Banggai Islands biotope

[elephantnose3334]

How can I make a Banggai Islands biotope with Banggai cardinalfish? Do I need a specific setup for a pair of these fish? What other small fish that are native to the islands can I go with them?

 

[Colin_T]

The Bangaii cardinalfish lives among the spines of the black long spined sea urchins. They live in groups of 5-20 and basically just hang out by their urchin for protection. Heaps of people keep them in marine tanks with corals, rock and other fishes. This is their normal habitat (coral reefs) and long spined sea urchins.

The problem with sea urchins in aquariums, is they chew on cables and have wiped out tanks and electrocuted owners by eating through heater or pump cables. Sea urchins also have sharp pointy spines and the long spined sea urchin's spines break off really easily when they get stuck in your hand. You then have to dig out the piece of spine that generally breaks up into smaller pieces. It's quite a painful experience.

Fortunately you don't need sea urchins for Bangaii cardinals in an aquarium. They are happy just cruising around rocks and corals and if you can make a cave for them, they will be happy little fish.

Pet Magic in Cannington had a tank full of them a few weeks ago when I was out that way. They are really easy to keep and breed.

 

[elephantnose3334]

The Bangaii cardinalfish lives among the spines of the black long spined sea urchins. They live in groups of 5-20 and basically just hang out by their urchin for protection. Heaps of people keep them in marine tanks with corals, rock and other fishes. This is their normal habitat (coral reefs) and long spined sea urchins.

The problem with sea urchins in aquariums, is they chew on cables and have wiped out tanks and electrocuted owners by eating through heater or pump cables. Sea urchins also have sharp pointy spines and the long spined sea urchin's spines break off really easily when they get stuck in your hand. You then have to dig out the piece of spine that generally breaks up into smaller pieces. It's quite a painful experience.

Fortunately you don't need sea urchins for Bangaii cardinals in an aquarium. They are happy just cruising around rocks and corals and if you can make a cave for them, they will be happy little fish.

Pet Magic in Cannington had a tank full of them a few weeks ago when I was out that way. They are really easy to keep and breed.

This fish is interesting. I see them at Vebas. They sell em as well. What things should I need for my biotope and not a community tank?

 

[Colin_T]

They live on coral reefs. Basically you have some limestone rock to make the reef. Add some live corals if you want (corals aren't necessary). Add a fake sea urchin and some macro algae (Caulerpa and or Halimeda). That's it.

The first time they were photographed, they were in a harbour and there were big wooden pylons that held up the jetty (docks). There was lots of rock, a few corals and a bunch of sea urchins. That was it.

They are also found outside the harbour and the main things around them are rock and coral (more rock than coral). The sea urchins graze on algae so rocky habitat is preferred by the urchins. The fish go wherever the urchin goes.

 

[elephantnose3334]

They live on coral reefs. Basically you have some limestone rock to make the reef. Add some live corals if you want (corals aren't necessary). Add a fake sea urchin and some macro algae (Caulerpa and or Halimeda). That's it.

The first time they were photographed, they were in a harbour and there were big wooden pylons that held up the jetty (docks). There was lots of rock, a few corals and a bunch of sea urchins. That was it.

They are also found outside the harbour and the main things around them are rock and coral (more rock than coral). The sea urchins graze on algae so rocky habitat is preferred by the urchins. The fish go wherever the urchin goes.

What other fish live with them? How do I make a fake sea urchin? How big of a tank does the biotope need to be?

 

[Colin_T]

They don't specifically live with other fishes but other marine fishes like wrasses, damsels, butterflyfish and marine angelfish might live in the area. So do shrimp, crabs, snails, starfish, sea anemones and tube worms.

You can buy fake sea urchins online. They sell them as colourful aquarium ornaments but you want black if you can.

A 3 foot tank would work for breeding a couple of them. If you want a group of 10 or more, they need a 6 foot tank or bigger. Young fish can live together in groups but in aquariums the adults get a bit grumpy if too many cardinalfish are in a small tank.

 

[elephantnose3334]

They don't specifically live with other fishes but other marine fishes like wrasses, damsels, butterflyfish and marine angelfish might live in the area. So do shrimp, crabs, snails, starfish, sea anemones and tube worms.

You can buy fake sea urchins online. They sell them as colourful aquarium ornaments but you want black if you can.

