Albino Cory Eggs, Very Cool, Now What?

Andyandsue

I removed a good 10 of the eggs today. I watched my favorite fish, my Big Momma, carrying her eggs around then found them on a plant.

I removed the plant, roots and all, to my tiny one gallon "emergency tank" that had nothing but a snail to keep it cycled, some small gravel and a silk plant in it. I put my snail in another tank and turned off the UG filter thinking they will get sucked under if and when they hatch. Water is clean, just did a water change yesterday.

Now what do I do? How can I tell if the eggs make it or if they fungus? Is it correct that white egg=good and brown egg=bad? How soon will this change happen if the egg doesn't survive? And how long do they take to hatch?

Feeding? Fry live on their yoke sac for 24-48 hours, correct? How can I establish microworms quickly or should I go and buy some fry flakes that I read about?

I tried to Google this but the answers just weren't there.[/i]

Lupin

Here is Julie's corydoras breeding thread.
http://fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=6280

tophat665

Julie's thread is really handy. I read through that when mine spawned two weeks ago, and now I have a tank full of quarter inch blonde tadpoles. :D

However, there is no substitute for Google. Search on "Breeding corydoras" and read through the first half dozen pages that come up. Figure out where they agree. Ignore everything about how to get them to breed, of course, and concentrate on hatching the eggs and raising the fry. (Though you probably do want to see what you can see about the set up of a breeding tank, since that will also be the solution for early grow out.)

Andyandsue

I already googled it and I also read the thread. I'm still not 100% though... I removed as many eggs as I could find (18 in all), but I found where they were becuase the other fish were attemptimg to eat them, so getting them out was my priority.

So I am still not sure on the following things:

I put them in a tank with substrate and an UG filter, should I attempt to remove them, then remove the UG filter and the sybstrate and replace them into a clean bare tank or is it best to just leave well enough alone?

If they turn brown does that mean they are fungused and to be removed? So far they are all still clear/white.

Is the consensus that commericial bought fry food is ok, and can they survive for 24 hours on just their yolk sacs so I have time to buy it if they in fact hatch?

tophat665

I believe brown means fertilized. Fur means fungus (I actually gave my fry tank a half dose each of melafix and pimafix).

Leave the filter alone. Do more harm than good to stir things up.

Commercial fry food is fine. They make this stuff called Rotifeast now, that's a suspension of rotifers. Don't know as I would spring for it for 18 eggs, though. Feed them that for a couple 2-3 days or a week, then switch to baby brine and finely powdered flake.

Don't know how long they survive on their yolks, sorry. I started feeding them as soon as I could see them.

Andyandsue

Thanks.

I thought Rotifeast was only for marine Fish. Since this is my first batch I will probably just go with the commercial stuff.

I did find on Wiki under bronze coryes that brown does mean fertilized.

fish_4_all

Very well boiled egg yolk, smashed and a very small amount swirled in a shot galss of tank water then pipette in to the fish. They do live for 24-48 hours on their yolk sacks. I fed mine vinegar eels for the first week then switched to grindal worms. Of the eggs I collected I only lost 3 eggs and 2 babies after birth.

Make sure to remove any eggs that get fungus imediately! Otherwise if they touch the other eggs they will spread it and kill them all. Methyl blue is recommened by some but I never used it. I used my net breeder and left it directly in front of the outflow of my AC HOB. Lots of algae but no mold or fungus.

Congrats and keep us up to date.

Andyandsue

Yummy, an egg yolk and tank water cocktail. :P And who doesn't like vinegar eels or grindal worms?

I will allow everyone to laugh at me now! I am being such a girl, but the thought of ground up worms and the like is grossing me out. Yes, I have a dog, a cat, an aquarium, and kids! (& lets not forget a husband too) Yes, I performed surgery on a Goldfish (long story, find the thread if you want to know more), and yes I removed fish eggs with my bare hands, but YES this is grossing me out! And no, I could never watch "Fear Factor".

I was planning on putting the fry inside a hanging plastic breeder once they hatch. This happened so quick, that the tank I have the eggs in just wasn't ready for them. I don't feel it's an ideal spot for them and think they are better off in a wonderfully clean, perfectly maintained tank.

Any tips on how to remove the eggs if they get fungus but are attached to other eggs? 10 are on a plant so that is easy to do, but the other 8-10 are on substrate that I gently picked out by hand and many look attached.

It's been about 35 hours or so and a few of the eggs have started to turn tan in color, and if I stare long and hard with the light in I can see actual movement inside 2 of them. It's like a slow and slight rolling from side to side within the egg, nothing crazy or obvious.

fish_4_all

No grinding the worms, I fed them whole. I can't even imagine trying to cut up these little tiny things. Vinegar eels are not eels as I as sure you aware of and they are easy to seperate so they work well I have 3 huge cultures of them that I would bet could feed 200 fry for 3-5 days every day 3x a day.

I really like the grindal worm to because they can be forgotten about and then you feed them again and they come right back.

Sounds like they are about ready to hatch. Mine only took 4 days so keep an eye out. They are very hard to spot in the corner of any breeder.