How I Bred Panda Corydoras at Home

In this video I'll cover my approach to breeding and raising Panda Corydoras. I'll explain the methods I used for triggering spawns, hatching eggs, and raising the fry.

[@survivalofthefishiest]

I spit my coffee at "reconsidering life choices" That was amazing! Thank you for the giggles!

[@huntermclaren322]

excellent work, your camera and editing skills are getting better and better

[@PotooBurd]

Binge watching your videos back to back- and adding comments for the algorithm~! 🌻👍 Keep up the great content!

[@THATfishguywithfish]

I love how the fry already has the eyespots

[@timstanks9846]

Great video as always, keep up the quality work!

[@AL_EVOz]

These videos are very well documented with alot of helpful information. Thank you for these videos. Keep them coming!

[@BMTH2296]

You’re quickly becoming a favorite fish keeping channel of mine. Love the videos ❤

[@scottcahala7779]

Great video. Thanks for all the help full information.

[@thorial1]

Excellent as always. I bred a lot of corydoras and panda is in my opinion (once started) one of the easiest. I say once started because it's really difficult to find a good strain in the shops. For my breeding group I have presently, I bought 8 of them and when they were big enough to breed I was left with only 3 of them (now I have about 40). Not to be unpleasant (because all fishes deserves respect of course), I'm not a big fan of your breeding stock, to me the body is not as white and the spots as black as you can hope for a panda. (please don't take it wrong :) ) What I like about their breeding is their big yolk sack (at least twice as big as an lineage 7 as aeneus), which let them eat brine shrimp directly after it's absorbed and the fact that they spawn almost every day, so you can train and make rookie mistake. If you having problems breeding corydoras panda but it's seems your doing everything right, 2 things to know : Panda are eggs eaters (so provide mops and check it every day), and put current. (I mean so much current that the sand in front of the tank is blown). Results garanteed! Thanks for you videos :)

[@Dobromir_Chodkowski]

As always your video is very informative and contains a lot of details. Thank you very much!

[@happyshrimp5290]

Great info the the video 👍 and some lovely shots of the fry 😍 nice voice and a relly great video 🏆

[@scottdellinger4996]

Awesome video as always. Thank you.

[@Tubapirate13]

To add to your tannin experiments, I've used it as an antifungal when hatching emerald rasbora. I only counted 9 eggs from the spawn. They were my first fish to breed and I wasn't really prepared for it. I used tannins as an antifungal as it's what I had on hand. The moss patch they spawned had a bit of debris in it and I didn't sort the eggs out from viable to non viable. I had 9 fry hatch and waited 5 days after the first hatch to remove the moss incase there were any late hatching. All this being said my set up wasn't ideal for preventing fungus growth from bad eggs and I would imagine it would have spread to the good eggs if it wasn't for the tannins

[@sf2372]

This was so cool. THanks for the awesome vid man

[@kosys5338]

I bread cory pandas without even trying. Just looking at the tank one day and boom there they were. Not only that my hillstream loaches also had babies without me doing anything. people said to remove the fry or they will not survive, I didn't bother removing them and not only are they surviving they are thriving. The other fish in the tank do not bother the fry. They say hillstream loaches are hard to breed, I would beg to differ lol. Edit: My tank PH is also around 7.8 - 7.9. I too would like a little lower ph but the fish seem to be fine with 7.9. I do not chase PH 7.9 is just where the tank wants to be. I also run CO2 in the tank so during lights on the PH does drop and goes back up during lights off.

[@lucisguppy3038]

I really love your videos

[@markfranklin8831]

Another awesome video thanks for sharing 💯

[@FirstLast-tp8bm]

What a wonderful KZbin channel. Subscribed.

[@yourapprentice]

Awesome as always!!

[@tyler8322]

I’m so excited for the Apisto Agassizii. They’re my favorite SA dwarf cichlid and I eventually would like to attempt to breed a pair of my own in the future.

[@teachernanda]

Thank you for the hard work for making this video. Greeting from Indonesia.

[@PaulsFishroom]

Great camera work and narration 🤓👍

[@TalisaAquarist]

I am a new subscriber, this video has been helpful! Thank you!

[@mermaidschorus_pets]

"Cory spawning behavior is total chaos." If that isn't true, I don't know what is. 😂😂 Great video! 🐟

[@MrCoreyCoreyCorey]

Great vid! Thanks! Think I'll try this soon on some salt and pepper cories I have and I'll be back to watch this one a bunch of times!

[@MakeMoreFish]

Good luck!

