Apogon leptacanthus - Breeding Log

[mwp]

Well...found another Leptacanthus larvae on the bottom DOA this evening. Not sure what to make of it at this point. Tiggerpods, Brine Nauplii...all seem to be pretty extripated from the tank.

Just tagged this on - added in a couple squirts of nauplii that have been in the fridge the last 24 hours, enriching with selcon.

BTW, Ed, your comment about bacterial sources just clicked something - I'm on a new bottle of Selcon since yesterday (or maybe the day before).

HMM.

Matt

 

[mwp]

Around 11:00 AM, another dosing of Maracyn. I hope 2 days cuts it, 'cause I have salmon guides tomorrow and Sunday - not sure I'll be around to take care of our fish!

I also fed in some more refridgerated selcon enriched nauplii. Still many little cardinals running around, at least 3 of which now have the very streamlined (smooth lines), laterally compressed shape and depening body that I believe is indicative of some type of Metamorphosis. I've lost track..are we approaching 30 days post release?

Matt

 

[mwp]

Looks like the majority of the cardinalfish larvae, all the smaller ones, are now "gapers". I think this is a developmental thing...and I don't suspect they'll make it in the long term. But we have THREE that appear to have "moved up" the meta laddar...so that's something.

I offered a bit of Cyclopeze..no interest in it from the cardinalfish. I've also placed a small spring of red gracilaria in the tank...along with it came 3 tiny brittle stars (They reproduce like mad in my tanks). I figure this can't hurt water quality/detritus removal.

I'm in the process of seiving out some rots for enrichment to be fed to the older clowns in the breeder net...will be firing up the phyto drip when I leave (and will have some clean water back into the tank too hopefully).

That's the plan...best I can do for now!

Matt

 

[mwp]

OK, 2 gallons clean water going in, phyto drip turned back on...that should tide them over for a couple days without me

BTW, our male is still holding...should pop tonight.

Matt

 

[mwp]

Oct. 15th, 10:33 PM. I'm back and have spent a little time observing our cardinalfish larvae. Upon returning home the tank water was crystal clear...maybe 0.5 L of phyto had dripped in and was rapidly depleted. At least 2 more cardinalfish kicked the bucket over the weekend.

So out of those that remain, 6 look good, a few more are "gasping" but do not appear to have short upper jaws, and the rest look like junk that ordinarily would've been culled out by now.

Of those 6 that still look good, it looks like 4 have undergone some sort of Metamorphosis. Of those, TWO of our larvae have developed a BLACK TIP on the anterior (first/front) dorsal fin! I wouldn't ever have expected this coloration, but noticing it on the two largest larvae suggest that it IS normal coloration for A. leptecanthus at that size (maybe 11MM?). The macro mode on my camera is shot (can't SWITCH IT OVER INTO MACRO!) but I'll do what I can to get some pictures to illustrate this change (will be VERY tough with the black background on the tank and no macro). Sorry if I don't have anything to show!

So that's where we're at, 3 hours shy of 32 days post release! 2 oldest larvae have black tips on their anterior dorsal fins, and 4 cardinals now have a body shape remeniscent of something like a Flame Cardinalfish.

Matt

 

[mwp]

So this morning 4 more Leptacanthus larvae have bit the bullet. This evening I've been doing maintenance - 1 gallon of water and bottom detritus out. 2 gallons seived and disposed...currently doing 2 more gallons. The water has started to get a bit "foamy" when agitated, so I'm bringing it way down and will slowly replace with clean water and phyto. That's the word for now.

Matt

 

[mwp]

So basically we're about to turn the corner on 33 days post release. I tried to get pics without the Macro mode (the button that switches into macro no longer works)...didn't get the black dorsal fin spot to show up in any of my pics..heck most didn't turn out at all. But I did get ONE that's decent.

Gonna keep trying the pix!

Matt

 

[mwp]

Well, while the Bears were playing catchup, another 3 gallons of water (and rotifers) was removed. Took the tank down to around the heater, probably 3 gallons total volume, and now 1 gallon of clean water is siphoning back in. Might take it down one more time again; more than anything it appears the rotifer population is completely out of control again. Will spend some time trying desperately to get a picture of the juvies with the black-tipped dorsal fins...wish me luck!

Matt

 

[mwp]

Another attempt - kept some stuff in the picture to help with scale, and also put an enlargement of the 2 largest cardinals in the lower right. There is a black spot where the dorsal fin might be resting.

I tried using the QX5 handheld at 10X, but it simply can't adjust focus, so I was stuck waiting to maybe catch one of the 2 large larvae up against the glass...not gonna happen considering how much it freaked them out. So I got what I could with the Coolpix 5700 without macro. I'm gonna shoot another 30-50 pics and maybe I'll capture it better, but if not, here's another look at 33 day old Apogon leptacanthus. Any "orange" looking fish in the shot are baby Amphiprion percula from the 2nd hatch.

FWIW,

Matt

 

[mwp]

GOT IT! Untouched image straight from the camera (well, cropped) and a 2nd version where the contrast & levels were played with to bring out the detail. You can clearly see it - a black tip on the dorsal fin of the largest juvenile cardinalfish in the image. So, what do you all think? Is this Metamorphasis? My jury is out...

MP

 

[mwp]

I woke this morning to find my website (and this one) offline...I think the pics will come back soon hopefully! Anyway, the 2L of Tetraselmis and Nanno I had on a slow drip apparently weren't dripping slowly enough, so the whole tank is now a midly dilluted algae culture! 1.5 gallons of clean water are being dripped in to further dilute things....otherwise things look about the same. Haven't seen any new DOA's on the cardinalfish but they could be masked by the thick green algae! My last headcount was 13.

Matt

 

[mwp]

Ed, I saw you've tried posting a reply like 8 times (got the emails) yet they're not showing up here? Wierd! Shot me a PM and I'll post your comments for ya or something

Matt

 

[ediaz]

So, what do you all think? Is this Metamorphosis?

Those are fish


Ed

 

[mwp]

Well, this afternoon I found two more leptacanthus bodies on the bottom. It honestly looks like ONE of them was a larger "black tipped" juvie. I've initiated another water change, taking out at least 2 gallons, and will be refilling again.

Matt

 

[aomont]

Matt, what you grow your phyto in ? Is it possible that the slow drip is carrying some "unused" compounds to the larval tank ?
Anderson.

 

[mwp]

20 drops of Gulliard's F2 in a 2L of 1.020 salinity newly mixed saltwater. FWIW I think I would've killed off some clownfish larvae too if that was the problem...I'm kinda leaning towards nutritional/meta issues considering the number of "gaping" larvae...for the most part those seem to be the ones slowly dying off.

Matt

 

[Luis A M]

Sure Matt,you´ve made it!:beer:
But now drive them very carefully with enriched bbs.You have seen the ugly face of DOA
What else could they take to avoid the monodiet?.L rots,CE,shaved shrimp or mysis?.Best luck!

 

[mwp]

Well Luis, they're still actually eating ROTIFERS! I've tried CE a few times, no luck yet. I've been trying to give them more Instar II BBS enriched with selcon AND keeping the phyto in to keep the rots and longer lasting BBS enriched with something.

Mysis puree maybe...?

Matt

 

[jake levi]

Mattt its been a long road but it looks like you've made it.

When does the book come out ?

 

[Kathy55g]

They look big to be eating a steady diet of rotifers....but I know nothing.