[KPainter]

I was cleaning my big tank today and getting ready to dump the bucket when I saw something wriggling in the bottom. I quick stuck him in a square vase I had laying around with some clean water, moss and a few tiny bits of other plants, but I honestly don't know what else to do to keep him alive! I know the moss must have some infusoria on it. Should I add more of that?

Not a great pic, but based on how much my cories have been breeding lately and his shape, I'm guessing that's what he is.

baby cory by KPainter, on Flickr

Here's his makeshift tank - I stuck a piece of white paper behind it so you could see it easier in front of my other two tanks. It's tiny. But so is he. And there's no one in there to eat him.


baby tank by KPainter, on Flickr

Any help/suggestions you can give me to keep this guy alive would be great! I have an air stone, but in a space that small, it would probably blow him away. Water changes every day? Any thing I can do for him food wise? Help me, y'all!

 

[DKRST]

Neat! I'd suggest getting some frozen baby brine shrimp (BBS) to feed. Keep up with water changes, the shrimp will foul the water quickly. Don't overfeed - it takes much less food than you think for one lone fry. You can also grind up some flake food very fine and put a very, very, tiny pinch in.

One option to improve water quality is using a breeding "net" /chamber that you just hang in your main tank. Much easier than doing daily water changes. Should only be a few dollars. Something like below:

 

[KPainter]

I thought about doing the breeding net. Maybe that's what I'll do. Then he can go back in the big tank. I'll look into the frozen brine shrimp!

 

[JDM]

I will float a plastic container in the tank to keep the water temp the same and just draw water out of the container and replace it with tank water. Add some plants and use a turkey baster to suck detritus off the bottom of the container.... works if no breeding net available. I've been doing this for some small shrimp growing out before I put them in the tank with the sushi lovers. The net would be easier as no water changing is needed though.

Jeff.

 

[KPainter]

I just bought a hang on the side breeding tank and some brine shrimp eggs - both should get here Saturday, so if I can keep him alive until then maybe he'll make it.

I also just crushed some flake food to dust and put a tiny amount in. I'll change his water tomorrow. He doesn't seem to move much except for some bursts of craziness...then nothing again. I hope he's all right.

 

[Byron]

The net was a good plan.

As for food, the easiest is to place some plants from the main tank inside the net. Infusoria will abound, and corys will eat them. But given his size, I would go immediately to sinking foods. Shrimp pellets, disks, tabs etc. They will sit on the bottom of the net. Of course, fish below will pick at them.

I found a cory fry in my canister much like this one time. I put him in my 10g which at that time had nothing else in it but some Farlowella fry, and he grew quite fast even though I wasn't feeding him except for some sinking foods.

Byron.

 

[KPainter]

He's still alive and kicking today so I'm happy! I put a bunch of moss in there, which he seems to like to hang out in. On your advice Byron, I dropped a sinking pellet in there too. He's ignoring it so far. Also changed about 50% of his water today.

 

[KPainter]

Still alive as of this morning, although he must not like waking up because he was a little slow to get moving at first. Then he flitted all over the place, so I'm sure he's fine. Changed half his water, siphoned out the particles I could see (I'm using my finger over the end of a drinking straw for that) and added a little bit of crushed sinking pellet for his breakfast. The breeding tank comes today and I think getting him in that will make me feel better about his survival chances.

 

[KPainter]

My cories were spawning again today and I managed to get four eggs out (they don't lay a lot) and into the little tank with the hatchling. All the eggs were in the moss, so I'm thinking a spawning mop might really work if I ever decide to really make a go of breeding these guys. No idea how the eggs will do, but at least my breeding tank arrives today.

 

[KPainter]

Well, this sucks - the breeding box just came and as I was setting it up, I realized it was cracked on the bottom corner and won't hold water. SO disapointed! I hope they send the replacement quickly.

 

[Byron]

Well, this sucks - the breeding box just came and as I was setting it up, I realized it was cracked on the bottom corner and won't hold water. SO disapointed! I hope they send the replacement quickly.

It sits inside the tank, on the frame, doesn't it? So the water in the tank and the box will be the same.

 

[KPainter]

No, it's the Marina breeding box that sits on the outside. I got that one because it provides constant water flow.

 

[DKRST]

Still think you'd have been just as happy with the net

 

[KPainter]

Still think you'd have been just as happy with the net

Maybe, but all the ones on Amazon had some less than stellar ratings for being cheaply constructed. Also I read online that because of cories plates they can get stuck in the netting kind of breeders.

 

[crazy4fish]

yea, the cheap nets aren't that great. I had one for my guppy and platy fry and a few would get stuck between the net and the plastic frame and get squished :/ you're better off getting something with a little higher quality.

 

[Kuddos 2 U]

I have a cory about the size of yours, except that its an albino. I didn't really have to worry about it much as it would swim with its parents and eat the fish flakes. I also fed him/her shrimp pellets as it seems that it makes a good treat.:-D

 

[RackinRocky]

I've used my breeding net (like the blue one pictured in this thread) 3 times already, and I've only had it less than a year. Its worth its weight in gold! Its so convenient, and I can be sure the fry get enough to eat, since they are in a smaller area. I've never had a fry get stuck, either. The suction cup keeps it where I want it. When the fry are big enough to not get eaten (in about a month) i just swish them out, into the water, and the net is ready for the next batch. I always keep some moss and/or duckweed in there as it makes the babies feel safer.

 

[KPainter]

I transferred the hatchling and the moss with the eggs on it into the breeding tank after I got it set up and can no longer find the baby. I don't know if he's hiding from me in the moss (doubtful) or just died and disintegrated or what. The eggs still look viable so maybe I'll get some more fry.

 

[RackinRocky]

They WILL hide, and pretty effectively, I might add. Its amazing how well they hide in just a little bit of moss! I had 6 molly fry, and I couldn't see them when I looked in the breeder until they realized I was nothing to be afraid of, and in a few days I saw them swimming around, ignoring me, LOL. So don't give up hope yet. Add a tiny bit (and I mean really tiny) of powered high quality veggie flake food or thawed frozen baby brine shrimp in there too.