Is it that what you want?
26 tiny banggais´s after their first "breakfast".
Dane was actually the one, who made me write this thread.
Pterapogon kauderni-Banggai cardinal
this species lives around the banggai islands (Indonesia) and is only found there in an area of 9.500 square kilometers.
To provide as much information as possible in one thread, here is the link again,
which was posted originally by Dane.
Pterapogon kauderni (Banggai Cardinalfish)
This is the link to an article written by Matthew Wittenrich
Boycotting the Wild Banggai Cardinalfish - Microcosm Aquarium Explorer
Almost all the following informations are based on my experiences. All the posted pictures in this thread were taken by myself.
I know, there are many banggai breeder in SA, like Steve, please post your experiences here, to get as many new breeder as possible on board.
For the record, I will help and support anybody (except the person below, he is breeding constantly a other species:razz, who is going to breed the banggai cardinal.
Where do I start?
The banggai cardinal reached the marine ornamental fish market for the first time in
1994 or 1995.
In 1997, while I was still living in Germany, I bred a few hundred of them. With little success, because that time back, we were not aware of the Sudden Fright Syndrome.
Explanation SFS = Sudden fright syndrome (Explanation originally from MOFIB)
A common problem caused by insufficent HUFAs in the diet during larval development. Symptomatic fish will freeze or faint and drift to the bottom. SFS is brought on by sudden stimuli, including turning on the lights, additions of food, and sudden disturbances (including netting). What actually happens is the stimuli essentially short-circuits (shocks) the nervous system and the fish becomes paralyzed. Depending on the severity and frequency of the event(s), is often lethal.
SFS is readily prevented and corrected, through enrichment of live foods using phytoplanktons (alive or pastes) or if your using dead or prepared foods, then the use of a liquid HUFA supplement such as SELCO, SELCON, ZOECON,etc.
The last sentense does not make sense to me, because liquid HUFA suppliments are also used to enrich live food like rotifer and brine shrimps.
Explanation HUFA (Explanation originally from MOFIB)
Used interchangably as shorthand typically for the OMEGA-3 fatty acids required in mariculture to ensure proper larval and juvenile development. Typically used in reference to fatty acid supplementation.
Take NOTE:
HUFAs are required for ALL species to avoid SFS and other problems in development of larvae (fish, shrimps, etc).
The banggai cardinal is a species, which matures to adulthood very fast, compare to other species (clowns, etc.). At the age of only four months, the still small cardinals are starting to mate and to spawn. I experienced this at the age of five months.
Why is it so easy to breed the banggai´s (only if HUFA level is sufficent)
The banggai cardinal male releases fish and NOT larvae. The tiny banggai´s,
10 to 12 mm, are a split image of their parents, except the white spots.
They eat from day one freshly hatched brine shrimps. From day 3 I recommend to feed only HUFA enriched live food.
How many eggs and what size are they?
For sure, the bigger the male, the more eggs he can keep in his mouth and the more babies will be released.
A pair at the age of five months can produce (female) and keep (male) 25 eggs.
A pair at the age of one year, can produce and keep a minimum of 55 eggs.
These are 55 eggs. The eggs are rougly 2.5 to 3 mm in diameter.
Why did this happen to me, that I could take this picture?
I had a discussion via email with the well known German breeder Wolfgang Mai about my theory. He wrote in his latest book, a female banggai can produce eggs every 35 to 40 days. I should not have used the word B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T in my reply. He never contacted me again.
My theory was:
In the wild, the female spawns and fills the males mouth with the eggs. She probably cares about him for a few days. He will keep distance to the group and she will take on the next male. To me, it was nonsense, that a fish, with such low reproducing rate, will waste plenty of time with beeing monogamous (like seahorses).
I believed, they live a better life, just like the above pictured person, in polygamy.
The proof:
This ball eggs (picture above) was released and dropped onto the gravel, exactly 14 days after her previous spawn. So my theory was proven.
I had a chat with ORA in Florida about my plans of breeding banggais in higher quantity (remind me please to write about it). ORA could not tell me how they do it, because of their privacy policy. But I was told, they would do it similar.
From 4 pairs I bought, only one pair survived. My guess, they were caught with cyanide.
The last pair managed to release one batch (see first picture).
Every following spawn (every second week) was infertile. I could see it many times, when he was turning the white eggs in his mouth until maximum day 3.
How many babies can be produce from one batch?
As far as I know, the maximum release of fish babies was 39 in total. In average
25 to 30 are the standard.
How long does it take, until the fish babies hatch?
Hatching takes place in his mouth after more or less 20 days (depending on temparature).
When is he releasing the babies?
Depending on the water temperatur, he will release the babies after 24 to 30 days.
Why is the male not eating during this period?
I had a chat with a guy from the states and he told me, he got proof, that a male was eating newly hatched brineshrimp, while his mouth was full with babies.
It is believed and I actually got the proof, that the banggai male is using X-amount of eggs during the period, where he is carrying the eggs in his mouth as an emergency food supply.
Remember? The picture with 55 eggs? Never was a release bigger than 40 babies.
It might be, that a female can produce 60 or 70 eggs. Who knows.
I will continue later, otherwise you guys are getting tired of reading!