[@tigercow]

Perfect timing. I'm trying to breed my first/second species, paleatus corydoras (other is longfin blue danio, doing at the same time). Been using the Sterbai video as reference, and this is just perfect for more help.

[@tigercow]

And Happy New Year. Hopefully many more fry to come in 2023.

[@MakeMoreFish]

More fry on the way!

[@BenLe42]

nice detailed video, thanks

[@daveryan2148]

great video!

[@migueldelaparte7485]

Great video!

[@bobertlazy7600]

Excellent job I have Cory babies first time while on business trip. I cleaned before I left, have two blue gourami they leave fry alone I have babies!

[@MakeMoreFish]

Thanks for watching! Feel free to leave questions in the comments if you have them, and If you enjoyed this video, consider subscribing to see future projects. For more info on the fry tray shown in this video, see the "about" section of this KZbin channel.

[@giancarlosoasti8125]

Great video. Thanks for putting this content. It is very useful for newbies. I was curious about the breeder box you are using. I haven't seen one like that before. Where could I get it?

[@MakeMoreFish]

​@@giancarlosoasti8125 The breeding box is 3d printed from my own design, I'm constantly testing and revising it.

[@tropy7]

Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences

[@gregorbugguy2786]

​​@@MakeMoreFish I knew it was 3d printed! Are you open to sharing that file? Or is it more like your secret recipe lol

[@martincregg]

Very good!

[@lunerwerewolf]

Good info

[@barstat1002]

"maybe shes rethinking some life choices" - pure gold Lowell :)

[@RicardoJunqueira]

"Maybe she was rethinking some life choices..." LOL

[@lucasfaley]

I really enjoy your videos. I have two Cory varieties, both different from the ones in your videos, and your videos have helped me get fry from both. Do you have an idea how large they should be before they would be safe from being eaten by adults of the same variety? When are we getting the Chili Rasbora video? Have they spawned for you yet?

[@MakeMoreFish]

Probably a couple weeks or so. I think the adults can recognize pretty early that the fry are not something they want to eat. It's the really early days where they look more like a worm or an insect larvae that you really have to worry about it.

[@neutron1453]

thank you for the video! I've always been curious about wether using tannic acid will yield better or similiar result as methyl-blue, wether they can be use interchangebly that is. Since getting dry leaves are much easier than getting methyl-blue where im from. there are surprisingly not many video made about/including this comparison. On that note, are there any noticible difference using tannins? Are the egg mortality rate comparable to methyl-blue or is it better or worse? Since everything has its pros and cons. Again, thank you for the video, and happy new year!

[@MakeMoreFish]

My suspicion is that tannins are a slightly weaker anti fungal but they both work very well. One thing I would do differently is run the concentrated tannic water through a coffee filter to avoid bringing any fine solids. It's just more debris to potentially accumulate on eggs.

[@BardstaleGoldens]

Timely video…just got six panda corys -will be my first time breeding so this info is super helpful. Question - where did you get the breeding box where you raised the fry?

[@MakeMoreFish]

That particular breeding box is something I designed and 3d printed. Other good options I would recommend are the german breeding ring from swiss tropicals or a fluval hang on tank breeding box with foam blocking the outflow

[@din631berry5]

Great video lots of information, I was curious what kind of breeder box you use I like the look of the ones you use

[@MakeMoreFish]

It's a 3d printed design that I'm working on. Working pretty well so far

[@din631berry5]

@@MakeMoreFish ahhh they look sick would you be willing too produce more and sell them ? I see a lot of potential with them they look perfect for raising cories lol

[@alma709]

@@MakeMoreFishthis box is amazing

[@CorydorasEmpire]

Thank you for your detailed and impressive work with the corydorases :) Are you planning to share the blueprint of the breeding box with us?

[@reelgal06]

I was going to ask where I can buy a breeding box like yours?

[@dougsworldtour3755]

That's a cool breeder box, may I ask where it is sold? Keep up the nice work!

[@MakeMoreFish]

It is actually 3D printed rather than bought. There should be a link the pinned comment to a video about it

[@dougsworldtour3755]

I believe I bought ours on Amazon.

