# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Catfishes >  Spawnings today

## kim m

Even though I haven't done any waterchanges for over a week (Busy christmas) two species of Corys decided to spawn today  :Smile: 

Both quite rare even  :Smile: 

C7, a small species from the paleatus-complex and C115/116 (a saddle snouted species from Madre de Dios) have depositet a good amount of eggs in the java moss of their respective tanks. The pictures are not new, but some old ones. I didn't have time to take new ones today.

Especially the C7 are fun to watch; the males fight like mad over the female. No harm done though  :Smile:

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## stormhawk

Congratulations Kim. I especially like the saddle snout species in your picture. I had _Corydoras cervinus_ some years ago and they were splendid fish.

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## kim m

Thanks  :Smile: 

Saddlesnouts are amazing fish, but I find them more sensitive than other groups. These C115/116 are very easy though. I bought them on my trip to Peru in 2008 directly from the wholesaler. I've never seen them offered in shops in Europe.

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## stormhawk

These have been spotted in Singapore before, but not in recent months. I saw some nice C. schwartzi but decided not to get them, since I have no spare tank for a group.

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## kim m

A few fry pics... C. carlae youngster, even younger S. prionotos and a group of C115/116 in various sizes  :Smile:

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## Shi Xuan

Congratulations to your new hatchlings, I guess your Cories should be breeding like rabbits given the current temperature in Europe? Our local temperature has turned warm (29°C - 31°C), so that might be the reason why I haven't seen anymore eggs from either C.hastatus or C.pygmaeus. Simply can't wait to see these youngsters of yours turn into fine adults someday. 

Is there any updates on the C.gracilis or maybe the S.kronei? I would like to see how their fry looks like. :Smile:

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## stormhawk

> Thanks 
> 
> Saddlesnouts are amazing fish, but I find them more sensitive than other groups. These C115/116 are very easy though. I bought them on my trip to Peru in 2008 directly from the wholesaler. I've never seen them offered in shops in Europe.


You are right in this sense. They are much more sensitive. I never got them to take pellets or tablet foods. They would ingest some then spit it out or just let it go past their gill rakers if they are digging about.

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## kim m

Yeah, breeding is going well at the moment. Today my oiapoquensis started spawning again after a loooong break.

I have some pics of gracilis fry from a previous spawning somewhere...have to dig around a bit  :Smile:  

The kronei was short lived. Only one hatched and it died within a few days.

I found saddlesnouts very fuzzy about food too. My C115/116 and vittatus will go for dry food sometimes, but orcesi and serratus won't. I am expecting to pick up some C53 in 2 weeks...hope I can keep the alive.

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## stormhawk

All saddlesnouts that I kept before, never really took anything except for live foods like worms and such. I believe in the wild, these saddlesnouts are found in fast moving streams with a sandy bottom. Perhaps next time, I can try a river tank layout designed for hillstream loaches, to see if these saddles love such conditions. Only some slight modification in terms of tweaking the flow rate of the tank would be necessary I think.

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## kim m

They definately like current!

I have a friend who has done a lot of research on Corys...he has looked at gut content of wild fish from all over South America and measured nitrogen levels. Actually saddlesnouts have quite low levels of nitrogen in their gut content which suggests that they don't eat a lot of protein but more "debris". On the contrary, round snouted species have very high levels and so, they eat a lot of protein.

He has also done a lot of DNA-analysis and eventually it will probably lead to a revision of Corydoradinae from 4 to 9 genera....all the preparations are done anyway :P

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## stormhawk

Good grief! From 4 to 9 genera?  :Shocked:  That'll be a shocker alright.

By debris you mean detritus, or perhaps plant matter? If that's the case then perhaps the saddlesnouts may appreciate the occasional algae wafer or two.

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## kim m

The genera will be the "old" names like Hoplosoma and so on if there is such. Some will need new names though, like the "paleatus group"...really exciting and most of it makes sense. I can send you some of the publicised material? There's also a chapter in Hans Evers and Ian Fullers ID-book supplement.

Yes, detritus...  :Smile: 

My friend says that algae watfers might be a good idea. The saddlesnouts he had at the lab liked them better than ordinairy Cory tablets. With my own fish I see some interest from the saddlesnouts, but they are not going crazy like I would like them to.

