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Greetings All,

Allow me to explain my situation. Around 8 AM (EST) on Saturday, I saw around a dozen eggs on my Java Moss in a tank housing 2 huge females (both in size AND being egg-laden), a medium female that was in the little video I shot and 2 males. By 8 PM I had pulled 102 eggs from the moss and went to bed. This morning I pulled another 157 eggs. (I know it's gauche to count eggs, but I'm trying to document hatch success rates). These were all laid in a 900 gallon centralized system with high-rate water flow. About 90% of the eggs were laid in the moss with the remainder on the sides and bottom of the tank.

I pulled each egg from the moss and moved them to another tank in the system. Many of you who follow my Cory misadventures know, I generaly lose fry within minutes of them being born. I moved them to this tank because within the previous 48 hours I had about 200 eggs from various species hatch and appear to be doing well.

As I was finishing up moving the eggs my eyes were a wreck from wearing magnifying eye glasses to help me spot and remove the eggs. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, when in the dimly lit tank, I thought I saw a wiggler. Knowing that it should take 3 to 4 days I didn't pay much atention, but then I thought I saw another. I grabbed a flashlight and yep, two wigglers. Probably two of the largest wigglers I have ever seen in my limited Cory experience. Obviously the eggs had spent a day or two in the moss before I spotted them. I go back an hour later and of course, one is dead already. I checked on the 200 or so wigglers in the adjoining tank and they still all look fine. I'm dreading the prospect of losing this batch of eggs as all I have successfully spawned up to this date are albino aeneus and paleatus. I'd really like to spawn a more difficult species and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on what I might be able to do to improve my odds on this batch? Or, am I just going to have to sit w/ my fingers crossed and see what happens? I'm terrified to look in that tank. One good thing. In the first days collection of eggs, only 3 were attacked by fungus.

Has anyone here successfully spawned this species of Cory? Any tips for me? Please help. - Frank/Guppyman

Frank,

One thing I have stopped doing is removing eggs from mops, moss or the glass using my fingers. I have two batches of C. potaroensis both are doing fine. It is easier and better to remove the mop or the plant along with water from the spawning tank, eggs that have been placed on the glass can be removed with a razor blade.

Ian

Coryman wrote:Frank, One thing I have stopped doing is removing eggs from mops, moss or the glass using my fingers. - Ian

Hi Ian,

I was wondering quite a bit about that. Besides being tedious and consuming hours of time, I was concerned about bacterial contamination.

Having just checked, I have about 6 wigglers, now. I take back what I said about their size. They are as small as any Cory fry I have seen. I realize that I was looking at fry that only had their tail out of the egg casing and were thrahing about. I'm trying swooshing them with a turkey baster to help free them. Quite a few are stuck that way. FYI - the parents are wild caught. I'll keep you posted.

BTW - I just discovered that my prionotus just spawned. Now these ARE the smallest Cory eggs I have ever seen. I thought they were sand from my filtration system on the bare bottom - until I noticed them all over the sides. I checked your book - no mention. Have you any experience spawning this species. This was some weekend. - Frank/Guppyman

Frank,

I've racked my brain for the past couple weeks trying to figure a solution to your fry problems and have came up with zilch. However, I do have a rather quick, and semi-sterile, egg collection technique that you may find useful with all the eggs you're finding lately.

I use one of the algae scrapers sold in pet shops with the rubber blade attached. If held with the handle vertically, it scrapes the eggs off the tank walls dozens at a time. I use a net in the other to catch the eggs before they reach the bottom. Both are soaked in a net dip for a few days before I expect any spawns, or, if doing several species, I simply keep them soaking.

I doubt this will help with your current problem, but it may save you some time with pulling eggs

Larry Vires

C. prionotus page 150.

The 60 eggs my female laid were 1.6 mm diameter. Egg predation was a problem so I removed the adults just prior to the light going off just to save the eggs already laid. They may have continued spawning but I was not going to take the chance of all the eggs being eaten.

Ian

Coryman wrote:C. prionotus page 150. The 60 eggs my female laid were 1.6 mm diameter. Egg predation was a problem so I removed the adults just prior to the light going off just to save the eggs already laid. - Ian

Sorry. Don't know how I missed that. Is 1.6 mm considered on the "smaller" end? There are about 80 eggs and I did move all of the adults before going to bed. In the morning there were no new eggs. I'm going to go take a picture because although they resemble the picture in the PC thumbnails (second picture more than the first), they do not have the coloration of the fish pictured in your book. They are a chocolate color. I'll post a pic in the next hour or so. - Frank/Guppyman

pl*co_breeder wrote:Frank, I've racked my brain for the past couple weeks trying to figure a solution to your fry problems and have came up with zilch.

Hi Larry. Thanks so much for giving my problem some thought. Things have stabilized quite a bit. I have had 10 batches of fry in the past week and all seem to be doing well. Three of albino aeneus, 1 of paleatus, 1 of potaroensis, 1 of duplicareus, 1 of green/albino aeneus cross, 2 of albino high-fin paleatus and 1 of sarareensis, which I thought were prionotus, but Ian properly I.D.'d them. All but the sarareensis have hatched and I have seen very few dead wigglers. Less than 5%. I have some in 2.5 gallon tanks w/ box filters w/ activated carbon and 30% water changes daily, and some in 10 G tanks in the 900 gallon centralized system. So - things are looking up. I'm spending the day working on pics and videos. Should have some interesting stuff to show you soon. I really appreciate your concern. - Frank/Guppyman