Holly Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 We have 5 pajama cardinals. I kept noticing that periodically one of them seemed to be distended and blackish around the mouth. I thought it kept getting sick. Today, I was trying to see what was wrong with it and it started pulsing it's mouth... It's mouth is full of tiny clear-looking eggs!! I can't believe it! I had not idea they were mouth brooders! Furthermore, not one but TWO of them are mouthbrooding right now. TWO OF THEM! I can't believe it... I never expected fish to be happy enough to breed in my tank. YAY!! I'm ridiculously over-excited about this. (cheer) Since I've seen this happen several times before, I can only assume that all the babies were eaten once hatched, since we have no baby cardinals (that I've seen). Is there anything I should do? I have no where to relocate them; My quarantine tank is still soaking my copperband, and I doubt I could catch the cardinals anyway. YAY! (clap) I guess these guys must breed easily in captivity...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly guy Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 Thats awesome. I Love it when they do that. Ive never had any but used to know a guy who did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DChemist Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 Of course... (worthless) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted January 28, 2007 Author Share Posted January 28, 2007 I tried to snap photos and video so I could grab the frame when the cardinal shutters her lips and something almost comes out. I was hoping you'd be able to see something other than just her Jay Leno chin.(laugh) The large one has fry, not eggs, cuz they're trying to swim out. I didn't notice it before. These two shots are the best I could get. On the one under the actinics only, you can kinda see the teensy thing trying to get out of her lips (if you have an electron microscope(whistle) ) I love watching it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Maybe you have to get some really small sized food for them to survive on! I remember seeing cardinals with tiny offspring in an aquarium in Germany. It was so cute!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 what about one of the little mesh baskets with the suction cups that goes inside the main display but separates the fry from the rest of the tank? something like this : http://www.seapets.co.uk/static-content/page/fish-breeding-search.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 walmart had the one that i bought for our FW tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted January 28, 2007 Author Share Posted January 28, 2007 Now that you mention it, I have one of those floating ones (I used to use with cichlids). Good idea! But I've spent the past 10min trying to get near either female and this is completely impossible. They were some of the first fish in this rock set-up, so they know exactly where to go to escape. I have lots of macro in there, so maybe they'll release the fry there when the time comes. Maybe a few will make it. (fingers) Thanks for the advice though. That was a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted January 28, 2007 Author Share Posted January 28, 2007 My bad - I keep referring to the ones with eggs in their mouths as "she" but I just read online that it's the males that keep the eggs in their mouths. And I guess they spit them out when they hatch, so that must've just been eggs exploding out of his mouth, not fry. 'Looked like it was moving but I guess not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Maybe you have to get some really small sized food for them to survive on! I remember seeing cardinals with tiny offspring in an aquarium in Germany. It was so cute!!! "Cardinalfish are mouthbrooders; after spawning takes place, the male will collect the eggs in his mouth. After the eggs hatch, he will continue to hold the fry for a period of several weeks. When he finally releases the babies, they are large enough to be fed newly hatched brine shrimp." http://www.tropicalfish.at/saltwater/cardinal/cardinalfish.html Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted January 28, 2007 Author Share Posted January 28, 2007 OH! Even better! THANKS Jman! However, with the fish in my tank, I have doubts that the fry will make it long enough to be fed. (sad) I need six arms and plasticman netting to catch those buggers and put them in my breeder floaty before they spew out the babies. The biggest one, he's seriously having problems keeping them all in. Every time his lips part slightly, something comes out and he has to suck it back in... Unrelated side note, I LOVE that I get to watch the MALE suffer the 'pregnancy' for once. MWA HA HA ..I SO need a seahorse tank now... (laugh) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Frank Marini has written quite a bit on breeding and raising Bangaii Cardinals. The care of the Pyjama Cardinal should be very similar. http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/f_marini_020799.html http://www.reefs.org/library/article/f_marini.html http://www.breedersregistry.org/Articles/v4_i4_marini/marini.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefboy Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 a friend of mine had his cardnals breed and the babys ended up in his refuge ware they actualy grew out lol without being fed because he didnt notice them till they were fairly good sized lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted January 28, 2007 Author Share Posted January 28, 2007 The largest male has an empty mouth this morning. No sign of babies anywhere. I tried to catch the other one again this morning but no luck. Maybe this is a good excuse to get a nano--for my pajamas. Think my husband will buy that? (whistle) Thanks JMan! I'll ck those out. Other big surprise last night. I put a boxing crab in the tank in late July and never saw it again. In our Big Crash of 06 in the Fall, we drained the entire tank and dumped out all the sand, completely starting over. Tank was empty, rocks out of the water for a few hours.. No crab, of course. He reappeared last night. Unbelievable... HOWWWW???? (scratch) I often find something completely unexpected when I look into my tank. It's unpredictable. I love that about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbrownies Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Crabs are hard to get rid of (whistle) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 LOL brownie! When it comes to people's crabs, I maintain a "don't ask, don't tell" policy (scary) My other male cardinal has a growing jawline. It looks like there's movement now, so I think they've hatched. I've been trying on and off ALL DAY to catch him so I can move him to the brood box and save the babies...but there's no way. Frustration! DOH! Do you guys have any great secrets on how to catch fish in a reef tank?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbrownies Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 make a trap... they can be real simple. one of my favorites over the years was a tupperware container, a long one with a big opening, like for pasta. I just drilled the bottom with 1/4 holes so water would poor out when i lifted the thing and tied a fishing line to a hole drilled near the open end. weighed it down with a small rock set it down on the sand at an angle, so when i pull it out it comes up and not to the side of the tank first put some food in it, and when the fish swims in just yank it out or there is one like this http://www.floridadriftwood.com/plantinfo/fish_trap4.jpg just make sure to put holes on the sides for water flow so if the fish gets in he doesn't suffocate, I just liked mine more because of the large opening, it worked on the bigger fish too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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