[@SlickNick3]

Great video Lowell! Panda corys are great for breeding they’ll always be a popular fish! I’ve always known my water was hard but I picked up a tds meter the other day 636ppm was not expecting that at all! My plants and fish are great but the only breeding I’ve ever had was some cpds. I’m assuming that hard of water is a big factor for a lot of fish not breeding for me? I always hear about a tds of 150 or so being the prime area

[@MakeMoreFish]

That certainly seems high, but not knowing what composes the dissolved solids I'm not sure if that would make anything harder for you or not. There are many species that would be perfectly comfortable breeding in hard water though. Plenty to try :)

[@SlickNick3]

@@MakeMoreFish I’ve really fallen in love with killifish recently and I have a 15g waiting to be stocked might try my hand at a pair of them 🤞🏻 would love to see Lowell breed some killis soon

[@nzaqua8474]

Please do pygmy corydoras next I got a group of 8 and am in love with them

[@tobibert23]

Hello :) thank u for the new video it is very good like always. Could you please tell the name of the nano pellet u are feeding to the Pandas and their juveniles? Please keep it coming i love good breeding videos 😍 happy new year

[@MakeMoreFish]

Sure, I use Xtreme nano primarily

[@tobibert23]

@@MakeMoreFish thank you :)

[@rken100]

cool

[@Chainchomp432]

Have you had any luck with chili rasboras? Love your channel, great work.

[@MakeMoreFish]

Negative, haven't really worked on it either. There's something I need to learn that will make a difference, until then I would just be spinning wheels

[@Chainchomp432]

@@MakeMoreFish I tried using the cpd method, but no luck. I filled the bottom of a ten gallon with java moss and am feeding live bbs twice a day. I'm going to try pulling them out in two weeks and seeing if that worked.

[@animegod1714]

Great video as usual. Any update on chili rasbora?

[@MakeMoreFish]

Nope, nothing useful to report unfortunately.

[@animegod1714]

@@MakeMoreFish thanks. And the tank you have the chilis in, is it a 20 gallon long or high?

[@alexabeyta3808]

Its funny how we all have the same panic reaction when seeing the breeding behaviors for the first time

[@holo_gram_]

Great vid! Where do you get the breeding box or is it selfmade?

[@MakeMoreFish]

It's self made, ya. It's 3D printed.

[@holo_gram_]

Looks great! Do you have any videos describing it?

[@MakeMoreFish]

@@holo_gram_ I do have a video on it. In my youtube channel bio there is a link to it along with some more info.

[@madcat61207]

I think she was rethinking life choices 😾👍

[@jh0dge560]

Amazing videos. How big are the tanks you breed corydoras in?

[@MakeMoreFish]

So far they have been 10 gallons or larger but I usually grow out the fry in larger tanks. 20-40 gallons.

[@jh0dge560]

@Lowell's Fish Lab thank you I'm determined to start breeding Cory's your videos have give me the confidence to try.

[@danielthompson3205]

Wait, now I'm curious, Tanins help combat fungal outbreaks? Been the 1st time I heard of this in the solo 30 yrs of my fish keeping.. -i just like the natural look it puts off :)

[@MakeMoreFish]

It certainly appears that way in my testing. I don't think I would count on it to combat disease but it does seem to slow fungal growth on eggs for a few days. Not halt completely but slow.

[@heykerryann]

Life choices. It’s always life choices 😜

[@MARIUSBAAR]

where can I find that breeding box

[@Ziona1987]

What type of enclosure did you have the fry in at 10:11? I'm looking for a fry enclosure and am having issues.

[@KP_11210]

Can you breed neon tetras next?

[@melvintebooij3373]

Witch breeding box did you use?

[@tomyplayz7118]

Hi Lowell, I would just like to ask what kind of filtration you use on your corydora setups? Would a strong sponge filter and cheap water pump work alright for breeding or should I get a canister filter?

[@MakeMoreFish]

In this particular tank there is a powerhead pumping water to another 10 gallon tank above it which in turn overflows through a bulkhead back down to the main tank. There is a large sponge filter in the top tank that probably does most of the biological filtration. It's a fun setup but doesn't need to be replicated. Anything that creates a region of flow near the spawning mop should do it. The only thing I'm not a fan of is placing a sponge filter under the mop. The bubbles get caught on the mop strands and tend to lift it up in an undesirable way. In the past I've used small, inexpensive submersible pumps to create directional flow if the tank's normal filtration wasn't suitable for it.

[@tomyplayz7118]

@@MakeMoreFish So overall it would work out having a large sponge filter and cheap pump pointed towards the breeding mop? Sorry for the questions.

[@MakeMoreFish]

Yes, that would work. Or really, any setup where water flow is directed at the mop.

[@aarongrace2376]

Do you feel there is any possible negative to adding Fry to a 40 gallon too soon? I have three spawns of 30-45 each that are within three weeks of each other. Have never had a quantity this high and close together and putting multiple smaller tanks will take up a lot of my space. Only worry I’m aware of is making sure they find the food but with 100+ in a 40 I’m sure I’ll just be burning through food

[@MakeMoreFish]

You will probably get some out competition. I would expect a portion of the fry to eat more, grow faster and have a bit of a growth stunting impact on the smallest of the group. You can overfeed a bit to try to push through but that makes more maintenance to sustain without hurting water quality. It's a trade off.

