Bangaii cardinals

[mama]

has anyone had them successfully breed? i heard they were also a dirtier fish...making doo-doo constantly???:bigsmile:

[CynthiaM]

We had a pair of bengaii cardinals that gave 14 bengaii frys. They're mouth broods, the male holds them in his mouth and for the next few weeks he will stop eating. As the fry grows you can actually see them poking out his mouth and eventually when the frys are fully developed, they will swim out. Beware that once the male is done, the babies have to be removed or the hungry male will eat them. Frys like to hang around urchins for protection from predators. My husband came up with this homemade urchin, since we didn't have one at the time. He used the glue gun and plastic toothpicks and manage to make a fake urchin. We placed the frys and "urchin" in the sump. We fed them cultivated brine shrimp eggs. When they get to be the size of a dime they can start eatin mysis.

I don't know about them been a dirty fish, but we still have the large male (4yrs. old) and two of his offsprings (2yrs. old). We had a total of three batches of bengaii frys, the rest went to LFS for store credit.

Here's an interesting link you might want to read.
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/f_marini_020799.html

[mama]

Thank YOU Cynthia!!! I think I have a fun project ahead of me...they sound just like my cichlids who have some females holding right now, but no successful fry yet, as they are young and trying to get the hang of it!!

[Bill S]

Ours have them regularly - every few weeks. We don't try and keep/capture the babies, but we've had 2 so far make it - they run down the overflow and get lucky and end up in the 'fuge instead of the sump. Pure luck.

One is at Ace & Kristi's and the other is still in the 'fuge. He's getting big enough now to go into a tank.

[jc]

I have a breeding pair also. The male always seems to have his mouth full. None of mine have made it past 1/4" size. The tank mates probably eat them.

[SoLiD]

Just wondering... How can you tell the sex of Bangaii Cardinals? I've always wanted a trio but I can't seem to tell the difference in sexes. Guesses are welcome, because I have no clue.

-David

[mama]

I plan on setting up my 30 gallon Eclipse with live rock only...the only fish in there will be the bengaii's...i will put a sponge around the bottom of the filter intake....i plan on keeping the tank really bare so I can catch them...any suggestions or comments on that idea?

[CynthiaM]

Here's another article you might want to read.
http://www.breedersregistry.org/Articles/v4_i4_marini/marini.htm

If those are the only fish you're having in it, I don't see a problem. IMO, I think it will be a perfect setup.
Wishing you good luck and keep us posted.

[SoLiD]

Thanks CynthiaM, and Welcome To Maast!!! :thumbs_up: :applause:

[Mr Cob]

I have a breeding pair also. The male always seems to have his mouth full. None of mine have made it past 1/4" size. The tank mates probably eat them.

I'd like to know too.

[CynthiaM]

Thanks CynthiaM, and Welcome To Maast!!! :thumbs_up: :applause:

Thanks, been a lurker for sometime. Just thought a little contribution from the little knowledge I have acquired thru the past 5yrs.

[Troy Valentine]

I had a pair of bengaiis which reproduced regularly for 4 years. I found the key to survival for the little ones is to remove the male from the tank 2 to 3 weeks after you notice him with the fry in his mouth. Put him in the refugium or a stand-alone with identical water parameters. He will soon release the fry, sometimes rightaway, but usually it takes a couple of days.

Doing this I have had up to 40 babies at a time, but usually I am only able to get 2 dozen to survive past the first 2 months no matter how much I try.....

[Iplantz]

Well when I setup my tank, I was planning on putting the fry in my Inline 20g tank (if they breed). If I put them in the fuge, could they manage themself? Also, what type of sponge do I put over the intake? A sponge from a Aquaclear or something?

[Iplantz]

Also, in quantity, what would fry fetch at the LFS?