Breeding Corydoras elegans (Elegant Cory)
Breeding guide for Corydoras elegans: sexing by colour and body shape, conditioning, the cool-water spawning trigger and fry care.
Overview
Corydoras elegans is an armoured catfish (family Callichthyidae) from the western Amazon basin in Peru, Ecuador and Brazil, inhabiting forested streams with sand, mud and leaf-litter substrates, and reaching about 45–55 mm standard length. It is an egg-depositor that spawns in the Corydoras T-position.
Sexing
Females tend to grow larger, and sexually mature individuals are noticeably rounder and broader-bodied than males, especially when gravid. Males possess a more intense colour pattern than females, with a greater proportion of dark markings on the body and dorsal fin.
Conditioning
Condition the group on a varied diet of small live and frozen foods until the females are full of eggs. Use a 2:1 male-to-female ratio for the best fertilisation results.
Breeding Setup
- Temperature: 20–26 °C
- pH: 6.0–7.5
- Hardness: 18–268 ppm
- Provide aquarium glass, fine vegetation and/or spawning mops as egg sites
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Trigger spawning by performing a large (50–70%) water change with cooler water and increasing oxygenation and flow. Repeat daily until the fish spawn. Eggs are typically laid on the aquarium glass or on provided alternatives such as fine vegetation or spawning mops, after the female fertilises them in the T-position.
Egg & Fry Care
Remove either the adults or the eggs after spawning completes. Incubation is normally 3–4 days; once the fry have fully absorbed their yolk sacs they accept small live foods such as microworm and Artemia nauplii. Fry perform better over sand than on bare bottoms.