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I have 3 cories[1 julii 2 peppered]
I would like to add to the shoal but my tank is overstocked as it is
However I wil add to the shoal once I move them into the 33 and I would like to know:
1.)How many I can have

2.)How to sex them

3.)How to spawn them

4.)What species to add

5.)What specie is easiest to spawn.

THNX IN ADVANCE!!

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

Cories are such fun!

1) Most cory catfish do best in a group of six or more. I would add three more peppered.

2) Can be tricky. Best when viewed from above. A female is generally larger with a thicker belly. A male looks more streamlined.

3) Mine haven't spawned yet so I can't give you sure fire advice but good guidelines are: Use mature fish. Don't expected juvies to spawn. Feed them specifically, don't just assume they are getting enough from your other fish's leftovers. Feed sinking pellets. Extra good conditioning foods like blood worms should help get them really big and healthy. Supposedly adding slightly cooler water in a big water change can help trigger spawning. It simulates natural conditions when there is a lot of rain and the river floods. They should be happy to spawn in your community tank but if you set up a seperate breeding tank for them you can be sure that other fish don't eat the eggs. Also, you won't have to risk damaging the eggs by transfering them from the main tank to a fry tank.

4,5) I vote for more pepper cories. They are beautiful, hardy, readily availible, and you already have a few. If you added more of a different species you have a lower chance of getting a good male/female ratio for breeding. Also, I would think the fish would be happier in a group of the same variety. Go ahead and keep the julii too. Pepper cories are one of the more common cories availible. They have been bred in captivity for a long time.

Good luck!

This is jsut from my experience with albino bronze corries, but i think they're quite similar to the peppered.
2) My female is bigger and fatter than my males. Also, if they start laying eggs, the one with the eggs in her fins is a female
4) More peppers and more jullis if you can find them.
5) with breeding, my guys will lay eggs if they're in water. So i guess that albino bronze corries are easy to breed

are the bronze normally availible

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

Bronze Corydoras are very common in LFS & if you want to breed them, i suggest that you get 2 females & 4 males.

Corydoras like to stay in schools, so the more you have, the happier they'll be.

Bronze, Albino & Peppered are the most common.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

More males then females?That's a new one!

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

Yes, you need more males than females with Corydoras.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

I have 3 males and 1 female ( the shoal increases with surviving fry)

3 males & 1 female is very good, but remember to remove the parents, when you see the eggs, as they might try to eat them.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Never mind removing parents. What i find you need to watch out for is the platies, dainos, tetras ........... that may be in the tank at the time

I said remove the parents, if you're breeding them in a breeding tank, all by themselves. If you are going to breed them in a community tank, than only a few fry will survive, if they'll survive.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

I find with mine most of the time there is no need to remove the parents. They are usually too busy spawning. But there are occasions where a male or other shoal member will follow the spawning group and eat the eggs they leave behind. It helps to have plent of plants. Usually any kind of moss will work. A female will burros into the moss, deposit the eggs and it will be safe from predators. So leave large clumps of moss in the tank. Also most of the time moss will have lots of goodies for the fry to feast on like infusoria. If now plants are provided they will lay the eggs on tank walls and on the gravel.

Depends on the species.

If my rampantly breeding Panda Corys are anything to go by, 4 males to 1 female is a happy ratio. But then I have 14 Pandas and the numbers are increasing as I type this ...

In the case of my Pandas, the females are markedly larger than the males. The largest female is over twice the size of the smallest male.

Once you have decent numbers of a given species, and they're sexually mature, the recommended procedure is to carpet bomb them with live food (live Bloodworm is perfect - drop this in with your Corys and watch them grin like maniacs as they chomp on it!) then give them a 50% water change about 24 hours later that results in a 2 degree Celsius temperature drop. Spawning frenzy should follow in fairly short order.

In the case of my Pandas, I don't even need to drop the temperature. Big water change after a live food banquet usually results in a Roman orgy in my aquarium.

Provide LOTS of Java Moss for them to burrow in whilst laying eggs, and they should provide you with a nice litter of fry.

Most species can be trusted to a limited (and I emphasise here LIMITED) extent with eggs, but for maximum fry populations, use a separate breeding aquarium and remove the parents after spawning. Two species in which this is VITAL if you want to have any fry are Corydoras sychri and Corydoras garbei, as the adults of these two species are NOTORIOUS egg eaters.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002