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## stormhawk

Perhaps you can experiment with algae wafers dipped in some GarlicGuard from Seachem? I always wondered if that product was as efficient as it claims to be. Hikari Algae Wafers were largely ignored by my round snouts in the past.

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## kim m

Perhaps...I can't remember which brand my friend used. Must ask him  :Smile:

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## RonWill

Kim,
By "saddlesnouts", you meant the long snouts like _Scleromystax barbatus / kronei_? I have 2 trios under my care, trying to differentiate between the two species, and they show little interest in commercial foods, be it sinking tabs or algae wafers. However, they do pig out on livefoods and are spawning quite regularly

Their eggs are in clusters instead of singly-deposited on glass panels and the highest count to date was 17 eggs. It puzzles me though, to find sand-covered eggs on the tank's floor, as if it was deliberately laid there. Have you any similar observations with other long-snouts or _kronei_?

Incubating harvested _barbatus_'s eggs prove challenging enough, either going bad or failing to hatch. Have tried different methods with temperature, pH, light and anti-fungal agents (treatment and natural aids) and managed to retrieve only 3 little buggers from different clutches. Any advice will be most appreciated.

I did note that the _Scleromystax_ fry take a much longer time to deplete the egg sac and thankfully, they are doing ok in the midst of _hastatus_ and Orange Laser fry.

Will look forward to updates from your gracilis breeding group.

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## kim m

No, by saddlesnouts I mean the "real" Corys; Corydoras geoffrey, fowleri, amapaensis, serratus, acutus etc.

With Scleromystax I also find single eggs scattered on the tank floor even though the majority are clustered where the current hits the front glass. My Scleromystax are also a bit picky with food, but this is mostly in CW38. My kronei and lacerdai go for anything.

When harvesting Sclero-eggs I don't take them out until the 3rd. day as I find them very prone to fungusing if they are taken too early. These are the only eggs where I use razorblades and avoid touching them with my fingers. All other "Cory"-eggs I just pick with my fingers. The doesn't apply to the prionotos though, as they spawn very differently; the use spawning mops. Here I wait 2-3 days as well though, but use my fingers.

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## kim m

So...kronei eggs again. Fingers crossed this time!

Also a couple of spawns from S. prionotos, C7, C. carlae and C. oiapoquensis!

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## stormhawk

Congratulations again Kim. Ronnie here bred plenty of C. oiapoquensis in his old rack system. They never re-appeared locally again since then. It's a pity because it's a beautiful cory.

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## RonWill

> So...kronei eggs again. Fingers crossed this time!


 Hey Kim, that's great news!! I'm planning to do with the _barbatus_ what you did with your _kornei_. So... will you be rolling out the eggs or leaving it in the tank? Any idea if _Scleromystax_ are habitual egg-eaters (like the _robinea_)?

I used to have _oiapoquensis_ spawn on a regular basis but sold the breeding group just before I took a hiatus from the hobby and it would be nice to have them again. For now, I'd want to concentrate on the _napoensis_. Huge, well conditioned but refuse to lay. Have already tried most known triggers, so I'm pretty stumped.

The _hastatus_, however, are churning out tubs of fry... cute little buggers and the first group of approx 100 juveniles, ranging between 5 to 11mm, have taken on the distinctive peduncle markings found in adults. Nice to watch them eat heartily and schooling readily.

Kim, I had a crazy thought over the Lunar New Year... probably the effect of not working and having too much time in hand... and was wondering if cory eggs can be shipped like killie eggs (breather bags, not peat, via EMS). If that is a feasible attempt (should be viable), I wonder if you'd be game to play. _Barbatus_ for your _gracilis_ perhaps? If you're all for it, maybe we can work in a few species of killifishes' eggs and I can reimburse you via Paypal or your preferred method. Sounds exciting, no?

