Mandarin Breeding Attempt
- Thread starter kizanne
- Start date
SNAKEMANVET
PREMIUM MEMBER
Interesting read.I have thought about trying to raise these,but seems like alot more to them then doing clownfish and bangaiis.I have had my pair for about 7 months now and they do their spawning ritual and release eggs.
kizanne
Member
It is definately more then clowns from what I've read. I am first going to try to raise some/any then I'll be working on a system for the hobbyist. My understanding is they have been determined to not be commerically viable but right now I'm just interested in breeding them and trying to make them available without wild catch. If I can come up with a system for the hobbyist that would be great. I've got some copepods and some Ideas. First I need fertile eggs. (of course who knows when I come home tonight maybe they hatched?).
SNAKEMANVET
PREMIUM MEMBER
Wish you the best of luck, you come up with a system I will try my hand at it. Keep us updated.
kizanne
Member
So last night I saw a lot of ascending again but no eggs. They seem to be trying to figure out how to do it. They aren't starting near the bottom of the tank so they don't have much room to ascend.
The tank is a mess. After I stopped the prazipro I have some cynobacter breaking out.
On the upside my male is now eating frozen blood worms.
The tank is a mess. After I stopped the prazipro I have some cynobacter breaking out.
On the upside my male is now eating frozen blood worms.
kizanne
Member
well I got busy, had cyno, treated with chemiclean. Saw some more ascending, never saw anymore eggs.
UNTIL tonight. I'm running late, vacuuming out the last of the cyno stirring up dirt. I am holding my hose to refill the 15 gallons I sucked out and I notice my mandarin coming together. Oh I figure they'll see me (plus the light is still on) and they'll run to the corner. They went straight up and then ran to the corner. But on the way out.... SPAWN. Don't know if he got it fertilized but I've got lots of eggs. Unfortunately the water is very dirty. I'm going to incubate them in the tank water and hope for some to hatch. If not I'll have to pay more attention to their ascending though tonight was a quick one. I don't usually sit in the fish room late at night but....
UNTIL tonight. I'm running late, vacuuming out the last of the cyno stirring up dirt. I am holding my hose to refill the 15 gallons I sucked out and I notice my mandarin coming together. Oh I figure they'll see me (plus the light is still on) and they'll run to the corner. They went straight up and then ran to the corner. But on the way out.... SPAWN. Don't know if he got it fertilized but I've got lots of eggs. Unfortunately the water is very dirty. I'm going to incubate them in the tank water and hope for some to hatch. If not I'll have to pay more attention to their ascending though tonight was a quick one. I don't usually sit in the fish room late at night but....
kizanne
Member
Some eggs look like they had some development but no hatch. I'm going to try to catch them in the act this weekend. I'm still not sure the male is spraying sperm. It looked to me like he did and some eggs look different then others so maybe he is. This weekend I'll have time to check all my parameters maybe even try aeration.
hotelbravo
Active member
Sounds pretty cool. Good luck
kizanne
Member
Well last night I was ready and they didn't spawn. I'll try to catch them tonight.
I also ended up buying 2 more mandarins. Hopefully a boy and a girl but one is definately a boy (very large) and the other I think is a girl. Short top fin but sometimes they get bit off the smaller boys. I bought them spur of the moment at the LFS. He doesn't keep mandarins in much. I been thinking about changing out the male of my first pair. I know the girl is releasing eggs not sure if he is releasing sperm. He had some damage to his spine when collected so not sure he is capable. I'm going to give him a few more spawn attempts because it is complete possible that I'm not incubating right. Then I noticed the little girl in the next tank just staring at him like she was in love. She was hugging the glass near him and she'd swim away and come right back. I had the LFS put them in the tank together and no aggression right then. I had to make a snap decision because someone else was interested......
****For those who come after me... (and to remind myself) this was not the best decision because the large male was in there last week and was looking lethargic (not moving around, not a good sign). My LFS doesn't quarantine, girls are hard to come by and my LFS thought she was a boy with her fin nipped off and I'm not an expert, I bought her on behavior.*****
I brought them home and put them in a 10 gallon quarantine tank together. Put in some amphipods, copepods, rotifers(they were in with the tangerine pods). I put prazipro in with them and when I fed my other fish frozen spirulina brine I put some in there. OHHHHHHH, the huge male ate it night one!!!!!!! lucky me. He also had perked up some from last week to this in the store (but was still lethargic in the store) with the 'girl' in there he's been alot more active, he ate all the amphipods, he ate 12 or so frozen brine, and he didn't show any aggression to the other mandarin. The only aggression is when I go to look at them he puffs at me raises his dorsal fin, and then she hides behind his tail.
