In the past, many people believed that it was nigh on impossible to breed the Corydoras Panda. This is a catfish species that doesn’t really do well when breeding in captivity. However, with a bit of effort (and a whole lot of luck), Corydoras Panda breeding can be accomplished.
On this page, we are going to walk you through how Corydoras Panda breeding works. We will give you a few tips on ensuring that you get the tank conditions right. We will discuss how many babies you can expect. Basically, you will learn about the challenge that you have ahead of you.
Can You Breed Panda Corys?
Yes, however, it isn’t going to be easy to do.
Panda Corys requires the perfect conditions in their tank. They need to have the right plants. They need to have the right water temperature. You also need to trigger the spawning in the right way. Although, don’t worry. We will come to all of that a bit later on.
Do Corydoras Breed Easily?
If you get the tank conditions perfect then, yes. They will breed rather easily.
However, do bear in mind that your job isn’t going to end at the laying of fertilized eggs. Corydoras Panda fry also needs the right tank conditions if they are going to grow up big and strong.
Honestly, if this is the first time that you are breeding fish, then we wouldn’t really recommend that you start with the Corydoras. If you don’t get the right conditions for them, then you will end up with nothing. Breeding Corydoras Panda will require way too much control over the tank conditions, and is something that is probably best left in the hands of the most experienced fishkeepers.
How Many Babies Do Panda Corys Have?
Not a whole lot. At the most, you are going to be getting 10-15 eggs each time the Panda Corys spawn.
Of course, this makes things a little bit more manageable when dealing with the young. However, since there are far fewer eggs being laid at a time, there is less scope for something to go wrong. It will be far, far rarer for one of those eggs to do something that goes against all odds and just hatches.
Basically, unless you get those tank conditions perfect, you aren’t going to have any babies.
How Do I Get My Corydoras To Breed?
So, the part that you are waiting for. How do you actually get the Corydoras to breed? Well, as we said. It is going to be somewhat of an uphill struggle. You need to get the conditions just right. However, if you can nail the tank conditions for your Corydoras Panda, then you will be able to squeeze a few breeding cycles out of them.
Panda Corys Tank Conditions
First things first, you are going to need to get the water conditions right:
- The pH of the water should be as close to neutral as possible.
- The temperature should be around 77F (25C)
- Water hardness should be a maximum of 2dH
We know that the Panda Corys can deal with a water hardness up to 10dH. However, the more you get over 2, the less chance you have of successfully triggering their breeding pattern.
In preparation for breeding, you are going to need to feed your Panda Corys a varied diet of meat. Brine shrimps and blackworms are a good start here. You will also need to mix in some quality fish flakes to ensure that the diet is close to perfect.
Around the same time, you are going to need to start preparing the tank for the egg laying. You will need a sheltered location for the Panda Corys to head to, and you will need to add some java moss around the bottom of the tank. It is the java moss where the fish will lay the eggs.
Panda Corys: When Is The Right Time To Breed Them?
In the wild, the Panda Corys is going to lay their eggs during the rainy season. Therefore, your challenge is to try and mimic the rainy season. The best way to mimic this is to gradually lower the temperature of the water.
Every 3-4 days, lower the temperate by half a degree or so (in celsius). Your aim is to try and get that water to 20C.
When the Panda Corys start to notice the water temperature getting colder, they will get into the mood to breed. You will notice the males following the females around.
You may not actually notice the eggs being laid. They are tiny and, as we said, there won’t be very many of them.
When the eggs are laid, they will hatch within around 4-days.
2-days after the eggs have hatched, you will need to give the fry their first meal. This will be microworms. As they get bigger, you can start to feed them baby brine shrimp.
As the young Panda Corys start to get a bit bigger, you can gradually turn up the temperature of the tank. You can do it roughly the same way that you did it before. This means around half a degree (in celsius) every few days. Your aim is to get the tank up to the 25C that the Panda Corydoras tend to thrive at.
Corydoras Panda do have the ability to spawn every single week. However, unless you want to get intense about your breeding (and you have a lot of tank space), then you will probably want to leave it a month or two between breeding sessions.
Conclusion
The Corydoras Panda is not going to be an easy fish to breed. However, they do breed in home tanks. For many, they may actually be the ideal fish to breed as you aren’t going to end up with hundreds of fry in the tank, all needing a home. You will be getting around 10-15, maximum. Breeding the Corydoras Panda will also give you useful advice on how you can trigger breeding through changing tank conditions.
