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View Full Version : Sterbai cories in my Fluval canister filter!



Josho923
10-25-2014, 02:57 PM
I have a healthy planted tank with discus, electric blue rams, cardinal tetras, a male betta, an angelfish, sterbai cories, glass catfish, nerite snails, etc. Already had may discus pair off and breed, electric blue rams breed, angelfish breed, etc., but more recently apparently my sterbais have been making babies, too. With tank maintenance, I have discovered some smaller guys hiding out in the plants, ones that survived the predatorial attack from the discus/angels, etc. long enough to grow large enough that they are now safe.
Today, I was doing routine filter maintenance on my Fluval canister filter and as I was was dumping some of the water out into the sink, I saw some wiggling in the sink! Sure enough, it was another sterbai cory juvie, approx. 1+ cm in length (smaller than the ones that were better fed in the tank itself)! I was able to snag him just before he washed down the drain! Unfortunately, I accidentally watched another poor soul go down the drain, which absolutely broke my heart! Can't stop thinking about him/her and feeling bad. Who knows if there were even more of them in the canister water that I unknowningly flushed down the drain before discovering the first one :(
I'm glad I have a happy tank with everything breeding inside it, and it's so cool that they were growing out in the filter and somehow survived the trip past the impeller, etc., but I still feel awful about the cory(ies) that I accidentally killed :( I know it's pretty common on the reef side in the sump/overflow, etc., but just curious if anybody else has had similar experiences with their tropical tanks.

rickztahone
10-25-2014, 03:12 PM
That is awesome that you have such good luck breeding all of these type of fish! Not that awesome that some got washed down the drain, but you shouldn't kick yourself over it. You didn't do it intentionally. Worry about the ones you have left and share pics with us when you can :)

Josho923
11-07-2014, 03:31 PM
Thanks for the kind words, rickztahone. I'll try to snap some quick pics with my iPhone at some point when I'm at home.
I have 4 tanks running and I'm working on the set up of the 5th (a 90 gallon, likely going smaller with a lot of characins, shrimp, rainbows, etc.) and a 6th (125 gallon reef).
I also have a lot of bonsai trees (google this, it's not just the Karate Kid juniper trees, ha, they are truly works of art). I want to eventually encorporate some custom made tanks with a "shore" and landscape, where I will have bonsai trees and the aquarium as one artistic piece. I've also swamp-dug bald cypress trees, etc. for my bonsai, and these will be able to live with their roots/trunk submerged (natural habitat in the swamps), so these would work great for this effect. I have some older, deadwood lying around from trees that did not survive; if people are ever interested in buying, let me know. I also sell live plants for the aquarium, etc. I'm always happy to trade, too.
Anybody else with interesting stories of surprise offspring that you discovered in your tanks?