Found Bangaii cardinal fry in my sump!!

LoJack

New member
Unbelievable!

I knew I had a male holding, but I just let him spit in the main tank. I have hawkfish and the like in the tank and knew they'd get eaten, if they were even viable ( it was the pairs first spawn )

I noticed the male no longer had anything in his mouth about 10 days ago and thought nothing of it ... figured, one day, I'll try my best to spawn them and get a good batch.

But during routine maintenance last night ... I found this little guy in a sump chamber

I can't get a good photo ... he's half the size of a dime!

This photo gives you an idea on size. That is the smallest hydor koralia they make



Another shot ... tried to get it as clear as I could ... couldn't get my camera to focus on him, he's just too small lol



And this last photo is the blurriest one, but its good for size reference. That is a standard power head power cord beside him in the photo ... he's the same diameter lol



I still can't believe he survived ... against all odds. And then to get sucked into the overflow ... miss the skimmer intake, and make it into the fugue! Plus there is a huge watchmen goby that likes the fuge, every single time I put him back in the main tank ... he heads straight for the overflow and goes back to the sump. And he has a big basket mouth on him ... surprised he hasn't eaten this little guy yet to be honest.
 
I had exactly the same experience and I left him in the sump for 6 weeks and fed him reef stew rich with copepods and brine. I now have mine in the DT and he is doing very well. It is quite exciting to come across the little one in the sump, quite the ordeal for him to get there. Good luck.
 
That is amazing! I second joedc, wild Banggais live in long spined sea urchins, in The Breeder's Guide To Marine Fishes by Martin Moe Jr, he used wood skewers instead of zip ties to make artificial hosts for the Banggais babies. They're much cuter when they're miniature!
 
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