Banggai Cardinalfish Breeding Log

[agsansoo]

nice work! What kind of camera are you using?

Just a point-n-shot Sony.

 

[Ron Cote]

Great job and congratulations on your offsprings.

I also plan a raising Banggais and found the following information very valuable and hopefully will save me time and frustration. I thought there maybe some others who might find the following very useful.

http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=166&t=1851

 

[Frogmanx82]

So here's what I have. A 10 gallon tank with some brine shrimp eggs in a souvenir glass from Pat O'Briens. Those hurricanes are nasty. Anyway, I have 10 babies left after giving 13 to my lfs. He put them in a 30 gallon established tank with soft corals.

I tried feeding frozen cyclops, I think they are too big for the moment. Frozen rotifers are smaller but were not accepted. They are fat on baby brine shrimp at the moment.

Tank temp is 78, just using an HOB filter with the intake covered with a sponge and filter cloth (added after this picture to keep the BBS from getting sucked through the sponge). Doing 50% water changes with water from my 90 gallon tank every couple days.

 

[Frogmanx82]

Bad news. The babies are not doing well and I don't know why. Two have died and several don't look far behind, on their sides on the bottom of the tank. I can't figure what went wrong. The dad was in there for two weeks, I used old filter batting to cycle the filter. 10 babies can't make that much ammonia and they're eating live food.. I did have some brine shrimp shells get in the tank but I never saw them eat anything but live shrimp, they are picky. Any suggestions? pH, and temp check out. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to check ammonia. I don't have an ammonia kit.

 

[prolawn_care]

The ammonia might be rising, but i'd definatley check that ASAP... My next guess would be hydroids... Google them if your not sure what they are... They will wipe out my seahorse fry from time to time.... Good luck and let us know what the ammonia checks out at!

 

[timthetoolman]

I would say it's ammonia spikes as well. With that small of a tank if your pH lowers the ammonia is more toxic and hard to control.
Do you have a main display tank? If so, get the breeders cage from Florida Aqua Farms and hang it in the main tank. Then you can feed them without poluting the tank (depending on how established and how large the main tank is). I'll start a new thread and show you what I'm talking about so I don't hijack this really good thread.

I really hope you can find the cause, good luck!
Tim

 

[timthetoolman]

IMO, I agree with not using a net. I used an opaque cup and steered them into it with a net. Nets cause sudden fright syndrome and will kill fry.

For the ones I couldn't get to I used a 1" hose and siphoned them out. This is safe if you set it up right.

 

[Frogmanx82]

Well sadly all the babies died and I don't know why. Ammonia checked out at zero. The ones I gave the LFS all disappeared after 3 days and they were in a 55 gallon well established coral tank.

 

[timthetoolman]

What do you mean by disappeared?

Sorry to hear about your Banggai. Could have be a virus or bacteria, not sure.

 

[agsansoo]

Update:
Batch 2 (4) with batch 3 (18) are doing fine. Still trying to get these guy to eat something other than BBS. I've tried frozen cylopeeze, dry cylopeeze, chopped up mysis and even live black worms. So far they show very little interest in any of those.

 

[mn jeff]

Any updates?

 

[agsansoo]

Batch 2 (4) with batch 3 (18) are doing fine.
Batch #3 is eating dry artic pods now, which is good news ! Batch #2 only eats live foods still. So this week I purchased some Tigger Pods by Reeds. They seem eager to chase them down. Though they are not cost effective in the long term at $20 per 6oz. bottle.

NO THESE ARE NOT TIGGER PODS IN THE PHOTO. LOL They are BBS.

 

[agsansoo]

Update batch 2 (0) with batch 3 (18):

Well I lost all fry from batch #2 over the last week (they would not eat dry food). Batch #3 continues to do great (they do eat dry food).

 

[dazed]

They look great Andy nice job..

 

[agsansoo]

Thanks Chris. Will be moving them to a 10 gallon soon.

 

[Mikep503]

Thanks for all of the educational info everyone! I have my first male holding eggs right now and need all the info I can get! Very exciting addition to the hobby for me.

 

[arcprolife]

this has been a great thread. My male has had eggs about eight times but always spits them out or eats them in under a week. Hopefully some day I can atleast get some live births.

 

[agsansoo]

Thanks everyone. I will take update photos tonight. Decided to hold off on moving them to the 10 gallon tank for now. Noticed them fighting a little bit. Will have to keep a closer eye out for frayed fins.

 

[timthetoolman]

Batch 2 (4) with batch 3 (18) are doing fine.
Batch #3 is eating dry artic pods now, which is good news ! Batch #2 only eats live foods still. So this week I purchased some Tigger Pods by Reeds. They seem eager to chase them down. Though they are not cost effective in the long term at $20 per 6oz. bottle.



NO THESE ARE NOT TIGGER PODS IN THE PHOTO. LOL They are BBS.

How long did it take your Banggai to accept frozen food? I started shaving mysis around week 4 and gradually reduced the BBS till they were just eating mysis.

You can grow your own Tigger Pods, they are prolific. I have a large culture now that I started from about 8-10 Pods. Mine eat flake food if you don't have Isochrysis. They are in 'green water' now but they don't eat it. It's suspended on low flow so it might be Tetraselmis instead of Nanochloropsis.

They look good...Congratulations.

Tim

 

[agsansoo]

How long did it take your Banggai to accept frozen food? I started shaving mysis around week 4 and gradually reduced the BBS till they were just eating mysis.

Tim

Mine aren't eating frozen foods yet ! What do you mean by shaving mysis ? Please explain !