Banggai Batch No. 6?

I've lost count on how many times my Banggai Cardinal pair have released batches of babies. With the first batch, I was able to rear one fish. After that, they seemed to have been eaten by the mother or the Timor Wrasse (a suspect which is no longer present). Today, so far, five brave fish left their daddy to take a gulp of air for their air bladders. As they did so, they either got swept away and ended up in the sump, or I netted them. One was just getting comfortable around a Frogspawn coral where two Ocellaris Clowns reside. Two of them were injured because they got caught in the filter sock. And, one of them died instantly; I must have squashed it during the rescue attempt. There are several more babies still waiting to come out, but I hope they do it on my watch. Otherwise, they may easily become fish food for the larger fish in my reef tank.

Here's one of the babies that I've moved to the refugium. They seem a little more mature this time around.

Banggai Parenthood III

This morning, I counted 4 baby Banggai Cardinals. I swear, the mother of these fish has her 2-chambered heart set on Total Mini-Reef Box Domination because she looks like she's going to go for another round of egg laying. I'll probably miss the event where the male fertilizes and engulfs the eggs into his mouth.

The fry are so small that it's almost impossible to get a clear picture of them. They're "schooling" on the bottom left side of my tank, under the powerful surge of the Vortech pump. One of them has already disappeared. I suspect the Timor Wrasse of knocking one off as a tasty treat. The Wrasse seemed to look at what I was looking at this morning and then noticed the tiny, black & white Graham Cracker Bears.

Four

Composition

Banggai Parenthood II

The Proud Parents

The female (background) has been getting fat again. Perhaps she's ready for another round of egg laying?

Father: still preggers

It's been a few weeks since I last posted about the male carrying eggs. He doesn't eat while incubating the eggs. I see something wiggling inside his mouth. I guess they've hatched.

He's got his dad's eyes!

Banggai Parenthood

It starts out with a true pair.

My pair of Banggai Cardinals, which were purchased April 26th at Pet Kingdom, have been doing well in my tank. They were in my quarantine tank for a few weeks before going to the main tank.

Click....click....click...

One thing that surprised me was that they were able to make clicking noises with their jaws when I'm face up against the aquarium and staring at corals. At first, I thought the dominant male was butting his head against the aquarium when I first heard the clicking. Then, I Googled about it on the internet and found out otherwise.

Jaw Dropping

I also came across various posts from people worried that one of their Banggai's jaws was damaged. As the posts went on, they soon discovered that their fish was incubating eggs in its mouth. I had already read about cardinals at WetWebMedia before my purchase and knew that they could readily reproduce in captivity. I just wasn't prepared at how soon this was to happen in my case.

Suspect: Extended Jaw

Water Conditions: A-Okay

I've seen the pair's courtship dance. It's a satisfying treat when you see your captive fish carrying on "naturally" because it at least means that your tank condition requirements are being met for this to occur. I've read that the male is the large, dominant one (as opposed to the large, dominant female in a clown fish pair). I wasn't able to witness it, but the female deposits eggs on some surface while the male subsequently engulfs them into his mouth. He will not eat food until they hatch about a week later. I haven't a clue when that day will be, though.

Guilty Pregnant Look

Fish Fry

I don't have any plans to capture and raise the fry. But, if I'm lucky enough to isolate them, I may offer them up for adoption. They'll most likely become Fish McNuggets to the other tank mates or get chopped up by the Vortech pumps or simply go through the overflow and end up in the filter sock. In the wild, the young fish may be found in the protective, long spines of Diadema sea urchins. My tuxedo urchin has been wrapping itself in red algae. Perhaps it's anticipating a birth and making up for its short spines? ...wishful thinking on my part.

The Proof

Observing the male mouth brooder, I can see that he has to adjust the eggs every so often. It's probably to keep them well oxygenated and to wash out waste products. I just had to wait patiently before I could snap this shot.

The Society

I'm having an SDMAS meeting here in 5 days. If all goes well, perhaps they'll witness a birth? and a slaughter? Maybe I'll just distract them with The Hand of Neptune?!