May Photo Contest - Fish

[PatrickJ]

I have a large collection of pictures of this couple. I see them trying to spawn every day.

They <3 each other.

http://www.fragoutpost.com/forums/at...ntid=204&stc=1

[FragOutpost]

Welcome to the Frag Outpost Forums PatrickJ.
Wow. A pair of mandarins attempting to spawn in an aquarium. That must be great to watch. Nice photo. Thanks for entering the photo contest.

[D12monkey]

Patrickj: Have you had any luck trying to raise they fry?

[PatrickJ]

Originally Posted by D12monkey

Patrickj: Have you had any luck trying to raise they fry?

No, to my understanding they have a planktonic stage where they float along with everything else in the ocean, feeding on micro plankton and micro planktonic crustations. Also they would get sucked up into the protien skimmer.

Raising just 1 baby would be a challenge and best left up to mother nature.


Despite that it's nearly impossiable in captivity, i thought about setting up a huge shallow bin (like 600 gallons) of live rock and full cheatmorpha out in a sun room. With no skimmer. I am sure I would get something out of it.

[D12monkey]

Actually they are not planktonic. There is a gentleman in another forum that has had some success in breeding the fry. He's kept the fry alive for 2 weeks after hatching. But hasn't had success in keeping it longer.

[FragOutpost]

Great thread so far. It is not even May yet and we already have 4 entries. Keep those photos coming.

[PatrickJ]

Originally Posted by D12monkey

Actually they are not planktonic. There is a gentleman in another forum that has had some success in breeding the fry. He's kept the fry alive for 2 weeks after hatching. But hasn't had success in keeping it longer.

Really, I talked to this teacher at my school, who is a Marine Biologist/15 Year Reefer, who said that it is a planktonic form. Maybe my teacher is wrong...Or maybe it was the way i digested the information.

Maybe he ment the fry feed on planktonic foods. Which would explain why the fellow you know was not able to keep them any longer than two weeks, because planktonic food is not readily available in a closed system. They very well might have starved.

Never the less, breeding them in my tank is unlikely, with carnivorous corals and fishes that would mistake it for a small shrimp.

[avbryce1]

my yellow whatchman goby

[D12monkey]

Originally Posted by PatrickJ

Really, I talked to this teacher at my school, who is a Marine Biologist/15 Year Reefer, who said that it is a planktonic form. Maybe my teacher is wrong...Or maybe it was the way i digested the information.

Maybe he ment the fry feed on planktonic foods. Which would explain why the fellow you know was not able to keep them any longer than two weeks, because planktonic food is not readily available in a closed system. They very well might have starved.

Never the less, breeding them in my tank is unlikely, with carnivorous corals and fishes that would mistake it for a small shrimp.

I don't think he has much of a problem with cultivating planktons in his system Being that he has over 1000 Gals total water volume.