How often do Cory Catfish lay eggs?

The cory catfish, also known as cory cats or corydoras, is an incredibly popular aquarium fish due to its non-aggressive nature and the fact that it’s reasonably easy to care for. These fish are a delight to watch and will happily lay eggs as long as you follow a few golden rules regarding their care. 

How often do cory catfish lay eggs?

These freshwater bottom dwelling fish can actually spawn every week of the year if the conditions are correct. For the best breeding results, it’s recommended that you keep two males for every female. How will you know which are male or female?

You probably won’t – so it’s a good idea to ask for a mix when you buy your fish. The cory catfish will lay between 10 and 20 eggs at a time and the eggs tend to be a beige colour which will develop darker spots in the middle toward the time of hatching. If you spot eggs which are white or translucent, these are likely to be infertile. 

Corydora eggs which usually hatch from three to six days of laying and will have a good chance of survival providing that they don’t develop fungus. 

How to take care of baby cory catfish

Once the cory catfish eggs have hatched, the newborns will spend the first few days feeding off the egg sack which will still be attached to their bodies. Once the new corys start to swim, you’ll want to start feeding them fry specific food such as New Life Spectrum Fry Food in order to give them the best start in life. Once the fry reach maturity, you can make the switch to adult fish food. 

Conclusion

As long as you make sure that you keep optimal conditions in your tank and that you have a good mix of male and female fish, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to successfully breed your cory catfish. Just make sure that, as your cory catfish population increases, you’re providing a large enough tank for them all to live comfortably.