Bangaii Cardinals

[lenzh]

Sorry if I'm dredging up old posts here. I did a search and nothing came up so I think it's a not often discussed topic.

So I did a quick search of bangaii cardinal the other day. I wanted to know if there was a way to sex them, as my male died recently and I want to see if there was a way to figure out how to pick out a female at the Lfs ( different discussion). Anyway, the Wikipedia article on bc's makes it sound like our hobby has fished them all out of the ocean to almost extinction. I know that they can be bred in captivity so I was pretty surprised to hear that I was potentially contributing to a species being wiped out. So what's the truth? What's the story here folks? Anyone have insight?

 

[jlymner]

I found this... https://www.facebook.com/#!/BanggaiRescue?fref=ts

sounds like you should try to get only tank raised.. heard live aqua and quality marine have them

http://www.qualitymarine.com/News/Species-Spotlight

 

[Derikku]

I breed and sell Banggai Cardinals locally and I don't want to seem bias when I say you should only buy tank bred ones but the reality is that their native populations are in decline due to overfishing. Also, the fact is they might be easy to breed, but they don’t breed in the numbers like clownfish so it is hard to keep supply with demand. It is even harder when having to try to sell cheaper than wild ones since a lot of people just want to cheapest fish rather than the most healthy or sustainable.

 

[Wolverine]

There's no reliable way to sex them until you see a male with eggs in his mouth. Everything else gives you a 50:50 chance. The best way to get a pair is to observe a group of them at the store. You'll often find some that are hanging around in pairs. Some stores will separate those out as soon as they see them, and then sell them as a pair, but most stores aren't that proactive.

At this point, there's no good reason to get wild-caught. They may be slightly cheaper initially, but you'll spend a lot more money on replacements.

 

[MarlinDreams]

At MACNA Ret Talbot spoke on this exact subject and has traveled and studied the situation there. The book collaboration should be out in late November/ Early December about the situation. If you can buy a captive bred fish, even at a higher price, it would seem logical to do so. I was also able to talk to Matt Pederson at the conference at length, he was very approachable and wanted to shre his thoughts, about the situation there. I am eagerly awaiting the book. I think when the book comes out, it will bring to light a lot of answers to a lot of questions and concerns.

 

[lenzh]

I'll be going with captive raised for sure based on these responses. I will also be keeping my eye out for the book you mentioned MarlinDreams. It sounds like education about this issue is gaining some momentum. The sooner this gets out to the masses the better IMO.