Cory catfish are a genus of freshwater fishes. Corydoras catfish, Cory cats, or Cory fish are other names of Cory Catfish. It is of the family Callichthyidae and the subfamily Corydoradinae. Cory catfish are hardy fish often referred to as an armored catfish because they have a plate of bonelike material on their bodies.
How Often Do Cory Catfish Lay Eggs? The rate at which Cory catfish lay eggs varies alongside the number of fishes in the group. For a six Cory catfish group, it might take every seven days for each female in the group to lay eggs, provided all other conditions are met.
Factors That Affect the Rate at Which Cory Catfish Lay Eggs
Some factors aid the spawning of every fish. For a fish to lay quality eggs at the right time there should be favorable conditions supporting the spawning of the fish.
Just like every other fish, Cory catfish need these favorable conditions to aid their spawning, both in the wild and in captivity. As an aquarist, you should consider these factors to set your Cory fish into its spawning state.
Feeding: This factor is one of the factors that influence the spawning of Cory fish; as a matter of fact, it influences their spawning greatly. One of the characteristics of a living thing is feeding, so as long as the Cory fish is alive, you should always feed it.
It is not about feeding the Cory fish only; it includes feeding it nutritious food at the appropriate time. Feed the Cory fish with food rich in protein and vitamins. You should feed them at least twice a day and a maximum of three times a day.
Tank Conditions: Even as humans, we do not like to stay in a messed up environment. Cory fish do like their tank to be clean, so you should always maintain a clean tank. You could also set up their tank in a way that resembles their natural environment.
Water Conditions: Once you discover that the water in their tank is dirty, you should immediately change it. Dirty water does not suit the proper living and spawning of the Cory fish. You should also keep the temperature, pH, and other parameters in check.
Aside from these factors, there are several ideal and ethical things you should do to influence your Cory fish spawning.
Features of a Cory Catfish
The Cory catfish exhibit lot of characteristics that differentiate them from many other fishes. Some of these features are general to their family, Callichthyidae, while others are specifically for them.
Cory catfish are peaceful and shy fish that spend most of their time at the bottom of the tank. The fishes are bottom dwellers; this makes sinking pellets suit them more than floating food pellets.
Cory fishes do not possess scales; they only have armored plates in replacement for scales. This armored plate protects them from some predators. Aside from protecting them from predators, the plate also protects them from harmful environments.
These plates are not very thick as some chemicals and salt pass through them. Some heavy metals also pass through them, so you should always keep the tank clean and free from harmful substances.
Like other kinds of catfish, Cory also makes use of oxygen directly from the air. At times, they come to the surface of the water to get air when their body is not very compatible with the water chemistry. When you notice this, you should change the water and also add plants to the tank.
You should keep a slow current of water in the tank because they have gills adapted to slow-moving waters. Cory has a tough and compact fin, and they also do not have much swim bladder problems. It would help if you kept them in shallow waters instead of deep ones.
Cory reaches maturity within one year. They can also live for about 20 years in captivity and less in the wild. Corydoras can grow to a length of about 1 inch to 4 inches.
Cory catfish are schooling fish, so you should ensure you have up to 5 Cory in your tank.
Essential Needs for Your Cory Catfish
During spawning, you must put more males in the tank than females. Unlike other fishes, Cory tends to do well when there are more males than females in the tank. The ratio for breeding is two to three males for a female.
Cory cats are not aggressive as they allow quite many different species of fish to be their tank mate. The rate of aggression among Cory reduces as the number of fishes in the tank increases.
Corydoras tend to attack fishes that are sick or ready to die. You also should not put larger and aggressive fishes in the tank to avoid losing your Cory cats. Do not isolate your Cory; it will only cause havoc to it.
You should feed your Cory with algae wafers and sinking pellets, especially when they are ready to spawn. You can also feed them with brine shrimps, live or frozen foods like daphnia, blood worms, tubifex, etc.
Cory cats do not like congestion, so you should always keep them in a large tank. The minimum size for the tank should be about 20 gallons with a maximum of 30 gallons. The tank should be long and shallow instead of the conventional deep styles.
You should make use of nitrite and nitrate filter pads. Also make use of several air-stones to produce a gentle water circulatory system. You should make use of bright lightning and fast-growing plants that shed a lot of leaves.
Make sure you maintain a pH of about 5.5 to 7.0 in the water. The temperature of the water should be around 72°F to 78°F. Wild Cory cats do well in soft water, while captive ones will do well in medium to hard waters.
Conclusion
Spawning is a very important stage in fishes, especially in Cory cats. At this stage, they need a lot of care and attention. To be able to get the best result from your Cory, you should provide adequate care and conditions for it.
Most importantly, you should take note and provide the best water conditions, tank conditions, and tank mates for your Cory cats.
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