Breeding Banggai Cardinals

Kjmsmith

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Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Location
Fonthill
couldn't you put them in a nursery tank and let them have them on their own...
This is what I do. I move him to the nursery tank and I let him release them on his own and I provide cover for the fry to hide. But from my experience and from what I've learned through research, if the fry or male are not separated soon enough, the male will find the fry and eat them. Afterall, he hasnt eaten for 3-4 weeks so I'm sure his tolerance to resist eating them is low. Added to this is that he doesn't release them all at once, he will let a few go one day, a few more the next so i have found that it is best to remove the fry as they are found rather than waiting until they are all released. i made that mistake once and he ended up eating them all.
As for stripping, I believe it probably is easy but dont want to risk losing this male. As this is a hobby, i would rather risk losing fry through trial and error than starting to manhandle the fish.
 

Kjmsmith

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Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Location
Fonthill
On Day 28 3 fry were released and I moved them to the nursery. It took until tonight, Day 31 when with a little coaxing he finally released the rest, another 16 :) Pass out the cigars!
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Kjmsmith

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Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Location
Fonthill
So it is day 15 and all 19 have survived to this point which is good news considering that the mortality rate for these fish are high around Day 10. They have grown considerably and school together around the fake urchin.
@Janice recently got a pair from the previous batch and was asking about the feeding regime for these fry as they mature. Benggai's are notoriously picky eaters to begin with and the babies are no different. Everything I have read is that they will only eat live bbs for the first few weeks. I did read of one breeder who was able to get his eating frozen bbs after one day but I think that is rare. So what I have found is working for me is to have the bbs hatchery continuously releasing the bbs for the fry to eat as they need/want to. I have not enriched the brine shrimp as they are usually consumed before 24 hours of hatching and so they still have a yolk sac of sorts that provides nutrients to the babies. Everything Ive read otherwise is if you produce livee bbs in mass quantities for feeding over several days, they should be enriched with Selcon to provide the necessary nutrients for the babies. After about 3-4 weeks of live bbs, I start mixing frozen bbs and slowing down on how many eggs I add to the hatch n feed. This gets them a little hungry to try the frozen without starving them completly. This period is the hardest to get them converted to frozen and in my few experiences has taken a couple of weeks of being diligent in offering the mix on a steady basis. I also try introducing frozen cyclops in the mix but again in my experience they dont seem too attracted to this. Once they are starting to eat more frozen bbs than live, I completly cap off the bbs feeder so that they get hungry and only take the frozen. Again, this can be a long period as you need to make them hungry enough to take the frozen but not starve them and risk losing some. Once on the frozen bbs I then start adding shaved frozen mysis (the small stuff). This is usually around week 8 and it may take another week or two to get onto all frozen mysis.
Anyways, thats been my experience, thanks for asking. I hope this helps others who may find themselves in a similar situation.
 

SamB

Super Active Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Location
GTA
Breeding not impossible because these fish breed quickly IF they are comfortable in their environment - so good for you @Kjmsmith
However after they hatch from Papa's mouth, the HARD WORK starts and this takes commitment and focus - this is a critical stage for development
Hail to you @Kjmsmith - amazing !
 

Kjmsmith

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Location
Fonthill
Just a quick update that the 19 babies released 3 weeks ago are ALL doing great. I made it past the notorious 10-day mark when the babies typically start to die. This is the longest I've gone with no losses but I am well aware due to past experience and the experience of others, they have a ways to go....
 

Kjmsmith

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Location
Fonthill
So I have given this a great deal of thought and I believe the time is right to part with the adult pair of banggai's. As mentioned in this thread it was never my intent to breed these fish and instead it has become an inherent responsibility. I love reef keeping but admittedly this has taken some of the joy away because of the extra work and modifications Ive had to make to my system that just arent good for long term.
I will be posting them for sale in the classified area and I really don't know the value of a breeding pair but besides the $ value, I want to ensure these fish go to a home where they can continue breeding (as they seem very good at it) to help suppliment the supply of these beautiful fish through a tank bed market. Ideally one of the fine businesses on this forum will be able to take them and make the offspring more widely distributable than I can.
Thank you to everyones interst and support following this adventure.
 
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