New Bangaii Cardinal

[Tennyson]

So I bought a Bangaii two days ago. It's my favorite fish of all time, and I'm just worried because it doesn't seem very....umm, whats the word-eager to eat? It doesn't chase after the food, and gobbles it up like some ferocious beast, it just kind of...nibbles it down instead of swallowing it down in one gulp. Its not exactly how I would picture a healthy fish to eat, but its not horrible.

I'm feeding it mysid, and some cyclopeeze, but is there any other food they will eat? And I hear some people soak their mysid/food in vitamins or something? What do you all use?
But its not the end of the world, its still eating, its just not eager to.

 

[Wolverine]

I wouldn't worry too much at this point. It's still getting settled in. Remember, when they're mating, males will go for about a month without any food at all.

If you got TR, find out what it was eating in the rearing tanks.

 

[Runfrumu]

Mine doesnt get up in the mix when it's feeding time, he's not shy, he just stays in the same place during the day and keeps to himself. At night is when he moves around the tank, so I throw some brine shrimp in for him and night time and it seems to keep him happy, had him for almost a year now.

 

[Tennyson]

Wolverine- You were right, partially. It's settled in now, and will eat alot, but then later (after eating maybe 3 mysid shrimp) it loses the eagerness to eat I guess. It still eats it, but it's lazy after a while, and sometimes it will bite/nibble and just spit it out.

I don't know. I'll have to wait a while, but it's nothing really to worry about unless it completely stops eating.

I'd like to know also if it's a male or female, I'm going to post pics up later. I want to raise these, and buy the opposite sex for it and hopefully get a pair. I made an attempt a long time ago, but couldn't get a pair

 

[Tennyson]

Male or Female?

Male or Female?

Here are a couple pics, it's sexually mature, about three inches. Hope it's possible to tell what gender it is.

It's jaw

side view

I don't know if this will help, it's fins, banner fin is pretty long, and erect most of the time. These are approximate measurements in inches, and thats a 1.5, not a 15.

So is it possible to tell? Cuz I have no clue, but I might guess that its a male because it's banner fin is very long. But I can't tell if it's jaw is large or not.

Anyway, are there any other foods that I could feed my bangaii besides mysid and cyclopeeze?

 

[Zaita]

Unless you can get a VERY high def photo of it's anal area you cannot sex the fish.

The fins will break off, and the jaw isn't useful in determining the sex of the fish.

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13271360#post13271360 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Zaita
The fins will break off, and the jaw isn't useful in determining the sex of the fish.

Even if the fins don't break, it's still an iffy way to tell the difference.

Based on those pix, I am about 50% sure that you've got a female.

 

[FMarini]

and Dave-
I'll bet you 50% its a Male...........

i found wild caught banggais (spelled correctly BTW -they are named after the island where they are found) not to found of cubed, or flake foods. You might try mysis or live brine- just to get them feeding, then add in other food items
If yuo interested in this fish-- you might want to read these

Notes and observations on Raising and Breeding the Banggai Cardinalfish (1996)
http://www.breedersregistry.org/Articles/v4_i4_marini/marini.htm


Frank Marini, "Captive care and Breeding of the Banggai cardinal (1997)
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/f_marini_020799.html

 

[Lowredranger]

I know mine will not eat pellet or flake food he really only like mysis and he will eat cyclopeeze as well.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13272372#post13272372 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Wolverine

Based on those pix, I am about 50% sure that you've got a female.

Thats a joke, right? I'm 50% sure and I didnt even look at it.

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13275162#post13275162 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jmaneyapanda
Thats a joke, right? I'm 50% sure and I didnt even look at it.

It's a joke and it's true. Looking at the pics will add nothing to the certainty of what sex that fish is.

 

[Tennyson]

OK thanks, I get it-lol just in case it was possible.

Ugh, it's gonna be hard to get one of the opposite sex. oh well.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Get a group, and let bthem pair off, and then return the "odd men out".

Wolverine- good, thats a joke I use all the time at work (after someone said it to me seriously).

 

[timthetoolman]

I've seen a lot of people get upset at trying to match up Banggai.
If I HAD to guess I would lean towards female because of the flat chin but it's just a guess.
I've researched them for 10 years but I just got some this past weekend. I read everything I could and still think I got the same sex (pessimisim is best with breeding these from what I've read
Mine aren't eating dead food. I have outdoor cultures of Nanochloropsis and they have mosquitos in the barrels right now so when I throw some live mosq. in they go crazy. I just started to grow out some brine tonight.
Good luck Tennyson, I hope you got a pair...of Banggais.

 

[block head]

i'd watch it very close, a lot of bangaiis are dying, people on mofib having a hard time keeping them alive. i lost 4 and gave up. might consider using meds.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13279292#post13279292 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by block head
i'd watch it very close, a lot of bangaiis are dying, people on mofib having a hard time keeping them alive. i lost 4 and gave up. might consider using meds.

what??!! Meds for what? Why are they dying? Lets not start a rancid rumor here. I'd love to hear some detailed info, but specific meds treat specific ailments, and a claim of "dying fish needing meds" seems absurdly knee jerk to me.

 

[glassbox-design]

FYI: Banggai's are classified as an Endangered Species. Avoid wild caught and stick with captive bred.

 

[block head]

i wish i new why they died, several people went threw what i did. fish stopped eating,rapid breathing, death within 48 hrs. this happened to our clubs group order and i have read multiple posts in several forums complaining of similar symptoms. call it knee jerk or whatever u want. a bunch of fish died. if i were going to do it all over again i might consider using formalin during qt.

 

[crsswift70]

I'd vote female as well judging by the jaw. I bought two at one time.. one eats everything and flies all over the tank to get food.. the other would hide. I think it was partially because it was the same sex and was getting bullied. However, the pig eats everything..flakes, home made, mysis, brine... eats it all. I guess it's all in the luck of the draw.

 

[timthetoolman]

Just last night I caught some live blood worms and mosquitos and put them in with some thawed blood worm/brine mix and they ate so much they were fat. The live stuff created a feeding frenzy.
It seems that if they died from an order it may not be related to the fish as much as shipping. On the other hand in this hobby you might get a picky eater so if you're not willing to take care of it then don't get them. I believe mine will learn to eat prepared food but I'm not going to return them because they could die in the hands of someone who didn't know or want to take care of them.
Anyway, Tennyson, keep us updated, I might have to try another one myself if these don't turn out to be M/F