Microworms
In stockPanagrellus redivivus
The go-to first food for betta, gourami, tetra and cory fry
Size±1–3 mm
Culture mediumOats / instant porridge paste
Temperature18–27 °C (room temperature)
DifficultyVery easy
R50 · 15 ml starter culture
Fry feeding guide
Best live food for corydoras fry
Corydoras fry simplify one thing and complicate another: they are bottom fish from their first free-swimming hour, so food must arrive on the floor — but they are also sturdier than most egg-layer fry and take microworms almost immediately. Get food to the bottom, in a bare or sandy fry tank, and cory fry mostly raise themselves.
Photo: Nate Wessel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The feeding plan
| Stage | Feed this | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1–3 (absorbing yolk) | Nothing yet | Newly hatched cories sit on the bottom digesting the yolk sac; feeding now only fouls the tank |
| Days 3–14 | Microworms, pipetted to the bottom | They sink to where fry live and stay wriggling on the substrate — the ideal first cory food; banana worms cover the smallest species (pygmy, hastatus) |
| Weeks 3–5 | Newborn daphnia / moina + microworms | Fry start ranging higher for food; moina drives the growth spurt |
| Week 6+ | Young grindal worms + daphnia | Meaty bottom food for juveniles — the first step toward barbels-and-bulk adult condition |
Practical tips
- Pipette microworms straight onto the fry-tank floor in front of the fry — food in the column is food wasted on cories.
- A whisper of sand (not bare glass, not gravel) keeps fry comfortable and food findable, and protects developing barbels.
- Siphon the floor daily with airline tubing; bottom fry live exactly where the waste lands.
Watch out: Do not move cory fry onto dry food because the biggest are managing it — barbels erode and runts stall on a dry-only floor. Keep live food running until the whole batch takes grindal-sized feeds.
Common questions
What do corydoras fry eat first?
Microworms, from about day 3 when the yolk sac is absorbed — pipetted onto the bottom where the fry sit. Smaller species start on banana worms. Baby daphnia (moina) follows from week 3.
How often should cory fry be fed?
Two to three small bottom feeds a day, with a daily floor siphon. Fry should show full, rounded bellies after each feed without food still lying around an hour later.
Start these cultures
In stock in the Western Cape, dispatched Monday to Wednesday, door-to-door across South Africa.
Banana Worms
In stockPanagrellus nepenthicola
Smaller than microworms — for the tiniest fry, sooner
SizeSmaller & thinner than microworms
Culture mediumOats / instant porridge paste
Temperature18–27 °C (room temperature)
DifficultyVery easy
R50 · 15 ml starter culture
Daphnia (Moina)
In stockMoina sp.
The small “daphnia” that suits fry and small fish — and breeds fast in warm water
Size±0.4–1.5 mm (adults ±1–1.5 mm)
Temperature20–30 °C (fastest at 24–28 °C)
FoodGreen water, yeast, spirulina
DifficultyModerate — keep a backup culture
R50 · starter culture
Grindal Worms
Out of stockEnchytraeus buchholzi
A bigger, meatier worm for growing-on fry and small adult fish
Size±1 mm young to ±10 mm adults
Culture mediumDamp coir, soil mix or sponge
TemperatureRoom temperature (cooler shelf)
DifficultyEasy
R50 · starter culture
Fry Starter Kit
In stockAll four fry cultures in one parcel
Every fry size covered, from first bite to grow-out, in one courier parcel
IncludesDaphnia (moina), microworms, banana worms, vinegar eels
Culture mediaWater tub (moina) + oats paste (worms & eels)
TemperatureRoom temperature (moina warmest, 20–30 °C)
DifficultyVery easy
R200 · 4-culture bundle
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