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## stormhawk

Ron, move the napo to new surroundings? Might get them into the mood, or you can always use that shrimp viagra.  :Grin: 

Cory eggs can survive the shipping process but you might have to add the anti fungal. I don't know how sensitive they are to changes in temperature during transit Ron, so it'll be a huge risk to undertake. Good luck, because if this works.. HOORAY~  :Razz:

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## kim m

RonWill, my experince is that as long as the eggs ar eon the glass, the Scleromystax will leave them alone (this does not go for S. prionotos though, they are eager egg-eaters). Once scraped off, the eggs are placed in a hatching container. I find that all eggs are disappearing of they are left rolling around on the substrate.

With napoensis (and most other "elegans-type" corys) i find them quite easy to trigger. I keep them in densely stocked tanks with other species in tap water (realtively high pH and hardness) and feed mostly dry food. Then I move them to a tank of their own with 100% rainwater and loads of natural food and one or two cool waterchanges later they usually spawn.

We tried sending Coryeggs in Scandinavia (reltively short shipping time) on peat and also breatherbags. Results were very bad. As far as I remember the eggs we tried were Aspidoras C125, Scleromystax barbatus and Corydoras panda.

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## RonWill

> ...move the napo to new surroundings?


 Already tried that... from fishroom to my place, totally different environment but still no go.




> ...my experince is that as long as the eggs ar eon the glass, the Scleromystax will leave them alone


 I harvested another lot of Sclero eggs, some from tank walls, some 'camouflaged' (coated with sand) on the bottom and some already fungicized. I've placed these into 2 separate incubating containers with drastically different TDS, gH and pH waters, so let's see what comes out of it. I'm wondering at this point whether some cory eggs are photophobic (or best incubated with reduced/absence of light/illumination)!!

As for attempting cory/killie eggs via EMS, I'll leave that to your discretion but cannot help wondering why cory eggs can't make the trip in breather bags. I recall ordering _Chromaphyosemion_ eggs in breather bags from the USA and having them hatch en-route to SG... all 12 of them... best and most memorable result I have had with non-annuals.

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## stormhawk

Perhaps Corydoras eggs require a certain degree of oxygen saturation in the water to continue development. Without some form of current they might die. I think it'll be more worthwhile to attempt shipping adults instead.

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## kim m

I have seen nothing to suggest that coryeggs are photophobic, but I've never given it any thought to be honest.

I agree with Stormhawk that coryeggs are more oxygen dependent than killi eggs wich in my experience survive almost anything.

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## RonWill

Kim, here's an interesting observation for you.

I was transporting the Sclero eggs in small takeaway containers and guess what?? I spotted 2 little buggers upon reaching home, wriggling in the midst of a thin layer of sand (remember I siphoned out eggs from the tank's bottom) and wondered how that was possible. That is, until I remembered the 'bad breath into film canister' trick for force hatching stubborn killie eggs!!

So... without doing the infamous chicken dance, i transferred more eggs into a film canister and guess what??... a few more buggers!!

If low pH is required for hatching, as some online sources suggest, then wouldn't a low-pH incubation water have sufficed... unless CO² is really what's needed to soften the chitin/shell? *brilliant idea* I'm gonna experiment with CO² injection tomorrow and see.

Still trying to figure the logic behind all this. Any thoughts/opinions will be appreciated.

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## RonWill

> ...that coryeggs are more oxygen dependent than killi eggs


 May I ask how you came to that conclusion?

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## kim m

> May I ask how you came to that conclusion?


If coryeggs are left in a container with stagnant water, I find that eggs from a lot of species will not make it very well. An airstone or breederbox with a flow-through of water is in my experience best for Coryeggs.

Killi eggs on the other hand will hatch as long as they're wet, water movement or not. At least here  :Smile:

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## RonWill

Hi all,
Thought I'd share a clip of female _Scleromystax barbatus_ (or _kornei_??) depositing eggs during a spawning run.


The second shows the classic T-blowjob, Corydoras-style, of course  :Grin: 


I guesstimated 38 eggs, deposited on side, back, plus a few more on the bottom. Since the adults have not developed a taste for eggs, I'll play along with Kim and leave the clutch to incubate in-tank. We'll see if this works better than rolling 'em eggs out. Not much fun looking at fuzz balls all the time...

