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While cleaning our 55 gal aquarium my husband discovered the most amazing thing... A baby Panda Cory!!!

Again today, while just turning on the Aquarium light to view my lovely Betta girls... Lo and behold, I spotted a baby -- maybe the same one, maybe a different one -- swimming strongly close to the bottom of the tank!

What a very special delight! I watched until the baby went down into the glass disks which decorate the bottom of the aquarium...

I've always heard that Pandas aren't easy to breed in an aquarium setting (?) --- so I feel like I'm witnessing a little miracle! But even if I come to find out that I was wrong -- that it's fairly common to breed Pandas -- I won't care, because I simply LOVE babies!!!!

Currently, this newcomer shares the tank with several other corys, a few otos and a large quantity of VERY young Betta girls....

I am just so thrilled!!!

To thine own self be true...

I am shocked!!!

That is absoultely wonderful! Consider yourself very, very blessed!

You will be the envy of many of us panda cory lovers here, myself included!!! Congratulations!

Congratulations! I always respect people who have fishies that breed without even trying!! Except of course livebearers....

That is just fabulous, congrats!

i would have found the same: if i hadnt seen the eggs and removed them, i had my schwartzi breed and some hungry fishy felt nice enough not to eat 10 eggys so now i have 7 little zippy cory fry 3 are already introduced, the last 4 are waiting for a late blumer, (dont want to release the little one all alone) congrats

Pandas are actually quite easy fish to spawn (for cories), but the breeding is somewhat difficult. I'm sure that Cal will come along behind me to expand on this, but the fry are very tough to keep alive for the first two weeks or so, and often die off completely.

Congratulations with your baby, hopefully you will be able to raise it to adulthood!

---

And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Congratulations dreamweaver8891.
That's a very interesting find. Try to spot some more, maybe they're hiding somewhere.


http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

That is sooooooo awesome!!! I don't think if my C. Hasbrosus were to breed I'd even be able to see the babies...I'm sooo happy for you!!! What an awesome find, you should get ahold of Cali, he'd love to hear about it...heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Just found this. Congratulations!

If your water is sufficiently clean, and your gravel vac régime is sufficiently efficient, then baby Pandas can indeed survive in a community aquarium. I've had this happen myself.

The difficult trick, of course, is raising a batch of fry in a nursery aquarium once you have let the parents spawn in them. The first 21 days is the critical period: nurse them through that stage and they become more robust. I take it that this aquarium has never risen above 26°C temperature wise, because if it had, any Panda fry that were in there would have died of heat exhaustion. If you're keeping the aquarium at around 22°C to keep the adult Pandas happy, then the fry will live happily in that.

I'm surprised you never noticed the parents spawning. Panda Cory spawning is very energetic, as the several recipients of my video clip will testify! When my Pandas spawn, the frantic dashing around and rugby scrums of males around the females is simply too conspicuous to escape notice unless you're medically blind! Believe me, these guys are acrobats when breeding: quite often the T position will be performed in midwater, some way off the deck, and with a particularly energetic pair (for example, my own Mata Hari and one of her suitors!) they can perform the mating act with such vigour that they somersault during the T position!

If you have big masses of Java Moss in your aquarium (like my Panda Dun Falace&#8482 and intricate Java Fern rhizome tanges (again, a feature of my Pandas' home) then fry will have plenty of places to hide away from any hungry mouths.

If your baby Panda had full adult colouration when you first spotted him (or her), then your baby was in fact around 12 weeks old. Before then, the main part of the body is covered in tiny black pepper dots.

Here is a link to my Panda spawning photos. Keep selecting 'next picture' to see what the parents look like when spawning.

This is a link to some fry shots. To give you an idea what to expect if you launch into a Panda breeding project. Be advised that you'll have to squint hard to see the fry against the gravel when they're less than 8mm long, as at that size they are perfectly camouflaged against gravel until they move.

Keep a close eye on your Pandas and perhaps one day, you'll catch them spawning. Believe me, it's a once seen, never forgotten sight.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

How fun!! Congratulations on the new babies and I hope that they continue to do well for you, Dreamweaver8891..

Good Luck!!

Congratulations and take good care of the new baby./:'

---

Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Thanks so much for the info! Frankly, I've watched ALL of my Corys -- but apparently didn't pay close enough attention... (Okay! So I'm medically blind!)

My youngster has the adult coloration -- so must be 12 weeks or more as you estimated...

Now as far as my aquarium decoration... Well, my tank is rather sparse to say the least.... Absolutely no plants - fake or real... No decorations... Simply the various colored glass disks for the bottom of the tank... You see, awhile back my tank was brought to its' knees by a bacterial infection of some sort --- Lost all of my females Bettas except for 2, all my Otos, but the Corys hung in there and all survived! My friend Paul (Biloxi Bettas) figures the bacteria must have come from the female Bettas I just couldn't resist buying from a local department store -- because shortly following their release into my 55 gal - my troubles began! Though I treated the tank --- and did several COMPLETE cleanings -- I decided not to re-establish my Aquarium with the decorative plants and other decorations -- fearing that these types of things would hinder the recovery of the tank itself... When the deaths finally stopped occurring, I was left only with the 2 female Bettas and my Corys... Just to be on the safe side, I left these few survivors be the ONLY fish in the tank for several months.... And it's only been in the last week, that I've begun to "re-stock" -- and luckily, things have worked out well....

I made the decision to purchase my new stock from breeders only --- hoping to diminish the chance of infected fish... because let's face it -- the odds are certainly better with reputable breeders and the risks are greater with department store practices.....

Anyway, my little baby appears to be quite happy hiding among the glass disks... Popping out only once in awhile... And frankly, looks to me to be a "non-edible" size at this point....

As I said before, I'm not sure if there are any siblings in the tank --- but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!

So for now, I'll just have to be satisfied with my occasional glimpses - and hope it all works out...

Thanks to everyone who's keeping good thoughts for me!



To thine own self be true...

OK Dreamweaver, time to point you to the obligatory Panda article

Here you go ...

Panda Article

If you can get some intricately shaped small bits of bogwood and drape them with Java Moss, then your Pandas will love you

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Congratulations on your panda baby. I am surprised that any escaped the betta girls.

Wasn't hard to spot my little one this evening! He/She was busily scouring the glass disks shortly after feeding time... and frankly, was quite brave!

As it remained out in the open for some time tonight I was able to get a really good look at the baby -- and as far as its' size goes -- I would estimate it being about a 1/2 inch long from tip of nose to tip of tail, and quite "filled out"... DEINITELY non-edible size for the tank mates involved. It's "markings" are just like my adult Pandas... and it appears to be QUITE a strong little swimmer! (And at least tonight - a little pig!!)

As far as it being able to keep away from the Betta girls... Well, for at least 2-3 months, there were only 2 Betta girls in the tank... And the females I have added within the last 2 weeks, are actually QUITE young themselves....

Now I realize that there were others --- and I might even spot a couple more in the days to come --- who knows? But if I'm to be honest, I consider this new arrival quite a little miracle -- and am happy just with that!

I do intend to read the Panda article Cali --- but I just don't have the energy tonight -- just too busy at work today... But I did want to thank you for the kindness shown in providing the link.... Just having skimmed it, I will have to say that I'm not sure I will be adding any tank decorations of any kind.. One reason is my bout with that horrible bacterial infection and my feeling that a sparser tank is a "cleaner" tank.... And the second reason is purely for selfish reasons --- I love to be able to look at all my fish without any barriers getting in the way!

Guess that's it for now! I want to go back to watching my tank!



To thine own self be true...