# Will Shrimp eat Corydoras eggs and fry?



## Bananariot (Feb 28, 2012)

So out of boredom I began brainstorming new tank ideas, putting the expensive ADA 45 F on hold for now....

Since the beginning I have been a cory fanatic, owning around 50 in my 110. Then I switched over to shrimp and was unable to keep them together because the corydoras would just eat the babies.

I came up with an idea in my mind, a tank layout with a plateau in the middle for shrimp to live and sandy outlying areas/surrounding for pygmy corydoras. Of course they wont stay in their territories but I think its an interesting layout to try. I was gonna keep them with neos, perhaps rilis so that the shrimp population stays up even if some pygmy cories go om nom nom here and there. Plants and moss and whatnot will be provided for cover of course.

I hear stories of pygmy corydoras eating shrimp.....but will shrimp eat pygmy corydoras eggs? Will they eat newly hatched fry?

It would be awesome getting a dual breeding project going on at once.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

yes most shrimp will eat eggs


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

You should absolutely do a new Cory tank so I may live vicariously through you.

On the shrimp front, though, you could do a bunch of Amano shrimp. They're perfect with a sizable Cory population. What about them? Some are gorgeous.


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## msjinkzd (May 12, 2007)

shrimp will absolutely eat teh eggs, but fry are safe.


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## Bananariot (Feb 28, 2012)

somewhatshocked said:


> You should absolutely do a new Cory tank so I may live vicariously through you.
> 
> On the shrimp front, though, you could do a bunch of Amano shrimp. They're perfect with a sizable Cory population. What about them? Some are gorgeous.


Haha We can live vicariously through each other! Get your Ada tank setup! I'll setup my Cory tank! I want them to reproduce so I was hoping for a double breeding thing to do work

Haha how quick do u guys think the shrimp will get the eggs.... Will I have time to salvage them xD



msjinkzd said:


> shrimp will absolutely eat teh eggs, but fry are safe.


Hmm I saw that you have some habrosus but I heard pygmies are less likely I eat their own eggs and are a bit smaller...

How long does it take for the eggs to hatch?


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## reefdive (Aug 16, 2011)

Speaking from first hand experience and with an article on shrimp actually benefiting cory eggs to back it up By Steve Smith at GCAS I would have to say they do not eat cory egg's . They will however ride them and eat them if they die . The Cory eggs have a tough protective membrane and the shrimp actually will clean them of fungus and remove any bad eggs as that membrane dissolve's . I have multiple tank's with Cories and shrimp reproducing . I do not have experience with the pygmy cory eggs but have Aspidoras alabater and spilotus and they do not eat either of those nor weitzmanii , Black , Duplicarius , Green Neon , 133 , mellani or Barbatus all species I have spawned . Further I do have reasonable shrimp reproduction in those same tanks . I can also tell you from direct experience that shrimp do love other eggs as I tested the eating the bad eggs theory on some Angel eggs and they definately cleaned the fungus but unfortunately also cleaned the slate completely . I use them now to prep my angel slates though . The only cory I see that may be eating baby shrimp is the Gold Laser Cory . Those are however large wild caught fish ,the only wild caught fish that I have . I would have much prefered tank raised specimens for ethical reason's but I have never seen them available and in a moment of weakness or stupidy broke down and bought them . I also have an over population of Chili endlers in that tank that mostly reverted anyway and I am going to remove them soon and will know for sure if those big corys are eating them . So emphatically YES Virginia there is a Santa Cory and he bring's shrimp to all the good shrimpaholic's once a year( or more if they are extra good ) on his biofuel jet sled from Antartica . He stuff's those box's full of boidegradable cellulose if it is hot or cold so be good for goodness sakes . Another observation would be that Java moss creates places that fish do not like to go into and that it takes some manipulating to keep the moss from getting to thin or to thick ( to thin at first and to think later ) . I have been doing just what you are talking about for a little less than a year and have had dozens of spawns . I even put some of the Newly discovered Peru Gold Stripe Cories in with my SSS tanks and they love the Akadama . Now if I can just train the shrimp to not steal food from the cory's mouths I will have a great system . Of course the shrimp also like what comes out the other end of the cory as well .


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## cantsay39 (Jun 10, 2011)

~。~ we should breed different types of shrimp in nyc... i dun see much activities here~?


