Apogon leptacanthus - incubation time?

[mwp]

Quick question. If you're a cardinal nut, you may or may not have caught the latest addition to my ongoing cardinalfish saga - visit http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=748550 for some new photos and vids.

The question at hand - it LOOKS like our Apogon leptacanthus male is going to be a GOOD DAD (unlike our other poor father figures)...we're on day 4+ and it looks like eyes are starting to form on the A. leptacanthus eggs in the male's mouth.

I know a lot of folks have had these spawn - how long do the males hold? I realize there can be some variation, but are we looking at 7-8 days or 11-12 days etc...

Anyone who has any data to share, by all means it would be helpful. For now, I'm going to have to examine the babies through the slightly open mouth on a daily basis and will try to capture the male when they "look" ready....

MP

 

[mwp]

8 Days In. Come on, someone give me an idea

So the male occasionally spits out the egg mass partially and rotates it around / resettles it in his buccal cavity. There are DEFINITELY little eyes in there! I'm guessing that since the eggs are still in a solid mass (vs. breaking down into individual larvae) that the eggs have most likely not hatched yet, or at the very least the larvae aren't "free swimming" yet.

Someone out there, give me somethin' I can use to gauge WHEN I need to catch this male and get him to give up the larvae (into a breeder net!)

Here's a picture of our mouthbrooding male Apogon leptacanthus from this evening, right around 8 days post spawning.

MP

 

[LotR Clown]

These are threadfins? I don't know about incubation times, but I do like these cardinals. I see the eyes too.
Good luck.
Kevin

 

[mwp]

You Betcha! I've seen so many names applied including White, Threadfin, Blue Eye, Ghost, Glass, Blue Streak, Longspine etc... Apogon leptacanthus is so much "safer" to go by

Yeah, those eyes were black spots on the eggs at day 4, but now they're full blown eyes. The EYES look MUCH LARGER than what I've been seeing on our "mystery" larvae (most likely the Greenbanded gobies)...I think if I can get free swimming larvae out of the A. leptacanthus it'll be a relative CINCH to get them raised up (rotifers most likely will be the first food, but I have some crazy copepods in those cultures too!).

My ONLY issue is that I have to tear down and move the tanks 10 blocks south around March 1! GRRRRRRR!!!!!

MP

 

[mwp]

LIGHTS OUT tonight, just after 12:15 AM on the 12th, and 30 minutes later there are larvae of Apogon leptacanthus running around!

It looks like they have a bit of "reserves", looking something like a "P" turned 90 degrees clockwise...just a touch larger than the mystery Goby larvae!

So that's a LARVAE release just after dark on day 8! There's the brood time!

Unfortunately, I think we lost a LOT of the larvae..I bet many were immediately EATEN as well as the fact that they don't appear positively phototrophic (I had to collect MOST with a brine nauplii net...many in the specimen cup look damaged).

Rotifers and Phyto in the morning!? I'll get some pictures if I can....

MP

 

[mwp]

OK guys, this thread is "dead" as we've found the answer. I posted a recap of the results and larval pics back in my ongoing thread ( http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=748550 )! Thanks!

MP

 

[Julio]

Hey MP,
how manny of these cardinals do you have in your tank?

 

[LotR Clown]

Julio,
I believe 1male and 2females.

Kevin

 

[Julio]

I had a pair that would constantly spawn, but never saw any of hte babies. I am hoping to get a small school of them soon.

 

[mwp]

Well Julio, I have 1 male, 1 female, and 1 unknown. The issue here is that I *thought* I had 2 males based on behavior and elongated finage, but it turns out that the female in the pair is the larger, brighter fish and has more elongated fins. Totally backwards from what I thought. Considering she makes aggressive displays towards our unknown fish (also larger, brighter with longer fins) perhaps #2 is another female, but I can't be sure.

MP