Cory catfish are egg layer fish and release fertilized eggs all over the tank after breeding. It is important to know how we can detect if they are breeding and how to breed cory catfish. So, How to tell if cory catfish are breeding? Let us find out.
Cory catfish will form a T” shape when they are breeding. The female cory catfish will swim towards the male’s abdomen. The female cory will suck the sperm from her mouth and will use it to fertilize the eggs. They will keep the eggs inside pelvic fins until they get the right spot to release them.
This article will discuss how to tell if cory catfish are breeding and how to breed corydoras. Also, we will discuss how often corydoras breed. So, let us get into it.
Contents
How do I know if my cory catfish are mating?
Cory catfish will form a “T shape when mating.
Female cory catfish swim up to the male catfish’s abdomen, forming a T” shape.
Whenever you look at your cory catfish forming such a shape, they are mating.
Cory catfish are egg layer fish that release the eggs.
They can release up to 50 eggs at one spawn.
You will find your tank full with a bunch of eggs all over the plants and attached to the tank’s glass.
Also read: Will Cory Catfish Breed In A Community Tank?
How long does it take for cory catfish to breed?
It can take up to some hours to some days for your cory catfish to breed.
You have to provide your cory catfish with the ideal conditions for breeding.
The female cory catfish will suck the sperm from the male’s abdomen to fertilize the eggs and will keep the eggs in the pelvic fin until they get the right spot to release the eggs.
Your cory catfish will become sexually mature at the age of 10-12 months.
We don’t recommend breeding your cory catfish until they reach 12 months of age.
If you breed your cory catfish before 12 months, they can go through high levels of stress and suffering.
Also read: Are Cory Catfish Livebearers?
How to breed cory catfish?
Before discussing how to breed cory catfish, there is something you should take care of when planning to breed your cory catfish.
Consider not breeding your cory catfish in a community tank, as you will be unable to protect the eggs in the community tank.
The adults will happily munch on your corydoras eggs, thinking of them as a tasty snack.
You have to transfer the eggs from the community tank to a separate tank.
So, to avoid such issues, we recommend you breed your cory catfish in a separate tank.
Follow these steps to breed your cory catfish:
- Put at least one female and two male cory catfish in a separate tank.
- Consider keeping them in a minimum size of a 10-gallon tank.
- Provide them with their ideal water parameters by setting the temperature at 75-82 °F and pH between 7 and 8. Also, ensure clean water conditions.
- Start feeding them with live high-quality nutritional food. You can also provide them with frozen or freeze-dried food.
- Start increasing the water temperature with colder water change (The temperature should be 3-4 degrees colder than usual). The water should be cold enough by 3-4 days of water change.
- Regularly check your fish as they are ready to breed and can mate anytime. They will form a T” shape when breeding. Female cory catfish will swim toward the male’s abdomen, and then the female fish will suck the sperm from her mouth and use it to fertilize the eggs.
- Once they are done mating, the female cory catfish will keep the eggs inside her pelvic fin until she founds the right place to release the eggs.
- Soon you will notice a bunch of 10-12 eggs attached to the aquarium’s glass and in the substrate and plants.
- Separate the parents as soon they release the eggs as they will happily feed on their eggs.
- Now it’s time to protect the eggs from the fungus. Use methylene blue to prevent fungus or do a more frequent water change to keep the water crystal clean.
- The eggs will get hatched in 5-7 days. Don’t provide food to the fry as they will feed on the remaining egg sacks. Once they start wriggling, feed them with baby brine shrimp and other powder food for the next one week.
- After one week, you can start feeding them with larger food like bloodworms, larvae, flakes, and pellets.
- Once they reach the size which will not fit in the adult’s mouth, you can introduce them to your main tank.
Also read: How Long Does Cory Catfish Eggs Take To Hatch?
How often do cory catfish breed?
Cory catfish breed and lay eggs weekly when provided with ideal water conditions.
It completely depends on the water conditions you are providing to your cory catfish when it comes to breeding.
Provide them with clean water quality, adequate water parameters, sufficient lightning, good quality food, and a stress free environment to make them breed.
Conclusion:
Cory catfish makes a T” shape when they are mating.
The female cory catfish swims towards the male cory catfish’s abdomen.
Then the female cory catfish suck the sperm from the male cory catfish from her mouth and use that to fertilize the eggs.
The female cory catfish keep the fertilized eggs inside her pelvic fins until she gets the right spot to release the eggs.
She attaches the eggs to the aquarium glass, plants, and substrate.
Corydoras can breed every week if kept in ideal tank conditions and parameters.
Reference: Wikipedia