[@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058]

Pretty interesting, I have the albino Cory's, can they be done the same way ? I woke up to a 75 gal aquarium with eggs on all 4 walls & with just 6 Cory's.

[@MakeMoreFish]

Almost certainly, ya.

[@lidamartens6985]

Albino cories (aneus) are imo the most fun to breed, you wake up to lots of eggs very often Unlike most other species who breed a lot less and with smaller numbers

[@Redkoolaid402]

my pandas breed like crazy in my 40 gallon breeder without any input. I used to save the eggs i might have to start again.

[@lemonlizard1]

What do you feed the adults? How often did you feed the juveniles (before they moved into the larger tank)?

[@MakeMoreFish]

I feed fry 2-3 times a day depending on my schedule. Food for the adults is covered in detail in the first 90 seconds

[@lemonlizard1]

@@MakeMoreFish thanks! I've been having issues with getting my fry to grow. I feed them 2-3 times daily as well so I assume it's just because the grow out bin is a bit small.

[@JoseLuis-tq4tg]

I struggle keeping panda cory fry alive past 3-4 weeks. It’s frustrating bc they already look like tiny versions of the adults

[@mehranahmed3911]

Do 2 week old guppy fry eat panda cory fry/eggs? Thank you for the tutorial btw

[@MakeMoreFish]

Depends how large the guppies have grown in those two weeks but I would say yes they might eat either if they can find them.

[@joeyfu866]

I'm looking into getting a few panda corys i would just like to know if they'll do well in cold water (69 degrees f ) since its my room temperature ?

[@MakeMoreFish]

I've been getting the impression lately that many corydoras species prefer temps a little cooler than we typically keep them. Still, I think I would stick to at least the low 70s. You might get there just from lights and other equipment running

[@joeyfu866]

@@MakeMoreFish ok thanks for the tip.

[@Sshooter444]

I just put these guys in their own heavily planted tank (lots of java moss) and do regular water changes...then start looking for fry!

[@Aaron-iw8si]

Hi, just wanna as, if I have shrimps along with my breeding corys, will shrimp bother the eggs? And will the snails (bulustra, ramshorn, trumpet) do the same?

[@MakeMoreFish]

shrimp probably not, snails maybe. I've never seen it myself but I don't keep snails around if I can help it.

[@Aaron-iw8si]

@@MakeMoreFish oh, thank you

[@JermaineWilliam371]

Hi could you tell me where I can find the breeder box?

[@zodiak2461]

Is it possible to store tannins for later use? If so how should I store it?

[@MakeMoreFish]

I don't see why not. It could be stored as a concentrate. Maybe refrigerated?

[@waynecollins5132]

hello there my name is wayne i live in the uk i hope you dont mind me asking where did you get the container that you put the eggsing in first then the 2nd tub any help would be gratefull many thanks wayne

[@MakeMoreFish]

The first is a Lee's specimen container. They are also called dip and pour containers I think. The second is a 3D printed enclosure that I made. There's a link in the pinned comment to more info

[@konstiisland2798]

Have u ever tryed to breed Corydoras pygmaeus as well? Would love to know if they are simular, you know some advice for them? Thanks ! :)

[@MakeMoreFish]

I have not yet but would love to soon. I can't offer any advice from personal experience.

[@mr.octopus6972]

Wild corys start to spawn in the rain season. Rain is very acidic, that is when they sense rain that they become triggered. Rain = Acid. More current. Cooler temperature. No one will ever be able to perfectly emulate real rain water, there is that ozone smell comming along with it. I think it's important for the fish but I wouldn't recommend adding ozone in an aquarium since it kills bacterias. The best way to trigger a cory will always be to do a water change with real rain water. Given that you're not that kind of maniac that will change 60% in one shot (of course)... Doing a 10-15% every day for a couple of days will be good. Another good method is to add vitamin C in the water. It is an acidic product that is very good for any fish health. 1 gram is enough to lower a 10 gal aquarium water PH by a whole point (or more) so be carefull with your measurements. I don't recommend adding it all one shot in the tank but rather in 24 -48 hours a few drops at a time. You should see your cory change their behavior pretty quickly.

[@grassfed7852]

Have you ever bred Habrosus Corys or know anything about it?