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## kim m

Congrats! Looks like barbatus to me  :Smile: 

Today was Sclero-day in the fishroom...eggs of CW38, CW67 and prionotos. Especially pleased with CW38 as I lost my most productive female while moving to my new house, but fortunately another female did the job.
Also eggs in the gracilis-tank and my C133 are very busy. Fingers crossed...usually I never see them and the few times they were active there were eggs on the oak leaves  :Smile:

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## stormhawk

I'll have a look at these fish myself later when I visit Ron and see for myself if they're really barbatus or another Scleromystax.  :Grin: 

Another round of congratulations to you Kim. Perhaps the cold snap in Europe is making them get into the mood.  :Grin: 

How are the killies doing? I forgot to ask if you were keeping any annuals, but that's for another thread.

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## kim m

The fish got a waterchange a couple of days ago, but nothing out of the ordinairy. We have down to minus 15 celcius at the moment so the rainwaterbarrel is soon a no-go. Today I will make a hole in the ice to get some water into my barrel in the fishroom so I have water for next week. 

The killies are doing well, but I am cutting back on Aphyosemion to concentrate on small "Rivulus" (ornatus, atratus, speciosus etc.). I have just collected the first eggs of luelingi. I kept Austrolebias juanlangi for a while. Very pretty, but the annuals are not for me I think. Perhaps I will try them again some day  :Smile:

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## stormhawk

You got some nice and interesting Rivulus there. Perhaps you can make a biotope community tank using Rivulus and Corydoras that inhabit the same habitat in the wild. Might make an interesting tank.

By any chance, do you know anyone in the SKS who is keeping Maratecoara lacortei and Leptolebias species? Especially Lept. aureoguttatus. We had a Norwegian member in the old Killies.com forum named Svein Antonsen, but he has not been on these forums for a long time ever since the old forums merged with AQ.

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## kim m

I really like the smaller Rivulus. I am gutted I was only into Corys when I was in Peru in 2008 and dipped my feet in Quista Cocha lake etc. It would be so nice to have speciosus, ornatus and maybe atratus and rectocaudatus that I caught myself. I caught som aff. rubrolineatus though that was actually the fish that started my interest in killies  :Smile: 

Hmm....I can't recall anyone keeping these species. I can have a look at the SKS species list. Unfortunately a lot of memebers does not remember to register their species.

Svein A. is getting active again on the Norweigian forums, so he might find his way here too  :Smile:

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## stormhawk

Haha you should have signed up for a tour with WildPERU run by Brian Perkins and his family. They caught some interesting Rivulus and Aphyolebias during their collecting trips with their clients. One of the new Aphyolebias he caught recently is a stunner. Probably a population of A. rubrocaudatus but it's still nicely coloured. See this link:

http://www.wildperu.blogspot.com/201...s-species.html

I think they also found some interesting Corydoras too. In the blog he has some videos of the collection trips, including one video on catching Rivulus and you can see them jumping like frogs.  :Grin:

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## kim m

Yes...wildPERU would be a nice company to use  :Smile:  I have a friend who knows one of the people of Stingray Aquarium SAC in Iquitos so we used them as it was easy and we knew what we were getting into. I think that is important for a first trip  :Smile:

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## stormhawk

Fish in Ronnie's care are Scleromystax kronei. The male doesn't have that distinctive white line that runs down the snout like barbatus males. It seems the eggs are viable when left in the tank, I saw them turning yellowish so it's a good sign I guess. You can see some development in the embryos with a closer look, not viewable in the video however.

WildPERU is a great company since Brian himself is a killie keeper. What better person to bring you around Peru than Brian himself.  :Wink:  I think you can even ask him to organise a trip to Bolivia along with Peru, then you can catch Simpsonichthys filamentosus, along with other species found there.  :Grin:

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## kim m

Yes, you are right; they are kronei it seems  :Smile:  ...I had my male out for a photoshoot during the weekend (see it here: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...image_id=13399 ) and that is definately kronei.

Actually I did a lot of Scleromystax-shooting. I am at work so can't post any pics, but they are at Plantcatfish under CW38, CW67, kronei, prionotos and lacerdai  :Smile: 

I am pretty happy with my new cheap cam  :Smile:

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## kim m

Hmm...my kronei-project is not going so well. A few eggs hatch, but the fry are very weak and die within a few days. I hope it is just because my adults are still young. Sometimes it gets better when the adults mature.

