Has anyone ever seen them breed, or start to breed, I have 2 that i have had for like 2 years and they are pretty sizable now, I'd say the larger is about
2 1/2" and the smaller about 2" i noticed the larger had a little kinda bump under it ad the smaller was kind of sticking it's head into it (weird fish) lol. Common sense would tell you that maybe this is some part of breeding, but I have never bred Cardinals so I have no clue???? Anyone have an idea?
I dont know what the mannerisms are when they mate but I know they are fairly easy to breed. the hard part is sexing the little buggars. they say to get 4 or 5 of them and watch them. if you have both sexes they will pair up. that is pretty cool if you have a mated pair. I will try and dig up the link and see if it has breeding habits.
I could go on for hours about the lil' buggers... they are amazing, cute and in light of the issues in and around the Banggai Lagoons (Tsunami, devastation of habitat, and ultimate displacement of numbers of their population), something that SOMEONE should be looking into in regards to captive breeding programs.
Banggai Cardinals (Pterapogon kauderni) are what we call an "endemic species". They are ONLY found in one specific location, again, in the lagoons of the Banggai Islands. Their over collection, since introduction of the trade, has made a big impact on their populations. Further stressed by natural disasters, they are really in danger in the wild. It would be nice to see MORE captive raised fish in the hobby and fewer instances of wild capture. In my honest opinion, they are so very easy to breed that a total ban on wild collection should be implemented.
I've bred and disseminated HUNDREDS of them in my few years in the hobby. They are very easy to breed once you get them paired. So much so, that I'd often separate my pairs to give the male a break. They are mouth brooders. The male collects the egg deposit and carries them in his mouth until the fish reach TOTAL maturity and, for the most part, does NOT eat during this gestation period. This differs from the practices of their cousin cardinals such as pajama cardinals who, while still perform the mouth brooding, release the fry in a still undeveloped state. Baby Banggai's come out ready to eat baby brine shrimp, mysis, pods etc. and can be trained onto prepared or frozen foods quite easily thereafter.
As stated above, if you have a largish system, obtaining a school of 5 or more fish will help ensure that you get a mated pair. Warning, in small or concentrated systems, males will battle it out and it is NOT pretty. In larger, less stocked systems, the males may designate "turf" and keep separated, avoiding major conflict, but they may still bicker.
The males tend to have a larger pennant (dorsal fin appendage) and a fuller, square looking jaw. The females have shorter pennants (sometimes a poor variable to use if the fin is damaged due to fights, etc.) and a narrower jawline. The male's larger jaw is something that obviously developed, via evolution, to assist in carrying the fry.
If you are serious about breeding, read, read, and read more. I can personnaly attest to the wisdom and experience of Dr. Frank Marini, who provided guidance along my journey. Some of his articles can be found here: http://www.reefs.org/library/article/f_marini.html and here: http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog...ni_020799.html but I would also encourage you to "google" Frank and read anything he has to say on the subject matter. He is very bright, personable and continues to assist hobbyists whenever possible. He can also be found helping folks in his breeders forum at The Marine Depot here: http://forum.marinedepot.com/Forum12-1.aspx
I'll dig up pictures and notes from my breeding program (before jumping into seahorses) and post back here.
Aren't they cute... little replicas of their parents, ready to chow down on micro fauna. For size comparison, that is a Kent Marine Float Valve in the sump of my system.
I did have to modify the overflow from the fuge to ensure that I didn't lose any fry to the Mag pumps etc. This resulted in my needing to clean that overflow daily. You may opt to use a different system all together. If so, I'd say, start it up now, and let it "mature" with live rock, sand, macro and let the bugs grow.
I used egg crate and wedding veil material to modify my fuge:
This was a picture of momma and daddy. He had taken in a bunch of eggs. You can note the difference in his 'posturing' as he has that "I'm sooo full I could hurl" look.
Note that momma on the left has a smallish, pointy jawline. Dad's was more "boxy". This is a trait also seen in some/most dogs. The female has a longer, tapered snout and the male has a more boxed jaw. In dogs, it is obviously NOT for mouth brooding
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