I don't expect much from them for 6 months to a year if ever. She is very small and he is very large. She is probably not of breeding age yet, she is about 1 to 1 1/2 inches he's 5 inches maybe 6. But I got him as a back up to my first male (and to rescue him and because she looked in love), I got her because girls are hard to find and she looked in good health. BUT for future reference in this forum/blog they are M2.
DID I MENTION HE ATE BRINE FIRST TRY.
Well hopefully tonight I can catch the first pair spawning, then not sure what I'll do cause I'm out of 10 gallons with 2 10's for quarantine (a pair of gobies). And a hubby whose patience at some point will run out (though tankfully he has a little 29 cube so he understands the addiction). I guess I could clean out my 65 plankton experiment. The next post I do will be a snap shot I put here should be of my -d-i-n-i-n-g- fish room.
I also ended up buying 2 more mandarins. Hopefully a boy and a girl but one is definately a boy (very large) and the other I think is a girl. Short top fin but sometimes they get bit off the smaller boys. I bought them spur of the moment at the LFS. He doesn't keep mandarins in much. I been thinking about changing out the male of my first pair. I know the girl is releasing eggs not sure if he is releasing sperm. He had some damage to his spine when collected so not sure he is capable. I'm going to give him a few more spawn attempts because it is complete possible that I'm not incubating right. Then I noticed the little girl in the next tank just staring at him like she was in love. She was hugging the glass near him and she'd swim away and come right back. I had the LFS put them in the tank together and no aggression right then. I had to make a snap decision because someone else was interested......
****For those who come after me... (and to remind myself) this was not the best decision because the large male was in there last week and was looking lethargic (not moving around, not a good sign). My LFS doesn't quarantine, girls are hard to come by and my LFS thought she was a boy with her fin nipped off and I'm not an expert, I bought her on behavior.*****
I brought them home and put them in a 10 gallon quarantine tank together. Put in some amphipods, copepods, rotifers(they were in with the tangerine pods). I put prazipro in with them and when I fed my other fish frozen spirulina brine I put some in there. OHHHHHHH, the huge male ate it night one!!!!!!! lucky me. He also had perked up some from last week to this in the store (but was still lethargic in the store) with the 'girl' in there he's been alot more active, he ate all the amphipods, he ate 12 or so frozen brine, and he didn't show any aggression to the other mandarin. The only aggression is when I go to look at them he puffs at me raises his dorsal fin, and then she hides behind his tail.
I don't expect much from them for 6 months to a year if ever. She is very small and he is very large. She is probably not of breeding age yet, she is about 1 to 1 1/2 inches he's 5 inches maybe 6. But I got him as a back up to my first male (and to rescue him and because she looked in love), I got her because girls are hard to find and she looked in good health. BUT for future reference in this forum/blog they are M2.
DID I MENTION HE ATE BRINE FIRST TRY.
Well hopefully tonight I can catch the first pair spawning, then not sure what I'll do cause I'm out of 10 gallons with 2 10's for quarantine (a pair of gobies). And a hubby whose patience at some point will run out (though tankfully he has a little 29 cube so he understands the addiction). I guess I could clean out my 65 plankton experiment. The next post I do will be a snap shot I put here should be of my -d-i-n-i-n-g- fish room.
SavingOurSeas
New member
I'm sittin' down and paying attention
I'm sittin' down and paying attention
this is exciting to find someone else who has the desire to breed this species!
I'm sittin' down and paying attention
this is exciting to find someone else who has the desire to breed this species!
REEFBUILDER1
New member
Anything to write home about?
kizanne
Member
Well I stayed in the fish room Sunday night. More ascending no spawn. They seem to have trouble with the height of the tank and getting it right. They also were distracted by the fresh batch of copepods I added to the tank. I have the next week off and I'm hoping to catch some spawn then. She stays swollen/gravid.
hotelbravo
Active member
I noticed my mandarin doing something for the first time last night. He was on the side of the tank swimming up the the middle and just hovered staring at himself in the reflection. Did this for about two hours after the lights went out.. could be nothing at all but it reminded me of this post
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