One of the easier Corydoras catfish to breed for beginners are Sterba’s Cory or Corydoras sterbai and the Bronze Cory or Corydoras aeneus. There are multiple strategies that can be used to breed Cory catfish but one of the easy methods for breeding Corydoras catfish is to begin with a group of 6 to 12 small specimens which would be considered a colony. Everyone has opinions of tank size and some feel if you can afford it buy the largest tank you can but for this process likes go with a classic catfish tank, the 20 gallon long. Because the goal is not to design the aquarium for aquascaping or to recreate a natural environment Corydoras, the tank will be outfitted with the essentially for breeding not for aesthetics.

 

To accomplish this lets place the catfish in the 20 long without gravel. This will be easier to clean and it serves another purpose, helping the cory catfish find their food relative to preparing them for spawning. To do this many catfish breeders swear by using live black worms. By not having gravel in the tank, the catfish will be able to quickly find and consume the black worms which could escape into gravel. The water parameters for most Corydoras catfish range around 74-78. When conditioning Corydoras for breeding a temperature of 76-78 should be fine and to induce breeding many breeding lower the temperature to 74 degrees. By performing a water change and reducing the temperature this will encourage Corydoras to spawn. Water changes in the amount of 30 percent should be fine.

 

In terms of filtration some breeders prefer old fashion style box filters while others us sponge filters. The sponge filters are great because they will not allow fry to get sucked into the filter and some claim the water chemistry is better by going with sponges. In terms of water chemistry a good chlorine remover will be helpful unless you can pre age the water you will add back to the tank in plastic barrel or tank. When the Corydoras finally spawn and they will the eggs are laid all over the place. Cory catfish are known to lay them on the sides of the aquarium, on heater tubes, filter tubes but what is striking is their clumped together scattered on different spots on the glass. If you are interested in trying to figure males from females before they spawn you can, by looking straight down on the Corydoras you will notice that females are wider in the middle than males and females are generally longer. Males seem to be more tapered in appearance.

 

Now that your Corydoras have laid eggs what do you do now. There are two schools of thought of how to handle Corydoras eggs. One strategy is to remove the colony and place them in another tank and raise the catfish in the original aquarium. The second strategy is to remove the eggs and place them in a 1 or 2 gallon tank. One of these approaches needs to be selected because Corydoras are known to eat their young. Some breeders think it’s best to move the eggs and not disturb the colony. At any rate if you attempt to remove the eggs you many want to carefully scrape underneath them with a razor blade. Essentially the goal is trying to get between the glass and the eggs and gingerly lift them off the glass and transfer them to the smaller tank. This will take some practice and you may damage some eggs. Do your best and take your time with this step. Corydoras eggs take several days to hatch and an additional five days for the fry to absorb their yolk sacs. The best food to offer free-swimming Corydoras fry is newly hatched brine shrimp and a steady supply of it. The smaller tank should have a heater and sponge filter. The water should contain the same water as the breeding tank and the sponge filter should be established.

 

Corydoras sterbai (Sterba's Cory) - 6 to 12 in a colony

20 long tank

1 gallon jar or two 1/2 gallon tank

live black worms,

aquarium heater

chlorine remover

razor blade

air stone or small sponge filter

newly hatched brine shrimp