Banggai Cardinal with eggs

[Keimaxbode]

I have a Cardinal with eggs and I read it is best to put him in a separate area. I have a refugium that should be a good place for him and fry when hatched. Does anybody know if I should move him right away or leave him in display until closer to end of gestation period (21 days)? Also, I have pods in the refugium so will the fry eat those or do I need to figure out how to hatch baby brine shrimp? I have a short video showing him rolling the eggs in his mouth if I can find out how to post it.

 

[Keimaxbode]

Here is the link to the video (hopefully works).

 

[coffeetwitch]

hey hope its not too late and that i can help... my banggai just had 18-20 babies. i moved mine to a spare 20 gallon that i had laying around on day 20. i moved some of my rock over for him and put a hob skimmer it too that i had laying around. while thats not the same as your sump its what i had so i went with it.

he released the fry on week 4, same day we added a long spine urchin to the tank. the owner of the lfs suggested the newly hatched brine too. he should know he used to raise them years ago. any way. i wasnt set up for that bit BUT i did have nutrimar ova. if your not familiar with it you can google for in depth info but its frozen prawn eggs.

the babies have been eating that, fortunately for me, from the time they where born to now.. like a week later almost. they where 1/8" long, give or take, when they became free swimming and now some are 1/2" some are 3/8" so i know they are growing. ive seen them eat it so im comfortable with saying its a great alternative to newly hatched brine.

hope that helps. fyi this is the first time i have ever dealt with banggais spawning so its all new to me. just passing along whats going on with mine.

 

[Keimaxbode]

Thanks so much, Coffeewitch! No, not too late. Haven't seen any sign of babies in mouth, but this is only day 18. So did you see babies in his mouth before he spit them out or not until they were out? If you did, what day was that? I read they stay in his mouth a few days usually after hatching and that is when you move him so he doesn't spit them out prematurely. Evidently whatever you did worked. I have Frozen Reef Plankton and live pods in my sump but I'll see if my LFS has the food you used as well.

I have noticed him eating a little so he may have swallowed the eggs, though he still acts like he has something in his mouth. May just be wishful thinking. I'm going to keep a close eye on him now.

I did read about the long spines urchin but also that they scratch acrylic so couldn't put in my display and my sump has all kinds of places they could hide to get away from Dad, including a large batch of Chaeto and rocks.

Do you have pics up anywhere of your fry?

Diana

 

[coffeetwitch]

Thanks so much, Coffeewitch! No, not too late. Haven't seen any sign of babies in mouth, but this is only day 18. So did you see babies in his mouth before he spit them out or not until they were out? If you did, what day was that? I read they stay in his mouth a few days usually after hatching and that is when you move him so he doesn't spit them out prematurely. Evidently whatever you did worked. I have Frozen Reef Plankton and live pods in my sump but I'll see if my LFS has the food you used as well.

I have noticed him eating a little so he may have swallowed the eggs, though he still acts like he has something in his mouth. May just be wishful thinking. I'm going to keep a close eye on him now.

I did read about the long spines urchin but also that they scratch acrylic so couldn't put in my display and my sump has all kinds of places they could hide to get away from Dad, including a large batch of Chaeto and rocks.

Do you have pics up anywhere of your fry?

Diana

I never saw the fry until he let the first two out. When I got the rest of them out it took them a while to find the urchin they where very content hiding behind the heater or where ever they felt was safe so I would guess that person doesnt really need an urchin just safe places for them.

I would feed my tank and he would charge the mysis, but poor guy just swam through it never taking anything into his mouth. And yes I was nervous about moving him and spitting them out prematurely. Right after he was moved it looked like his mouth shrank but I've been told that 18 on the first shot is a good sized brood.

Pods. I don't know if the fry would go after them or not. They do need high protein food so hopefully you can find something similar.

 

[Keimaxbode]

Well sounds like he may have swallowed the eggs then but I'll keep an eye on him anyway. On what day exactly did yours start spitting? I think you said week 4 but not what day. I could be forgetting though so please forgive if that's the case.

I'll stop by my LFS in the next couple of days to look for that food. I found a jar of baby brine on LA but was rather expensive and only keeps for
a few weeks. Without knowing there are any babies, didn't want to order that.

Your pics are great! So cute! 18 certainly is a large first brood from what I've read. Congrats!

 

[coffeetwitch]

on the exact day of being 4 weeks! on the exact day of being 21 days, i moved him. if your guy is like mine, then he eats like a pig and should be really noticeable if he is eating like normal or still holding and just doing like cichlids do and get food in their mouth for the babies to eat. either way, good luck! im subscribed to the thread so keep us posted when you know.

 

[coffeetwitch]

any updates?

 

[Gboy66]

What is the relationship between the cardinal fry and the urchin?

 

[coffeetwitch]

the cardinal fry instinctively use the spines of the urchin for protection. urchin does not benefit from them. some how the fry just know to hang tight to the urchin. kind of like clowns to nems.

 

[Gboy66]

the cardinal fry instinctively use the spines of the urchin for protection. urchin does not benefit from them. some how the fry just know to hang tight to the urchin. kind of like clowns to nems.

Thats pretty sweet..and its only cardinal fry that do this?

 

[coffeetwitch]

no idea

 

[Keimaxbode]

Well no babies . I think he must have swallowed the eggs somewhere along the way. I'm feeding more to hopefully increase the chances of him holding them full term after the next breeding. That should occur within the next 2 weeks according to what I've read. Will update when I notice any spawning activity. At least I know what to watch for now.

 

[coffeetwitch]

bummer about not holding all the way through. well they do know when its right or not. good luck next time. they really are neat to see grow.

 

[Keimaxbode]

I bet they are. I subscribed to your thread ao hope to get time to read it tonight. My male's coloring is getting really dark. I'm wondering if that happens when it gets close to spawning time again. Do you know?

 

[coffeetwitch]

there really isnt much to read in my threads. but thanks for the interest. as far as the coloring... i have no idea. i am just an enthusiast that got lucky. i have read between 2 weeks to a month between spawning. good health and good food will work wonders. the lfs guy said to isolate the male from the female for two weeks minimum and feed both well. then reintroduce. sorry i dont know more for you. nutamar continues to be a god send .

 

[Keimaxbode]

Well, yesterday cardinals spawned again and male is holding his 2nd clutch of eggs. Hope to have better luck this time around. -Diana

 

[coffeetwitch]

very cool i wish you the best of luck!!!

 

[Keimaxbode]

Thanks! How are your babies doing?

 

[coffeetwitch]

they are doing well. its been 3 weeks now? not a single loss. just for giggles and to see how they would do, we put 2 in sweetie pies 40 gallon breeder saltwater aquarium. this is their second day there and seem to be doing well.

ive tried to get them to eat pellets from new life spectrum. but they just ignore it. ive tried mixing it in with the nutramar ova and just by its self with no luck.

the smallest one is now half an inch long. the biggest is around 5/8th of an inch. still too small for mysis or frozen brine.