Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus) Breeding Log!

[mwp]

Have you tried raising the first week in green water?

Yes, the ones I got to 5 days were with "green water" sort of...some algae (a mix of Tet., Nan. and T-Iso) was added to the tank 2X per day along with seived rotifers.

I am not going to browse the thread is too long i am wating for the movie...

Are you using antibiotics in the hatcher?

LOL, yes it is getting to be a big long thread but well worth it. Waiting for the movie to download or waiting for me to POST the movie? (it's posted a few threads above).

I have NOT tried any antibiotics in the larval tank / kriesel. I HAVE been thinking about it, perhaps going simple with like Methelyn Blue or something....it's very possible that the eggs could be fungusing before hatching, but then again, the time from spawning to hatch is ONLY 12-16 hours...

Ed, if you think antibiotics are worth a shot, how should I approach that?

Matt

 

[ediaz]

Well antibiotic won't hurt the eggs/ larvae if you use them, then you can discard that variable if the eggs still don't hatch.

Use streptomicyn or erithromicyn sulfate at the recomended dossage, bathing the eggs in meth blue or formalin will help too.

Ed

 

[mwp]

They're on my shopping list for this evening Ed - thanks!

Matt

 

[ediaz]

www.nationalfishpharm.com

 

[mwp]

Good link - I was heading to the LFS, but great resource, especially for future needs.

MP

 

[ediaz]

You might find EM tablets at the LFS , check expiration date, but not the strepto.

Ed

 

[warmark]

Hi Everyone,
I've been reading this thread all day... found it in google.
I have double 70 (70 on top 70 sump) set up for raising seahorses and my mandarins started spawning last night just as described. Scooped them out and put eggs in 2 gal with foam filter but most probably went down into my sump which is set up for baby seahorses.
I'll keep reading and watch out for tiny little mandarins...
good luck... hope this doesn't side track me from my seahorse project.
Mark

 

[mwp]

Mark, good luck! Hop on and let us know if you have a hatch - I'm curious to know more about your setup (if it works )

5-20-06 - 12:12 AM - WE HAVE ANOTHER SPAWN!

1 BAby left in the kriesel from yesterday's hatch...gonna collect tonight's spawn and see if I can devise any other makeshift aparatus to try until the "big guns" are set up. I have to do it 'cause who knows how long this repeated spawning will last!

MP

 

[mwp]

12:30 AM - Ok, partially 'cause I'm lazy, and partially just for the sake of "it can't get any worse" tonight I'm going to reinvestigate an incubation method I haven't used in a while - just throwing them in a specimen cup, hanging in the tank, with a gentle air feed (2 bubbles per second). Afterall, I don't think I was even AROUND for the actual hatch the first time around...most definitely missed it. But 12-16 hours from now? I can be around to see how it goes. ONE of the many issues I'm wondering about is that in nature these eggs simply float, and I have a hard time believing that things are all that rough on the eggs. So, why can't they just float for 12-16 hours, hatch and swim off? It's worth a shot...this is basically the minimalist method so far...

One interesting side note, I'm using my large specimen cup (holds about 1/2 gallon). Using it to scoup the eggs out made collection REALLY fast...one gentle scoop sucked off MOST of the surface water (and eggs). Didn't get every last one, and definitely stirred some down into the water column, but it did get MOST and was REALLY QUICK (vs. my tedious tiny spice jar scooper)!

FWIW,

MP

 

[mwp]

Well, so far I'm already ticked...when I turned the pump back on I must have either neglected a whole bunch of eggs OR I spilled some back in. So far not too thrilled with the "Specimen Cup" incubator

MP

 

[rsman]

I suggest you look back dwayne's hatcher. at least fake it by hand turning legos or something like slowly in a bowl, food coloring comes in nicely

 

[mwp]

Food coloring???

 

[rsman]

Food coloring???

not for eggs, just to test your hatcher and compare notes

spin 1rpm watch the difference between that and you air based hatcher.

 

[mwp]

OH, aha, yes that's a GREAT idea RSMAN - THANKS! Maybe I'll just have to shoot some VIDS of that down the line! EXCELLENT EXPERIMENT!!! I'll just HAVE to do that and share the results of all the different methods!

Matt

 

[mwp]

It's 5-20-06, 10:55 PM. About 2/3 off the eggs I placed in the specimen cup with the air feed are on the bottom. 1/3 is still floating. We have ONE larvae so far....gonna let it sit a bit longer.

On other fronts, I acquired a small electric timing motor...should be around 3-4 RPM but until I wire it up I'm not sure. Still have to concoct the rest of the "propeller" stirrer to see how it all goes down....hopefully by Tuesday or Wednesday this week I'll have all the parts put together...

MP

 

[rsman]

propellers are not the end all of options, they are just quick, premade, fairly in expensive .... so use what you have if you have something else.

 

[mwp]

Well, my big issue is trying to figure out how I'm going to connect something to the motor...I'm leaning towards dowels but they may be treated...most available metal rods well, corrosive in saltwater. Guess I have to take a closer look at some of those pictures earlier in the thread

HMM. It's official; 24 hours post-spawn we had 1 hatch. The mandarins didn't get fed today at all until 30 minutes before I turned out the lights; I saw no courtship, briefly turned off the pumps to check and see if ANYTHING would rise up...it's safe to say that we did not have a spawn tonight (I think). I'm still trying to come up with ways to get the pair to STOP spawning for a week or two - I want the male to build up some reserved and healthy milt! I can't help but think that with spawning every 24 hours the fish are not producing too much in the way of viable eggs / sperm, and that could be part of the problem with my dismal hatch rate....either that or the incubation as priorly speculated.....

Just guessing for now...process of elimination I guess.

MP

 

[rsman]

Well, my big issue is trying to figure out how I'm going to connect something to the motor
depends on what type of motor but the ridgid airline tubing will work great attaching it shud be easy flopping around isnt a big problem gravity works great at LOW rpm's

I want the male to build up some reserved and healthy if its the male and not female dont sweat it, if they cant keep up they will stop, or at least 1 will.

 

[mwp]

Well, I got my hands on the BOWL and I already have some rigid airline tubing around, thanks for that great suggestion RSMAN! I haven't observed any courtship activity (or spawning) this evening...lights when out at 10:00 PM vs. midnight and I *think* I may have put the fish off from breeding for a bit (also cut back on feedings this weekend as I was out of the house most of the time). I hope I haven't STOPPED them completely, but rather that our fish can build up some reserves...gonna keep an eye on them closely each evening for now while rushing to get the stirrer going. We're back to 0 larvae now...

MP

 

[FishGuttz]

http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/synchiropus_splendidus_series_2.html

Is it possible that Mandarins are amphibromus, and that they enter the mouth of rivers to breed for a course of many nights when the current would bring the larva into FW/brackish rivers, and therefore would require you to slowly reduce salinity in the rearing tank over the course of several days?