What is the easiest species to breed
- Thread starter joeyt66
- Start date
If you mean the easiest marine fish to spawn and raise, the Banggai cardinalfish would probably win that title for most people. Here is an excerpt from my book, "Aquarium Fish Breeding" that discusses that species:
Jay Hemdal
Banggai cardinalfish, (Pterapogon kauderni)
This fish was first discovered in 1933, but then was lost to science for many years. It was rediscovered in 1995, and it immediately took the marine aquarium hobby by storm. Uniquely patterned, with long flowing fins and a peaceful nature, they proved very popular with aquarists. Even better, this species is a paternal mouthbrooder, and the male incubated the eggs in his mouth after they hatch (usually for 20 to 25 days). The babies, if kept from being eaten by tankmates, are easily raised using enriched live baby brine shrimp as a first food (see Chapter Five). The primary issue with this species is that it is found in a very isolated location around the Banggai Islands in Indonesia, and is at risk of being over-collected for the aquarium hobby. Captive rearing by hobbyists and professional breeders would take some of this collecting pressure off the wild populations.
Aquarists have tried to determine a foolproof way to tell male from females in this species. The most often mentioned differences are that the males are supposed to have a longer trailing edge on their second dorsal fin, and a squarer jaw line. As with sexing most fish species, these are relative minor differences, and may not always be reliable. Aquarists interested in breeding this species can start by purchasing five individuals and setting them up in a 40 to 50 gallon aquarium. It is best to buy the five fish from at least two different pet stores, or buy them at different times. If you buy all the fish from one store, at the same time, there is a chance that the fish may be related (especially if they are captive raised). Diversifying your sources for the fish will just help enhance their genetic variability, and may reduce problems resulting from inbreeding. Allow the fish to acclimate to their new surroundings and feed them well on nutritious foods such as live adult brine shrimp, frozen mysid shrimp and small krill. With some luck, at least two of the fish will eventually pair off. With five fish to start with, and assuming a random sex ratio, you will expect to have at least one male/female pair in the group about 94 percent of the time. The paired fish will become territorial, and the other three can then be removed. Courtship and breeding has not been fully documented, (it may occur at night) but a swelling of the male’s mouth indicates that he is holding eggs. At some point in the next 25 days, the male will release the relatively large (1/4†long) fry. If any other fish or aggressive invertebrates are present, they may eat the young. Even the adult parents have been suspected of eating their young. The best survival rate is seen when the babies can be dipped up in a cup (never netted!) and moved into a mesh rearing basket, or a separate rearing tank. It is very important to feed the young fish with Selco enriched brine shrimp nauplii. They will grow and seem to do well if fed normally hatched brine shrimp, but long term survival will be poor, and many of the babies will die between day 20 through day 40. As time goes on, some of the young fish will grow larger than others. Soon, the larger ones may start to fight with the smaller ones. If this happens, separating the fish into two or three similar sized groups will reduce the fighting problem. As juveniles, Banggai cardinalfish require little specialized care, and soon begin feeding on flake foods, diced krill and mysids.
Copyright 2003 Barron's Inc.
Jay Hemdal
Banggai cardinalfish, (Pterapogon kauderni)
This fish was first discovered in 1933, but then was lost to science for many years. It was rediscovered in 1995, and it immediately took the marine aquarium hobby by storm. Uniquely patterned, with long flowing fins and a peaceful nature, they proved very popular with aquarists. Even better, this species is a paternal mouthbrooder, and the male incubated the eggs in his mouth after they hatch (usually for 20 to 25 days). The babies, if kept from being eaten by tankmates, are easily raised using enriched live baby brine shrimp as a first food (see Chapter Five). The primary issue with this species is that it is found in a very isolated location around the Banggai Islands in Indonesia, and is at risk of being over-collected for the aquarium hobby. Captive rearing by hobbyists and professional breeders would take some of this collecting pressure off the wild populations.
Aquarists have tried to determine a foolproof way to tell male from females in this species. The most often mentioned differences are that the males are supposed to have a longer trailing edge on their second dorsal fin, and a squarer jaw line. As with sexing most fish species, these are relative minor differences, and may not always be reliable. Aquarists interested in breeding this species can start by purchasing five individuals and setting them up in a 40 to 50 gallon aquarium. It is best to buy the five fish from at least two different pet stores, or buy them at different times. If you buy all the fish from one store, at the same time, there is a chance that the fish may be related (especially if they are captive raised). Diversifying your sources for the fish will just help enhance their genetic variability, and may reduce problems resulting from inbreeding. Allow the fish to acclimate to their new surroundings and feed them well on nutritious foods such as live adult brine shrimp, frozen mysid shrimp and small krill. With some luck, at least two of the fish will eventually pair off. With five fish to start with, and assuming a random sex ratio, you will expect to have at least one male/female pair in the group about 94 percent of the time. The paired fish will become territorial, and the other three can then be removed. Courtship and breeding has not been fully documented, (it may occur at night) but a swelling of the male’s mouth indicates that he is holding eggs. At some point in the next 25 days, the male will release the relatively large (1/4†long) fry. If any other fish or aggressive invertebrates are present, they may eat the young. Even the adult parents have been suspected of eating their young. The best survival rate is seen when the babies can be dipped up in a cup (never netted!) and moved into a mesh rearing basket, or a separate rearing tank. It is very important to feed the young fish with Selco enriched brine shrimp nauplii. They will grow and seem to do well if fed normally hatched brine shrimp, but long term survival will be poor, and many of the babies will die between day 20 through day 40. As time goes on, some of the young fish will grow larger than others. Soon, the larger ones may start to fight with the smaller ones. If this happens, separating the fish into two or three similar sized groups will reduce the fighting problem. As juveniles, Banggai cardinalfish require little specialized care, and soon begin feeding on flake foods, diced krill and mysids.
Copyright 2003 Barron's Inc.