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## Bananariot (Feb 28, 2012)

cantsay39 said:


> ~。~ we should breed different types of shrimp in nyc... i dun see much activities here~?


What do you mean? We don't have any major vendors near us though, the closest I would say is reefdive. However, all major vendors here are competent enough and pack very nicely that everything you order gets to you in tip top condition.



reefdive said:


> Speaking from first hand experience and with an article on shrimp actually benefiting cory eggs to back it up By Steve Smith at GCAS I would have to say they do not eat cory egg's . They will however ride them and eat them if they die . The Cory eggs have a tough protective membrane and the shrimp actually will clean them of fungus and remove any bad eggs as that membrane dissolve's . I have multiple tank's with Cories and shrimp reproducing . I do not have experience with the pygmy cory eggs but have Aspidoras alabater and spilotus and they do not eat either of those nor weitzmanii , Black , Duplicarius , Green Neon , 133 , mellani or Barbatus all species I have spawned . Further I do have reasonable shrimp reproduction in those same tanks . I can also tell you from direct experience that shrimp do love other eggs as I tested the eating the bad eggs theory on some Angel eggs and they definately cleaned the fungus but unfortunately also cleaned the slate completely . I use them now to prep my angel slates though . The only cory I see that may be eating baby shrimp is the Gold Laser Cory . Those are however large wild caught fish ,the only wild caught fish that I have . I would have much prefered tank raised specimens for ethical reason's but I have never seen them available and in a moment of weakness or stupidy broke down and bought them . I also have an over population of Chili endlers in that tank that mostly reverted anyway and I am going to remove them soon and will know for sure if those big corys are eating them . So emphatically YES Virginia there is a Santa Cory and he bring's shrimp to all the good shrimpaholic's once a year( or more if they are extra good ) on his biofuel jet sled from Antartica . He stuff's those box's full of boidegradable cellulose if it is hot or cold so be good for goodness sakes . Another observation would be that Java moss creates places that fish do not like to go into and that it takes some manipulating to keep the moss from getting to thin or to thick ( to thin at first and to think later ) . I have been doing just what you are talking about for a little less than a year and have had dozens of spawns . I even put some of the Newly discovered Peru Gold Stripe Cories in with my SSS tanks and they love the Akadama . Now if I can just train the shrimp to not steal food from the cory's mouths I will have a great system . Of course the shrimp also like what comes out the other end of the cory as well .


That's good to know, I'm gonna try and get them to work with each other in a 10 gallon......hopefully the dimensions won't be too small.....


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## Bandit1200 (Dec 11, 2010)

I have a 20 L tank that bursting with cherries and juvie cories. I can't speak for any one elses experiences, but mine have all been successful with these two mixed together. The tank is well planted, so that may be a key issue.


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## Kunsthure (Aug 2, 2010)

Raising pygmy cory fry is really really hard. I've tried it a few times back when mine would spawn. I'd put the eggs in a floating breeders box with sand. The eggs would hatch just fine and I'd let them live off their egg sacs then start putting down tiny bits of BBS or Hikari First Bites. I could only ever keep them alive a few days. So good luck to you. 

-Lisa


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## Bananariot (Feb 28, 2012)

Kunsthure said:


> Raising pygmy cory fry is really really hard. I've tried it a few times back when mine would spawn. I'd put the eggs in a floating breeders box with sand. The eggs would hatch just fine and I'd let them live off their egg sacs then start putting down tiny bits of BBS or Hikari First Bites. I could only ever keep them alive a few days. So good luck to you.
> 
> -Lisa


Hehe they'll be raised in similar conditions with shrimp and I'll be dosing baby shrimp food so maybe it'll be ok. I'm also tempted to try a hamburger mattenfilter xD


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## jaafaman (Jun 4, 2011)

I breed and raise C. panda with Amano shrimp in the tank often. Both populations grow.

I point out the pandas because they're not all that prolific, and if eggs were disappearing it would definitely be noticeable...


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## Bananariot (Feb 28, 2012)

jaafaman said:


> I breed and raise C. panda with Amano shrimp in the tank often. Both populations grow.
> 
> I point out the pandas because they're not all that prolific, and if eggs were disappearing it would definitely be noticeable...


Haha thanks! Yeah I used to breed pandas, species only tank though.


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