Mandarin Goby Mating dance? (Movie)

[Lyscer]

I introduced a male mandarin goby into my tank about a week ago and shot a short clip of what I saw tonight. Think they are doing a mating dance of some sort? The video on my computer is pretty good but when I converted it, things didn't turn out that well. If you know of a program out there to compress video that does a decent job let me know. Thanks.

Here is the movie

Video is a around 2.8Mb

 

[mwp]

Yup, that's the dance alright. Check out my mandarin thread if you can handle a 40 page read

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=824111

BTW, that's an EXCELLENT VID!

Matt

 

[Lyscer]

Thanks. Yeah I started to read your thread and got overwhelmed trying to read it all at once. I'm slowly making my way through it though.

 

[Lyscer]

Okay it looks like my mandarins are doing the mating dance again. Should I look for eggs or will they lay in the water column?

 

[mwp]

Turn off all the pumps, get a flashlight handy, and if you have moonlights, you're good to go. If they're going to spawn, they'll spawn after lights-out. It's a fun show...don't turn on the flashlight until they splash and then dash to the bottom and disappear into the rockwork...tha'ts usually the "cue". Check with the flashlight. If no eggs, give it a few minutes - they may reappear, courting again. If they don't, search the tank for them with the flashlight...you'll be able to tell if they're asleep or not. If sleeping, and no eggs, that's it for the night. If eggs, you can turn on all the lights and collect them if you like. In either case, don't FORGET to turn the pumps back ON!

If no moonlights, one very dim ambient roomlight may work. The eggs will float in small clumps and singly at the surface.

Matt

 

[Lyscer]

Thanks for the advice. My lights turned off about 15 minutes ago and it seems like they do the dance when my dusk lights are on, and once they shut off they stop doing it. Do you think that turning the pump on off would be a bad idea if it produces a TON of bubbles when I turn it back on? I just don't want to stress out the fish/corals in the tank to much.

 

[mwp]

I've never had any problems with turning my pumps on or off...that's about all I can offer.

Matt

 

[Lyscer]

So tonight I turned off all of my pumps and watched them for about 20 minutes. I saw the splash you were talking about and then I got the flashlight out and started to search the surface of the water... EGGS! I used a plastic cup to gather a few and then I figured I would start reading your thread some more to see what in the hek I need to do with them.

Bad news is that when I went to turn the main pump back on nothing happened. I took it apart and found that the ceramic rod was snapped at the end of the impeller. I put it all back together and by some miracle it started up again, so I know I need to buy a new rod(hopefully) before I do that again.

If you have any advice for me please let me know. Thanks again.

 

[mwp]

the eggs seem to need clean water, warm temps to hatch. So far my best luck is with a .5 gallon specimen cup holding the eggs and water from the broodstock tank hanging inside a tank that's about 82F, no air, no other circulation...the hatch within 14-16 hours usually.

Matt