inhabitants that will yield good reproduction rate as well.
Being primarily focused on plant growth, I am going with only small fish. Haven't decided on the "swimming, upper water column" fish, but probably just some 1" fish that will breed as well (maybe tiny boraras species or pseudomugil rainbows or oryzias ricefish or some rare endlers).
Probably will try establishing a large Neocaridina shrimp colony as well. Same with snail populations (pink/red ramshorn, Malaysian Trumpet Snails).
But the main fish I really want to breed in there are Corydoras Hastatus and a species of Aspidoras.
I actually have unintentionally bred (they bred on their own) C. hastatus and Aspidoras pauciradiatus before, but I never took notes on them, so I do have questions for those that have documented their breeding.
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It is said that dwarf Corydoras don't eat their eggs. Is that true for all the dwarf species, C. pygmaeus, C. habrosus, and in particular, C. hastatus?
Reason I want to breed C. hastatus is because they are less commonly found than the other dwarves and I just want to help make tank raised ones more available, same for Aspidoras.
If they don't eat their eggs, that makes it easier since I won't be manually removing/separating the eggs and I will just let the tank "do it's own thing".
Same question for Aspidoras, will they eat their eggs? Will they eat wigglers/tiny fry?
I plan on keeping the two together in the same tank.
C. Hastatus and Aspidoras will not interbreed right?
99% sure they won't, but just making sure so I don't create a hybrid.
I have Aspidoras pauciradiatus already, but can get my hands on Aspidoras spilotus or Aspidoras sp. 'Senger' C118 (pretty much smaller, elongated Aspidora versions of Corydoras Paleatus). Any preference of which I should breed to make more available in the hobby?
I am thinking A. pauciradiatus just because they have a more unique/distinct look, where as a lot of the other Aspidora species all look similar, with the C. Paleatus pattern/coloration. But I do know, A. pauciradiatus are already commonly bred, so maybe I should do another species. If so, any special things to note with breeding? Or are they just the same?