[@MakeMoreFish]

I haven't kept them personally, though I may try at some point. It's not unlikely that a lot of the same methods would be effective for habrosus.

[@brandydavis1000]

What is the name of the shallow breeder box you are using at the end of your video? TIA!

[@MakeMoreFish]

I haven't given it a name. It is 3D printed

[@brandydavis1000]

@MakeMoreFish no problem, after doing some research I found the page and joined to learn more about them. Thank you 👍

[@joedirt5711]

How many eggs do pandas usually lay in a session?

[@MakeMoreFish]

Per female probably 20-30 but I have never made much effort to count

[@aaronferguson9708]

Were did your get that fry box?

[@MakeMoreFish]

I make them. There is more info in my channel bio

[@shadowpumpkin1761]

The fry the whole time: .T. (The shape of the fry)

[@lemonlizard1]

lmaooo

[@SaadKhan006]

What is the size of corrydora?

[@MakeMoreFish]

Usually 1.75-2.5 inches in my experience. They can get a little bigger depending on the species but it takes a while.

[@vdka2136]

'Easily sexable' quote of the day

[@rd0303.]

How do you get your freeze dried tubifex worms to sink???

[@MakeMoreFish]

If you hold them under water and thoroughly squeeze out the air bubbles they will sink. It takes a bit of practice and persistence

[@rd0303.]

@@MakeMoreFish thanks for the response i will try this! My cories love them but i can’t seem to get them to sink usually

[@cortneym6901]

What breeding box is that? 6:58

[@MakeMoreFish]

It's 3D printed. There should be a link to more info in the pinned comment

[@tookmyhandle2]

What are the downsides of methylene blue?

[@MakeMoreFish]

Some degree of toxicity to the fry and it stains things easily

[@tookmyhandle2]

@@MakeMoreFish got it! Great channel! I'm a new sub. I love your videos.

[@Lersia]

1 female panda spawn at 17Nov2023 and spawn again at 30Nov 2023. How much can they spawn in a single season?

[@MakeMoreFish]

They can spawn once or twice a week for weeks or months at a time. I've never tried to find how long that can be sustained but I think it's fair to say they can produce an overwhelming number of offspring.

[@Lersia]

@@MakeMoreFish thanks you for info, she still too round😂 maybe she carried another egg.

[@mohamedsaleh8418]

What is male to female ratio for breeding?

[@MakeMoreFish]

more males than females is typically recommended. I don't think it's as simple as a ratio. Multiple of both sexes works out fine for me.

[@mohamedsaleh8418]

Thanks ☺️👍

[@coolfinsaquatics590]

I never catch My panda eggs I just do water changes n see new babies under rocks constantly

[@kpNov23]

Tds?

[@MakeMoreFish]

around 150-175

[@edrichholtzhausen827]

You must really breed angelfish

[@RedfishCarolina]

I'd encourage you to skip the freeze dried tubifex. I used them for years and recently had a can of Hikari. I was losing fish to some odd whirling/twisting disease. After MONTHS of a couple hundred dollars of medicines, I realized that I only lost fish a couple days after feeding the tubifex. I only used it occasionally. I tossed the can in the trash, and haven't lost a fish since, 6 months later.

[@MakeMoreFish]

Were they killing your fish consistently for the years that you used them? I would stop using any food that I had good reason to suspect was harming my fish but this sounds more like an unfortunate but anecdotal experience.

[@RedfishCarolina]

@@MakeMoreFish Oh, no they were ok up until that point. However I lost so many fish and so much money before I figured it out that I'm never using Tubifex again. The problem is common to Tubifex and usually the freeze drying process kills the bacteria that cause whirling disease. This is a known problem from tubifex worms especially in the salmon farming industry, but it's definitely something that can happen to aquarium fish. I realize that I got a "bad batch" and it's probably rare. Thankfully rare. And I don't blame Hikari. Even still. I'll never use tubifex again. It's a known possibility. And, freeze-drying doesn't kill all bacteria, it puts some of them dormant Watching my gouramis, mollies, swordtails, angelfish, rams, and apistogrammas whirling around until they die. I lost a fish two to three times a week. I eventually realized it only happened after feeding tubifex, so I googled around and discovered whirling disease. For what it's worth, I really appreciate your videos! This was very informative.

[@RobertSmith-vl5ei]

Wow such a good video - YOU do fish where some others do self promotion, BS or marketing! - A double edged sword there- maybe why it took so long to find you! I will be following. Keeping fish simple was my first find in the hobby or (albeit rejuvenated but now serious - 8 tanks so far) just a google search - great content.

[@barebottomaquariums1419]

@SteenfottAquatics