A 3 foot tank would work for breeding a couple of them. If you want a group of 10 or more, they need a 6 foot tank or bigger. Young fish can live together in groups but in aquariums the adults get a bit grumpy if too many cardinalfish are in a small tank.

Interesting. What's unique about this cardinalfish and why are the endangered? (with pictures please, including the male mouthbrooding his fry)

 

[Colin_T]

They are desirable for aquariums because of their black & white colour and pattern, and their fins. Most cardinalfish are red or brown with small fins but the Bangaii is black & white and has big fins. Black & white isn't that common in the fish world and to find a small black & white fish that is easy to breed and does really well in aquariums, it's a perfect fish for someone who is new to marine fish keeping or someone who just wants a nice peaceful fish.

It has all the attributes for a perfect aquarium fish. Small, eats anything, pretty to look at and breeds without you having to do anything except look after the fish. And the babies are easy to rear up, unlike most marine fish fry whose larvae are tiny and need phytoplankton for the first few weeks of life. Plus the babies live with dad for a while, much like mouth brooding cichlid fry live with their mum for the first month.

All these attributes are why it's endangered. Plus the fish comes from a small area and lots of people want it. So the locals collect the fish to sell and make more money selling a bag of fish than they do in a normal year working on the land.

You will have to do Google search for pictures.

 

[elephantnose3334]

They are desirable for aquariums because of their black & white colour and pattern, and their fins. Most cardinalfish are red or brown with small fins but the Bangaii is black & white and has big fins. Black & white isn't that common in the fish world and to find a small black & white fish that is easy to breed and does really well in aquariums, it's a perfect fish for someone who is new to marine fish keeping or someone who just wants a nice peaceful fish.

It has all the attributes for a perfect aquarium fish. Small, eats anything, pretty to look at and breeds without you having to do anything except look after the fish. And the babies are easy to rear up, unlike most marine fish fry whose larvae are tiny and need phytoplankton for the first few weeks of life. Plus the babies live with dad for a while, much like mouth brooding cichlid fry live with their mum for the first month.

All these attributes are why it's endangered. Plus the fish comes from a small area and lots of people want it. So the locals collect the fish to sell and make more money selling a bag of fish than they do in a normal year working on the land.

You will have to do Google search for pictures.

How does cardinalfish Dad do his mouthbrooding duties?

 

[Colin_T]

Male cardinalfish and female mouth brooding cichlids have a buccal pouch in their bottom jaw. A buccal pouch is basically an extension of skin that can be expanded to hold baby fish or eggs. When the fish breed, the male cardinalfish or female cichlids collects the eggs and holds them in the buccal pouch. The adult fish then retreats into a safe place and keeps the eggs in their mouth until they hatch. The adults will let the babies out to swim around but the babies stay close and if they are scared or threatened, they swim straight back into their mum or dad's mouth. The parents look after the fry for about a month at which time they are too big to fit in the adult's mouth and have to fend for themselves.

The adult fish do not eat while brooding a mouthful of eggs or young and parent fish will lose weight and condition while caring for the eggs and fry. If the parents breed too many times in a row without sufficient time to recover body mass, the adults can die. You should only breed the adults one or two times in a row and then give them a few months to recover and build up some more fat reserves.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Male cardinalfish and female mouth brooding cichlids have a buccal pouch in their bottom jaw. A buccal pouch is basically an extension of skin that can be expanded to hold baby fish or eggs. When the fish breed, the male cardinalfish or female cichlids collects the eggs and holds them in the buccal pouch. The adult fish then retreats into a safe place and keeps the eggs in their mouth until they hatch. The adults will let the babies out to swim around but the babies stay close and if they are scared or threatened, they swim straight back into their mum or dad's mouth. The parents look after the fry for about a month at which time they are too big to fit in the adult's mouth and have to fend for themselves.

The adult fish do not eat while brooding a mouthful of eggs or young and parent fish will lose weight and condition while caring for the eggs and fry. If the parents breed too many times in a row without sufficient time to recover body mass, the adults can die. You should only breed the adults one or two times in a row and then give them a few months to recover and build up some more fat reserves.

The things about this behaviour makes them unique. Do I need a 160 litre Aqua One MiniReef tank for this or do I have to do it bigger?

 

[Colin_T]

You want a tank that holds at least 100 litres for these fish. A standard 3 ft tank (3 ft long x 14 inches wide x 18 inches high) would work.