26 tiny banggais´s after their first "breakfast".
Dane was actually the one, who made me write this thread.
Pterapogon kauderni-Banggai cardinal
this species lives around the banggai islands (Indonesia) and is only found there in an area of 9.500 square kilometers.
To provide as much information as possible in one thread, here is the link again,
which was posted originally by Dane.
Pterapogon kauderni (Banggai Cardinalfish)
This is the link to an article written by Matthew Wittenrich
Boycotting the Wild Banggai Cardinalfish - Microcosm Aquarium Explorer
Almost all the following informations are based on my experiences. All the posted pictures in this thread were taken by myself.
I know, there are many banggai breeder in SA, like Steve, please post your experiences here, to get as many new breeder as possible on board.
For the record, I will help and support anybody (except the person below, he is breeding constantly a other species:razz, who is going to breed the banggai cardinal.
Where do I start?
The banggai cardinal reached the marine ornamental fish market for the first time in
1994 or 1995.
In 1997, while I was still living in Germany, I bred a few hundred of them. With little success, because that time back, we were not aware of the Sudden Fright Syndrome.
Explanation SFS = Sudden fright syndrome (Explanation originally from MOFIB)
A common problem caused by insufficent HUFAs in the diet during larval development. Symptomatic fish will freeze or faint and drift to the bottom. SFS is brought on by sudden stimuli, including turning on the lights, additions of food, and sudden disturbances (including netting). What actually happens is the stimuli essentially short-circuits (shocks) the nervous system and the fish becomes paralyzed. Depending on the severity and frequency of the event(s), is often lethal.
SFS is readily prevented and corrected, through enrichment of live foods using phytoplanktons (alive or pastes) or if your using dead or prepared foods, then the use of a liquid HUFA supplement such as SELCO, SELCON, ZOECON,etc.
The last sentense does not make sense to me, because liquid HUFA suppliments are also used to enrich live food like rotifer and brine shrimps.
Explanation HUFA (Explanation originally from MOFIB)
Used interchangably as shorthand typically for the OMEGA-3 fatty acids required in mariculture to ensure proper larval and juvenile development. Typically used in reference to fatty acid supplementation.
Take NOTE:
HUFAs are required for ALL species to avoid SFS and other problems in development of larvae (fish, shrimps, etc).
The banggai cardinal is a species, which matures to adulthood very fast, compare to other species (clowns, etc.). At the age of only four months, the still small cardinals are starting to mate and to spawn. I experienced this at the age of five months.
Why is it so easy to breed the banggai´s (only if HUFA level is sufficent)
The banggai cardinal male releases fish and NOT larvae. The tiny banggai´s,
10 to 12 mm, are a split image of their parents, except the white spots.
They eat from day one freshly hatched brine shrimps. From day 3 I recommend to feed only HUFA enriched live food.
How many eggs and what size are they?
For sure, the bigger the male, the more eggs he can keep in his mouth and the more babies will be released.
A pair at the age of five months can produce (female) and keep (male) 25 eggs.
A pair at the age of one year, can produce and keep a minimum of 55 eggs.
These are 55 eggs. The eggs are rougly 2.5 to 3 mm in diameter.
Why did this happen to me, that I could take this picture?
I had a discussion via email with the well known German breeder Wolfgang Mai about my theory. He wrote in his latest book, a female banggai can produce eggs every 35 to 40 days. I should not have used the word B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T in my reply. He never contacted me again.
My theory was:
In the wild, the female spawns and fills the males mouth with the eggs. She probably cares about him for a few days. He will keep distance to the group and she will take on the next male. To me, it was nonsense, that a fish, with such low reproducing rate, will waste plenty of time with beeing monogamous (like seahorses).
I believed, they live a better life, just like the above pictured person, in polygamy.
The proof:
This ball eggs (picture above) was released and dropped onto the gravel, exactly 14 days after her previous spawn. So my theory was proven.
I had a chat with ORA in Florida about my plans of breeding banggais in higher quantity (remind me please to write about it). ORA could not tell me how they do it, because of their privacy policy. But I was told, they would do it similar.
From 4 pairs I bought, only one pair survived. My guess, they were caught with cyanide.
The last pair managed to release one batch (see first picture).
Every following spawn (every second week) was infertile. I could see it many times, when he was turning the white eggs in his mouth until maximum day 3.
How many babies can be produce from one batch?
As far as I know, the maximum release of fish babies was 39 in total. In average
25 to 30 are the standard.
How long does it take, until the fish babies hatch?
Hatching takes place in his mouth after more or less 20 days (depending on temparature).
When is he releasing the babies?
Depending on the water temperatur, he will release the babies after 24 to 30 days.
Why is the male not eating during this period?
I had a chat with a guy from the states and he told me, he got proof, that a male was eating newly hatched brineshrimp, while his mouth was full with babies.
It is believed and I actually got the proof, that the banggai male is using X-amount of eggs during the period, where he is carrying the eggs in his mouth as an emergency food supply.
Remember? The picture with 55 eggs? Never was a release bigger than 40 babies.
It might be, that a female can produce 60 or 70 eggs. Who knows.
I will continue later, otherwise you guys are getting tired of reading!
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