old corys...

...just keep on trucking'

Corydoras paleatus (Peppered Cory)
the three peppered Cory's in this video have  been around. The youngest is 11 years old. It's the offspring of one of the other two, the sibling sisters known as "the girls".  The Girls were at their maximum size when I got them twelve years ago, making them a minimum of 13 years old.

snacking on aufwuchs

Caridina multidentata, eggs and otos

^^amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata) and an otocinclus share a branch in the out-flow. Unfortunately, amano shrimp larvae, called zoe, need brackish water to develop.

^^unberried female, left, and male

^^the female fans her pleopods frequently to move oxygen rich water over the eggs

^^this boy is moving in a little too early. The female won't mate 

until her eggs have hatched and she undergoes a molt.

fish eggs

 ^^corydoras eggs on aquarium glass. These were laid by albino Corydoras aeneus, 

the Bronze cory. They will get eaten quickly unless removed.

 ^^with a bit of practise you can remove the eggs and relocate them to a safer location.

 ^^gently rub the eggs against coarse plant material to transfer

^^water movement is essential. Place an air bubbler below the eggs and plant material. The plants will also provide a place for small organisms to flourish, providing food for the newly hatched catfish.

^^my favourite corydoras, the peppered corydoras (Corydoras paleatus) have a bad habit. Peppered corys are an awesome little fish, friendly and hardy, and even the tiniest fish are safe with them... 

but Poseidon help you if you're a worm or an egg.

Notice that one of the big females in the clip is holding her own eggs between her anal fins.

Click the 'corydoras' tag for more cory fun.

watcher in the understory

 

 

^^full leucistic bristlenose, subadult male

more photos here, more info at PlanetCatfish

ancistrus rising

blueberries and bristles