Very first eggs from catfish - what should I do?

[chele]

I am an absolute beginner at all this, having had a community tank and a cichlid tank for around 8 months now, but with only the sheer pleasure of it at heart, nothing too serious so long as everybody's healthy. Have never had eggs before and was stoked to find (after suspecting one catfish very plump for some time) eggs on glass on both sides of tank this morning. They are in my cichlid tank and i was told this morning that nothing will come of it as they will be eaten and will die if I move them? Is this for real? Will they just disappear? And if so, what can I do next time to ensure eggs get some sort of chance at life?

[tHEcONCH]

That's not necessarily true. My Royal Whiptails regularly lay in my community tank. I just wait until they hatch and them use a small plastic container to catch the fry and put them into a mesh breeding cage suspended at the top of the tank. It best to do it first thing in the morning when the lights go on - they will be all over the glass. Feed them lots of Spirulina tablets.

[Dixon1990]

What type of catfish?

[chele]

Have since found their real name to be: Corydoras venezuelanus

[coelacanth]

if left where they are the eggs or fry will certainly be eaten. However they are easy to remove and hatch. I just use my fingers to wiggle them off the glass but most people use a credit card or something like that. The eggs are very tough so can be handled safely (but not TOO roughly!). They are also sticky so will attach to your fingers when removing them (Corydoras like making life easy for their carers ). If you have a spare tank fill it with the same water from the tank and stick the eggs on the side of it, then leave them to hatch (it will take several days). White eggs are infertile. If you don't have a spare tank something like an ice-cream container will work just as well. Float it in the main tank to maintain the temperature (doesn't look good but who cares right?). The fry can be raised on brine shrimp or just on commercial container foods.

[chele]

Thank you very much for that advice! Will give it a shot.. the eggs are white circumference but transparent to look at, does this mean infertile?

[coelacanth]

no, translucent pale-whitish are good eggs. Dull white are unfertilised. You'll probably only get a few like that, and you'll see the difference immediately.

[Foxglove]

Congrats on getting eggs.

I have success with my pepper cory eggs by using my fingers to transfer the eggs to a small plastic container which floats inside a slightly warmer tank (hatches sooner! :lol: ). I add a drop of Meth blue to that water and use a small airstone to aerate it. After the eggs hatch I add a bit of java fern (seems to help) and then change the water daily. After two days I start adding microworm as food. I pile in heaps of microworms, and change the water more often if clumps form. Once the corys are 12mm, I shift them to their own tank.

Good luck with yours!

[chele]

for your expert advice and support. Much appreciated for a first-timer. Unfortunately, we've been having so much trouble with the water clarity in this particular tank and after I managed to transfer some eggs to breeder tank which was then suspended inside original tank, hubby got all proactive and did a big clean. Don't ask me how but he says he did not realise what breeder tank was and so cleaned that also (really good scrub). I am absolutely gutted, but will be forearmed and forewarned for next time now!

[Caper]

Better luck with the next batch Kudos to your hubby for cleaning, at least he'll know the next time

Caper

[coelacanth]

ah, good old husbands...

never mind, the Corys should spawn again

[Caper]

They probably will spawn again.

Oh by the way, I just reread what I posted, when I said good luck with the next batch...just to clarify... :lol: :lol: I did mean fish and not husbands :lol: :lol:

Caper