Banggai Survival

[dochoot]

I have a pair of Banggai Cardinals in my main tank that are breeding regularly. One of the youth made it into my overflow and must have been in there for a couple of weeks as he had grown a lot. Got him out and he is doing fine.

My question is what was he eating? I would like to raise some Cardinals and from what I have read, pretty particular of what they will eat. Is there something inherent in my system that will support them?

I bought a live urchin for the next batch of young but would like to get an artificial one as well. Where do I get them?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jhawkor]

I have a pair of Banggai Cardinals in my main tank that are breeding regularly. One of the youth made it into my overflow and must have been in there for a couple of weeks as he had grown a lot. Got him out and he is doing fine.

My question is what was he eating? I would like to raise some Cardinals and from what I have read, pretty particular of what they will eat. Is there something inherent in my system that will support them?

I bought a live urchin for the next batch of young but would like to get an artificial one as well. Where do I get them?

Thanks in advance.

Wow, very interesting. How is the plankton pupulation in your tank? Copepods, amphipods, etc....

 

[dochoot]

Population seems pretty high but I would not think any higher then others. I have a refugium that seems rich with life. My overflow has some bizare looking things growing it. Must be some kind of worm.

 

[alovely]

are you talking about fry cardinals or adults. Most cardinals aren't too picky of what they eat because they are becoming more and more available through captive breeding. I feed mine a mixture of flakes, cyclopeez, mysis, and brine soaked in garlic. When i first bought mine they eat only frozen mysis and brine but i have acutally weened them on flakes now. Your cardinal was probably eating copepods and such... as for the fry you will have to give them live food and slowly ween them off. The artificial I have seen several things made as long as it looks like a long spine urchin I am sure they will host it. Well, as far as I could see.

 

[dochoot]

I am talking about a fry that survived with out any special care/feeding in my overflow. Seems unusual.

 

[jhawkor]

I am talking about a fry that survived with out any special care/feeding in my overflow. Seems unusual.

Yeah, usually Bangaii fry require either Artemia nauplii or rotifers as a first food.

 

[FMarini]

i suspect your fry was eating whatever was coming over the side of your overflow, as well as any infauna nauplii that living in the overflow. There have been a handful of reports that newly released banggai fry can take small pieces of prepared foods. One hobbyist reported that they ONLY fed frozen BBS nauplii and cylopeze to their fry and got a number to survive. Thats was not my experience- but it does happen

 

[jhawkor]

i suspect your fry was eating whatever was coming over the side of your overflow, as well as any infauna nauplii that living in the overflow. There have been a handful of reports that newly released banggai fry can take small pieces of prepared foods. One hobbyist reported that they ONLY fed frozen BBS nauplii and cylopeze to their fry and got a number to survive. Thats was not my experience- but it does happen

Very cool! I guess there's a reason why Bangaii's are considered the "Guppies" of saltwater breeding.

 

[reefstew]

About 5 years ago I had the same experence. This was in a 240 gal. reef tank. I checked out the skimmer for some unknown reason & caught a sellable size cardnial. At that time I was breeding them & feeding my corals reef stew which probably kept it alive. b.T.W. reef stew is algae, rotifers, copepods, & brine shrimp.

 

[bimmerzs]

Hi,

I have two alive from different batches, alive in my system. There is one in the main tank and one that made it to my refugium, the one in the main tank heads for the hill's everytime the adults come into it's view. I think given the opportunity, the adult male will surely kill it but the "baby" is about 7 months old now and good size.

Cheers,

 

[Chipie]

I have one that i had found in my overflow and i now have it in a little clear plastic box(Penn plax ) that's hanging inside my 180g. I have fed it frozen rotifers and frozen cyclops. At first i had to make the rots move with a dropper to make believe it was alive and it worked. I don't have to do this anymore. I now can feed it mysys since it has grown quite a bit. I guess yours just hate the pods and anything it could find in your overflow.
I just caught 22 new frys last night in my tank I bought some bottled bbs from Ocean nutrition. I'm going to try those on this hatch. They seem to be eating it.