Turn off the lights!
I have started trying a new technique recently to try and
increase hatch rates. I read on the internet that lower
hatching temperatures and lack of light can prevent fungus and lead to greater hatch rates. The lower temperature also apparently extends the hatch time. I have managed to find an opaque black plastic container with a
screw top lid so have drilled a hole in the top for an airline and now place all the eggs in the container with water from the parents tank. I add a squirt of methylene blue
to stop the fungus. The container is unheated but maintains around 20 degrees in the fish room. At the time of
writing I have just decanted most of the blue water to
DIY EGG HATCHERY
waste and then tipped the remaining contents of the darkened hatchery into a DIY fry saver that floats in my fry
tank. I have found that cory eggs hatch in 3 to 5 days and
the fry wriggle through the mesh into the fry tank, unfertilised eggs and egg shells remain behind which I then discard after waiting a few
more days. I believe the hatch rate is better using this technique. It is hard to gauge
though with only a couple of hatches so far as there could be so many influences at
play but I will persevere with future hatches and see how I go.
I have not really had any disasters with cory breeding but keeping the water clean and
feeding the right size food are quite important. I feed mine microworms for the first
month and then swap to crushed up flake food with microworms when I can spare
them. A good tip I read was to also put food in the tank for nocturnal feeding as they
are still quite active at night. I also throw a few cory fry in with other fry such as cichlids as they can quickly find any uneaten food that the cichlids may miss. These fry
usually grow the fastest.
I breed my corys in rain water that I collect in a 22,000 water tank (honestly it had to
be that big for the garden if my wife is reading this) to which I add a few teaspo ??2?`?vFW"6??F?F?????r6?B???fR?WfW"&VV?F??67W&FRv?F??6?B?WfV?2?"?'W@?77V?RF?RvFW"?26?gF?6??B?WWG&??FV?W&GW&R??F?R'&VVF??rF??f?"F?R7FW&&??2#RFVw&VW2?BF?RG&???VGW2&R???V??VFVBF???B6??F??VRF?'&VVB@?#FVw&VW2???7FW&&??BG&???VGW2'&VVBWfW'?F?BF?2?F?R?F2&?WBWfW'?2vVV?0??F??Vv?????WfW"f??BfWrVvw2v?F?F?W6RwW?26????&R?76??rF?R7v???F?W6RF?2?F?&?r6??BvFW"6??vR??F?W'6F???v?B?BF?Rf?6?W7V???7v???F?R6GW&F?v?V???&?V?BF??6?WF?RVvw2??