Cory catfish are egg layers that fertilize the eggs inside her using male cory catfish sperm. They keep the eggs in their pelvic fin, and when they get the right place to release the eggs, they release them.
Cory catfish are peaceful creatures and love to live and interact with other non-aggressive fish in a community tank. But, Can they breed in a community tank? So, Will cory catfish breed in a community tank? Let us find out.
Cory catfish will breed in a community tank, but we don’t recommend breeding them in it. Instead, breed them in a separate breeding tank to protect the eggs from the adult fish. Then, once the cory releases the eggs, separate them from eggs and re-introduce them to the community tank.
This article will discuss whether cory catfish will breed in a community tank and how to care for cory eggs and cory fry. Also, we will discuss how to breed cory catfish. So, let us get into it.
Contents
Do cory catfish breed in a community tank?
Cory catfish usually breed in a community tank and release eggs in every corner of the tank.
They will attach their eggs to the aquarium’s glass and plants.
However, we don’t recommend breeding your corydoras in a community tank. Instead, you should breed them in a breeding tank or separate tank.
Breeding them in a separate tank is a good choice as you don’t have to handle the cory eggs.
Once the cory catfish has released the eggs, separate them from the eggs as, after spawning, they will become hungry and will feed on eggs.
So, remove the cory catfish from the breeding tank and place them back in the home aquarium once they release the eggs.
Also read: Are Cory Catfish Livebearers?
How to breed cory catfish?
It is advisable to breed your cory catfish in a breeding tank or a separate tank.
Breeding them in a separate tank will help you protect the eggs from other adult fish.
Corydoras can breed when they get sexually mature, and they reach this stage at month 12.
You can breed them when they are 12 months old.
The best way to know if they are sexually mature is by looking at their appearance.
The female cory catfish will look longer and wider, whereas the male cory will be smaller than the female cory.
Separate the corydoras and place two male and one female cory catfish in a breeding tank.
Provide them with ideal breeding conditions by feeding them live food and performing regular water changes.
Keep the water temperature cool by 3-4 degrees to provide an ideal water temperature for breeding.
Keep a regular check on their behavior. They will start mating by this time.
They will form a T shape when breeding. The female cory will swim towards the abdomen of the male cory.
The male cory will release the sperm to fertilize the eggs, which the female cory will swallow using her mouth.
The female cory catfish will carry the eggs in her pelvic fin until they get the right place to release the eggs.
You will see small groups of eggs all over the tank once they start releasing the eggs.
Should we separate the eggs from the adults?
We have to separate the eggs from the adults. They will feed on almost all the eggs if you don’t do it.
Consider placing the eggs in a separate tank to protect them from getting fed by adult corydoras and other fish in the tank.
The best way to remove the eggs is by using any card like a shopping card or gift card.
You can also use tweezers to remove the eggs from the tank.
How to take care of cory catfish eggs?
The first thing you have to do is to protect the eggs from the adults.
Cory catfish and other fish will feed on eggs if you don’t separate the eggs.
So, separate the eggs and place them in another tank.
You can keep them in a 5-gallon tank.
Now the next important thing is to protect the eggs from fungus.
Consider doing a regular water change every day to keep the water crystal clean, or you can also use methylene blue to prevent fungus.
The eggs will take about a week to get hatched, and soon you will see the wrigglers.
How to take care of a cory fry?
Once the egg is hatched, you don’t have to feed them for the next 48 hours as they will feed on the remaining yolk sags.
After 48 hours, you can start feeding the cory fry with powder food when you see the cory fry moving a little.
Feed them powder food for the first week; after that, you can feed them live or frozen protein-based food.
Feed your cory fry with baby brine shrimp as it is the best food for them.
Also, you can feed them bloodworms, mosquito larvae, and blanched vegetables.
Once they reach the size which will not fit the adult fish mouth, you can introduce them to your home aquarium.
Conclusion:
Cory catfish will breed in a community tank when kept in ideal conditions.
However, we don’t recommend breeding your cory catfish in a community tank, as doing that, you will not be able to protect the eggs.
You have to separate the eggs and place them in a separate tank using tweezers or razers.
So, to avoid such issues, consider breeding your corydoras in a breeding tank or separate tank.
Add three cory catfish, two male and one female, to a breeding tank and feed them with live food.
Increase the temperature by 3-4 degrees by performing a regular cold water change to ensure ideal breeding conditions.
The breeding process can take some hours to days, and soon you will see corydoras eggs all over the tank in small groups of 10-12.
Separate the parent corydoras from the eggs and re-introduce them to their home tank because once they release the eggs, corydoras will not hesitate to feed on them.
Reference: Wikipedia, ScienceDirect