How do I move these eggs to safety?
I have a community tank which includes a group of Panda corys. They regularly spawn on the side of the glass, but by the following morning the eggs have all been eaten. Is there a way of removing the eggs without damaging them or another method to stop the fish getting to them? I have a small tank I could use to try and rear some fry. If so, how can I do this and what should I feed the babies if they hatch? I don’t want to try catching the corys as the tank is quite large and heavily planted and it would be a nightmare.
CLARE STEVENS, VIA EMAIL
BOB REPLIES: Corydoras panda is a lovely little species, and I’m old enough to remember these fish arriving in the hobby with a fanfare — and a hefty price tag! Luckily they are now a community staple and far more affordable, but they’re worth breeding if you can as they should be relatively easy to re-home (unless you have space for hundreds of corys).
As you’ve discovered, the eggs will soon be eaten in the average community tank and even the corys aren’t averse to nibbling on them. The eggs themselves are pretty tough and can often be carefully rolled off the glass with a fingertip and syphoned away. A ‘blade’ algae scraper can also help with removal.
Place the eggs in your small breeding tank with water from the main display aquarium and a gentle air-powered sponge filter. Many people use bare aquariums for this, but I think a thin layer of sand is beneficial. At a temperature of around 25°C, the eggs will take between 3-4 days to hatch and initially the fry will live off their yolk sacs, but they soon become more mobile and will require tiny first foods like brine shrimp nauplii or microworm, which will need preparing in advance to ensure the food is ready for the fry. Dry, powdered fry foods are also available but you need to be cautious when using these, as they can pollute the tank if not eaten or if added in too great a quantity.
With good nutrition and water quality these catfish are fast growing and soon start looking like miniature versions of their parents.