BUT another nice thing to report is that my Corydoras baderi is spawning  :Smile:

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## RonWill

Well... if those are kornei, then so be it. At least I did see a few translucent wrigglers that quickly disappeared under the driftwoods! Hopefully, there will be sufficient micro-organisms for the tiny ones to pull through the critical 1st weeks.

Kim, I think the adults under my care are also young but at least there's a lower percentage of fungus-ed eggs and the horny buggers have been at it again, this time on the side walls. Also, I found that _kornei_ fry takes a longer time for egg-sac absorption before they become free swimming.

BTW, I see a spawning mop in your pic!!! Never found eggs in any of mine! What about you?

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## stormhawk

I envy you guys in Europe. You can ship fish throughout the EU with no restrictions.

Congratulations on the baderi spawn. I don't think I've seen those for sale here in Singapore. Are they common in Europe? Or at least in Scandinavia.

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## Shi Xuan

> Well... if those are kornei, then so be it. At least I did see a few translucent wrigglers that quickly disappeared under the driftwoods! Hopefully, there will be sufficient micro-organisms for the tiny ones to pull through the critical 1st weeks.
> 
> Kim, I think the adults under my care are also young but at least there's a lower percentage of fungus-ed eggs and the horny buggers have been at it again, this time on the side walls. Also, I found that _kornei_ fry takes a longer time for egg-sac absorption before they become free swimming.
> 
> BTW, I see a spawning mop in your pic!!! Never found eggs in any of mine! What about you?


At last, those yellow gems finally hatch. :Jump for joy:  It's about time I check out those little scooters this coming weekend and if there's walter worms, I would like to get that one as well *AND* Ronnie, is that a typo error, I suppose? :Razz:  It's *Kronei* not *Kor-nei*!!! :Laughing:

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## RonWill

> ...*AND* Ronnie, is that a typo error, I suppose? It's *Kronei* not *Kor-nei*!!!


 danged.... I knew better than to post this late. At least it wasn't Corny!!  :Grin: 

Walter is in you-know-where. Come this weekend & help to sub-culture. I'm heading back home.

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## kim m

Congrats RonWill, lets hope you raise alot  :Smile: 

I always place the mops where the current is strong and often find the majority of the eggs in the mop with especially the round-snouted species. And egg-eaters like panda, weitzmani etc. can't find the eggs once they are in the mop  :Smile: 

Baderi is far from common here. I got mine from Hans Georg Evers in Germany. He and Ingo Seidel are responsible for us having species like boesemani, baderi, C150 and carlae, to name a few, in the hobby. Many species from Guyana, Surinam etc. are never commercially imported here, so we are lucky these guys go out to find them, bring them back and breed them.

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## stormhawk

Sad to say the same does not apply here. The importers here just take whatever is supplied from South American suppliers, or from transhippers in Europe/North America. It's a pity because not too long ago, Corydoras had a big following in Singapore. Not so much these days. 

I did spot a new batch of C. cervinus, I think, at C328 (a famous store here in Singapore). Did not get any for myself.

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## kim m

Network is everything when it comes to finding the rarities. I usually go to England, Germany or Norway every year to get new species.

I have read about C328 several time (it was also mentioned frequently on the old Petfrd.com).

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## stormhawk

We don't have that luxury unless we are willing to travel to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan for other Corydoras. In any case, there's enough random Corydoras species to buy every now and then. Just don't have space to house them all.  :Laughing:

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## vannel

So true! Space is the primary constraint for me as well.. I could travel and take the risk of DOA during transportation back to Singapore, but housing them would be an issue..

Perhaps I should custom a long, long tank for my flat next time.. One that spans across the perimeter of my living room would be an interesting idea.. (Perimeter x 1 x 1 tank).. Hhhrrrrrmmmmmmm... Wonder if that's feasible..


Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk

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## stormhawk

Problem with doing that is that when your ideas change, the tanks have to move, so a fixed setup may not be a good idea.

