Here is a short little video of a current batch of baby Bangaii Cardinals on Day 19 of gestation and starting to hatch. A little background music never hurt either.
Time Line:
Male Started Holding on March 8 2006
I forced him to spit the eggs March 13 2006
Video Shot March 27 2006
Awesome Stephen! I used to raise these bad boys too! My pair was responsible for providing HUNDREDS of offspring into the New England area. It is amazing eh? The male holding the clutch, etc. I sold my breeding pair when I got into an even more amazing program, breeding H. Reidi.
Now...banggai males fasting, holding a clutch for weeks.. cool!!! Male H. Reidi, carrying fry in a pouch, actually having contractions and producing the young... very cool! I also noted that most female hobbyists enjoy this fact
Have you ever read Dr. Frank Marini's work on the cardinals? Those writings were my "rule of thumb" in my program. Good stuff... You can actually post to him and see his work on Marine Depot's forums now.
What kind of system do you have the pair in? You can't catch the male and move him to a birthing tank? How many fry did you get? Inquiring minds want to know.
Thanx Dave! Yes, Frank Marini and i have chatted back and forth many times regarding Bangaii. Good work on the Reidi- ponies need all the help they can get too! I have several H. kelloggi pairs that I am working with. They are young and inexperienced though for now.
I have two pairs of Bangaii breeding. This pair is in a 55 coral grow out tank. I can catch him pretty easy to get the eggs when ready. This time around it looks like about 20 fry.
__________________ Stephen Pollock
Coral Dynamics, Inc.
704-517-8756
Yeah... I'm not sure if everyone knows, but the lagoons in and around Togean and Banggai islands were really affected by the tsunami over there.
The Banggai Cardinals (Pterapogon kauderni) were ALREADY in trouble before the quake/tidal wave. They are found in such a small local, that they suffer from the smallest shifts in environment, genetic issues etc. Worse, the numbers collected for the hobby are staggering. Especially when you get into mortality rates thereafter.
Anyone who can breed locally, and help offset the demand in the hobby is doing a justice for all. I applaud Stephen and others who do this.
Can I piggyback on this thread and post some notes and pictures of "back when" when I was breeding them?
Can I piggyback on this thread and post some notes and pictures of "back when" when I was breeding them?
Dave
Dude, by all means yes! Please do so!
Any info shared is appreciated. One thing I noticed about WC bangers is the presence of internal parasites. I tried forever to get a good WC pair out of about 18 I have 1 still living a male that is going to be paired with on of my 1st batch young females.
I have had him for over a year now, and he is a huge, beautiful specimen.
__________________ Stephen Pollock
Coral Dynamics, Inc.
704-517-8756
Enjoyed the video very much Stephen. The addition of music was spot on and very cool.
I will be watching this thread very closely. As one who is just on the verge of starting a small breeding setup I am trying to learn as much as I can before choosing which animals I want to attempt.
I used to have a pair of breeding Bangii's. I would see the male hangin out with this little tiny tail sticking out of his mouth for about 5 days or so and then.....
fish food
I wish I had known about the epoxy tooth pick trick.
I would have loved little babies. I don't think that I have the time to feed babies.
Reefbaby- The male cardinal holds the eggs in his mouth for about 20-28 days. During this time he does not eat. He is not doing anything "special" during this time with the eggs, just protecting them from being eaten.
He does tend to consume a few eggs during incubation. So really the male is not needed after the fertilization is done. By forcing him to spit the eggs out early he is given the opportunity to continue eating and remains heathy. It also allows me to get a higher yield per nest and allows the next mating cycle to occur in a shorter time.
TRS- Feeding them is not difficult. I use decapsulated (hatching) baby brine. No shells, no muss, no fuss. And just what is wrong with Boston?
I wanted something just to cover the loud background noise of all the pumps and water gurgle at the shop.
Glad you are all enjoying the video. More to come.
__________________ Stephen Pollock
Coral Dynamics, Inc.
704-517-8756
