mandarin dragonett sexual maturity size?

[djberg]

i've been searching around and found that they become sexually mature at about 14 months, but how big are they at 14 mo?

i've been looking at a red female at my lfs for a couple of weeks, and after not being able to take it any longer i brought her home, now she's hanging out in my sump alone with chato and loads of pods.

so i figure since i have a happy, healthy green male why not see if they will pair up, if so see if i can get them to spawn and hell why not try to get them to reproduce. it's a long shot, but if i'm successful, at least the lfs will not have starving mandarins. else wise i have two gorgeous fish!

 

[fpv930]

Check out this article on Mandarins. It a great short read.
http://www.tfhmagazine.com/saltwater-reef/feature-articles/breeding-mandarins-full-article.htm

 

[djberg]

thanks for the info, she definitly has a few more weeks until she's good n fat, but she's still super cute!


DSC_3480 by dj.berg, on Flickr

 

[djberg]

Well she's back to good and fat, and the other day I noticed she looked like she swallowed a marble. Then this morning it was gone. While cleaning the system today I found the eggs in my filter sock! So now about an hour and a half away from the halides going out I'm patently waiting to see them dance. I've got a gallon glass milk jar ready, and ironically my fowlr has a phytoplankton bloom from hell going on. So ill see if that will work for a round one food.

Here's to hoping!

 

[frizzo98]

How did it turn out?

 

[djberg]

No luck even catching them trying yet. But her little belly keeps expanding and contracting, so its happpening, just not sure when.

 

[tektite]

It happens just before or just after lights out. They'll rise together in a number false ascents, then on the last one they release together at the surface of the water. The female will go to her sleeping spot after that, the male will most likely circle around for awhile. As soon as they release, turn off all circulation and return pumps. The eggs will float on the surface of the water, you can very gently scoop them up to transfer them wherever you need. You'll get used to their schedule, mine would release pretty close to 1 hr after lights out every night. It was easy to tell with mine when they released because they'd splash water out of the tank.

 

[snorvich]

It happens just before or just after lights out. They'll rise together in a number false ascents, then on the last one they release together at the surface of the water. The female will go to her sleeping spot after that, the male will most likely circle around for awhile. As soon as they release, turn off all circulation and return pumps. The eggs will float on the surface of the water, you can very gently scoop them up to transfer them wherever you need. You'll get used to their schedule, mine would release pretty close to 1 hr after lights out every night. It was easy to tell with mine when they released because they'd splash water out of the tank.

This. Mine mate every night when my LED artificial sunset occurs.

 

[djberg]

I've tried watching each night, when I have time/ remember, and haven't seen anything. ButmI'm not really set up for th next stages yet and am pondering on the "first food".

 

[Aww7979]

Good thread, keep it going. My pair is spawning, or at least going through the motions now. Any luck saving any eggs? I have shrimp that spawn every other week it seems. If the mandarin eggs make it into my fuge and chato will the baby shrimp eat them? Or will the larval mandarins eat the larval shrimp?

 

[joeang]

How do tell if you have a male or a female.