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## vannel

Haha. That's just a pipe dream. Don't think it'll ever make it past my wife, much less for it to come to fruition. Even 1 side of my wall wouldn't be possible given the length of the glass required. Wouldn't fit in the lift.

I think I'll stick to maybe a 6 x 1 x 1 for my corydoras showcase tank in the living area. Maybe even 9 x 1 x 1 if the size of the lift permits.


Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk

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## stormhawk

I can't imagine the total weight of this setup, if you ever do it.  :Shocked:

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## kim m

So, an update on the baderi!

Yesterday I transferred the eggs (80 in all!) to a large breederbox and hung it on the side of a 50 litre tank that currently houses a few C. oiapoquensisfry and Oryzias woworae fry. The other two boxes hanging on the tank contains eggs of C. oiapoquensis. Gonna be crowded!

Also pics of the eggs...ready to hatch! The breedingtank and pics of male and female from the group as well  :Smile:

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## stormhawk

Those are some huge eggs on the leaf. Are you using the Sudo Satellite boxes? I have a Satellite L running off my 4ft tank and it's excellent.

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## YeoQK

Hi, 

Ronwill, can i check with you if Corydoras Napoensis and Corydoras Acruatus are egg eaters? 
I tried to google on it but I get different answers from different sources.

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## YeoQK

> Hi, 
> 
> Ronwill, can i check with you if Corydoras Napoensis and Corydoras Acruatus are egg eaters? 
> I tried to google on it but I get different answers from different sources.


Sorry i meant Corydoras Arcuatus, not Acruatus.

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## kim m

> Those are some huge eggs on the leaf. Are you using the Sudo Satellite boxes? I have a Satellite L running off my 4ft tank and it's excellent.


Yes, they are the same as are sold as Superfish Breeder Boxes over here  :Smile:  they are great!

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## stormhawk

Best breeder box in the market, hands down.  :Grin: 

@YeoQK,

I don't think either species are egg eaters. They will eat eggs of other fishes if they find them, but usually not their own.

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## RonWill

> Sorry i meant Corydoras Arcuatus, not Acruatus...


 Huh???!!!

I'm still working on the _napoensis_. No first-hand experience with _arcuatus_ yet, so I can't say if these are egg-eaters. Perhaps Kim might want to chip in.

On the other hand, although many of the earlier _kronei_ eggs went bad, I'm happy to harvest 6 tiny 4mm fry and these going into my home grow-out tank while I experiment further to improve their hatch rate.

Bonus load of _pygmaeus_ fry that caught me by surprise. However, the _hastatus_ groups seem to be taking a whoopie break. [email protected] I need more tanks!!!

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## stormhawk

Time to raid the old man's nest... for more cuties.  :Cool:

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## RonWill

> Time to raid...


 Yo!!! Get a life!!! Go plunder a nest elsewhere and leave this old man alone!! GGGgggrrr!! Dagnabit!!

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## stormhawk

More reason to raid and give a big smile at the camera.  :Grin:

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## YeoQK

Thank you guys for the reply. I'll take of note it.

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## kim m

> Huh???!!!
> 
> I'm still working on the _napoensis_. No first-hand experience with _arcuatus_ yet, so I can't say if these are egg-eaters. Perhaps Kim might want to chip in.
> 
> On the other hand, although many of the earlier _kronei_ eggs went bad, I'm happy to harvest 6 tiny 4mm fry and these going into my home grow-out tank while I experiment further to improve their hatch rate.
> 
> Bonus load of _pygmaeus_ fry that caught me by surprise. However, the _hastatus_ groups seem to be taking a whoopie break. [email protected] I need more tanks!!!


Thjere are very few accounts of arcuatus being bred and very diverse informations...some have spawned them in hard tapwater and others in acidic blackwater setups...it does not make it easier that it seems to be a very widespread species (more than one specie?). The people I know who have spawned then have done it accidental with a few eggs or fry appearing occasionally. I don't think eggs were eaten though.

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## Adam_80

Congrats bro! It's always great feeling to watch our little fella grow and then breed. Satisfaction!

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## soltari007

hey kim! hope to hear more spawnings from you!

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