Greenbanded Goby (Elacatinus multifasciatus, Gobidion etc..) Breeding Log

Diane,

I'm sure the parents continue to breed, but I don't always know where the eggs are laid, and am not always around to notice a hatch when it's starting.

SO NOW it's 33 days - last night, I screwed up the math, last night's update was around 32.5 days. As of this AM, 2 more larvae had apparently settled out as only 4 were freeswimming. Also, I took another head count after posting last night and found 13 larvae in adult coloration, so the total amount of baby GBG's right now is probably 20.

FWIW,

Matt
 
33.5 days now - it's very clear that settlement occurs towards "dusk" after watching these gobies for the past week or so. 2 more have taken up the benthic lifestyle, meaning there are now only 2 remaining in the water column.

This evening I removed 3 gallons of tank water, replacing with freshly mixed water (on a slow drip)...the ammonia alert badge is now definitely at the "alert" stage. No phyto has been added to the tankwater since Sunday morning, so no doubt it's starting to get cleared out now. I'm thinking at this point the population of rotifers may cause more harm than benefit, and we're seeing a lot of foaming at the surface, so water changes and light feedings are going to be the ticket I suppose.

I gotta say this is better than I ever could have imagined...the tank is simply "littered" with little tiny miniature Greenbanded Gobies - looks like our total resultant group of juvies will be around 20 or so...that's somewhere between a 10 and 20% survival rate from the initial hatch. I can only imagine how cool a 50% survival rate would look in that 10 gallon tank!

Here's a pic!

DSCN7498.jpg


MP
 
34 days now... - the headcount is 19 settled with adult coloration, 2 still in the water column and clear. Can't find any that are settled but still clear....

FWIW,

Matt
 
Of course now Luis, I have to get them weened onto something other than live copepods and live BBS!

Matt
 
Great job Matt, I've been following all of your threads and am happy to see a successful batch (other than the clownfish of course).

Brian
 
Thanks Brian - I'm more than excited about seeing something other than Clownfish too!!!

Matt
 
At 35 days of age, 1 remains free swimming, and there are 1 or 2 that have settled but not yet acheived adult coloration. The levels of life foods in the tank are dwindling...just some random rotifers and very rarely a small brine shrimp. Harp. copepods on the glass seem to be getting the most attention from the juveniles, and to that end I've tried feeding OTOHIEM A, as well as a mixture of Ocean Nutrition Cyclops and Cyclopeze, soaked with Selcon, which seems to generate mild interest. More than anything I'm having to resort to siphoning off the uneaten "dust" from the bottom. Over the weekend I may bring brine nauplii back into the fold as it's a feed that won't spoil and rot on the bottom for the time being (big surprise, I'm gone again and not in charge of the babies while away...brine nauplii it is!).

So that's where we're at.

Matt
 
We're rounding the bend to 36 days (I think we're around 35.75 or so at the moment) and I shot a couple more pics in the larval tank...still wishing my macro mode was working because these same shots would be a HECK of a lot clearer! Oh well, they get the point across just fine! There is still ONE that remains unsettled at this point in time.

DSCN7531_2gobies.jpg


DSCN7528_dozen.jpg


Matt
 
BTW, my headcount is still at 20. Also, they are kinda taking, or at least tasting, the cyclopeze / cyclops mix. In the process of feeding it, I had to take out a gallon of water today to clean the bottom, and have added in 4 gallons of clean new water (tank is basically at 9.5 gallons now). They're going to get mostly enriched brine nauplii for the next few days..don't want the caretaker to have to go through the trouble of cleaning bottom OR having the tank go sour while I'm away ;)

Matt
 
Well I'm freshly back from Vegas and our gobies are all looking great...still some that don't look nearly as "adult" as some of the others do, but they've all put size on. For the past few days they've been getting selcon enriched baby / instar II brine while I was gone (doesn't pollute), but now that I'm back, Otohiem, Cyclopeze and Cyclops are on the table...going to get these guys onto some frozen and prepared foods with higher protien / lower fat levels in the next week.

That's the news for now!

Matt
 
Just a quick husbandry note...today I gave them Otohiem, Cyclopeze and Cyclops...it appears they went after the later two with gusto, but the Otohiem went over lukewarm at best. This evening I've siphoned off the gunk which has resulted in a 3 gallon water change (new clean water going in). There is a pretty sizeable "size range" at this point...hopefully I can get them all growing well and onto prepared foods quickly....then it's time to sell them!

Matt
 
43 days old and the gobies are doing well. I got a good headcount this morning and there are definitely still 20 left. This morning's feeding was B1 Otohime...they sucked it off the bottom without hesitation, and a few took down pellets in the water column too! Ammonia levels have subsided a bit with water changes and the addition of Caulerpa prolifera, C. racemosa, and Red Gracillaria. Things are looking good...I'm now just in a crunch to get them growing as fast as possible so I can free up the larval tank for my next adventure in marine breeding!!!!

If you're interested in some offspring, especially if you're in the Chicago area, shoot me a PM and I'll put you on the list! Hopefully they'll be to a fair size by January. I'm keeping 2, 2 are going to JL (you only need 2 to get a pair) and the remaining 16 or so are going to be sold. Thinking about $25 a shot (that's what I paid for my CB GBGs that started this whole thing)

Matt
 
One last quick update...over the last couple days I've noticed certain levels of aggression, especially from the larger juveniles. Some of the largest are running around with flaired fins that have darker edges...perhaps these dominating fish are going to turn out to be males? Could they actually be trying to pair already?

Matt
 
Diane, that's really interesting that your male is smaller! I guess they just swing whichever way they want!

Not really offering them for sale just yet...I want them solidly onto regular foods with a bit more size before I let them go, but I will let people start lining up for them ;)

Matt
 
Well, I've been doing my best to drum up demand! :) (Or at least my fish have...)

Seriously, this has appeared to be a very labor- and materials-intensive endeavor. Do you think on a cost/benefit basis it will pay off? The more I learn, the more surprised I am that CB SW fish aren't a whole lot more expensive than they are!
 
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