About 20 minutes ago (1:00 AM EDT).

I came downstairs to email BaboonScience to ask how long to wait to turn the pumps back on and they laid the eggs while I was downstairs!

Have rotifers, T. iso (http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/dictionary.php?word=Isochrysis), and PhycoPure. What else do I need?

I also keep 2 hatches of NHBBS going at all times.

Wish me luck.

The eggs are sitting in a container inside the parent's tank to maintain temps. They hatch in 12-24 hours.

This is the pair I purchased from another ARC member about a month ago. I've been fattening them up and getting them on pellets since I got them.

Congrats and good luck bro!

Congrats and good luck bro!

Thanks! I'm excited and don't even know if the eggs are fertile. It's an accomplishment just to get a pair of fish spawning.

No joke. I'm happy when I see someone that just planned and waited long enough to have a setup to keep ONE alive. Keep us posted. This sounds like the beginning of something cool

Wow that's amazing! Cant wait to see what happens!

cool keep us posted

Wow! Amazing!

Bro? :confused:

Looks like you got all that stuff just in time!

Looks like you got all that stuff just in time!

LOL, I'm sure Dave thinks we could have used another day or two. He's frantically hooking it all up.

We got everything in the seahorse tank yesterday, but he decided to wait on the breeder tank until today. Until about 1:00 AM when he was making water and hooking up the rest of the stuff.

There was a breeders challenge on the ornamental breeders forum for these guys. Ill try to dig it up.

Breeders Guide:
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=176&t=128

General forum on same site about Dragonettes:
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=176

Alot of reading but good luck. They had a breeders challenge for this species a while back so there is a fair amount of info scattered around.

Breeders Guide:
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=176&t=128

General forum on same site about Dragonettes:
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=176

Alot of reading but good luck. They had a breeders challenge for this species a while back so there is a fair amount of info scattered around.

Yeah, I read everything on MOFIB after I got the pair. Now, I'm re-reading it all.

I'll probably have to re-think giving you some rotifers, tho. ;)

Haha I dont need them right now anyhow so its no biggie. I just wanted to get a culture back going so I would have a variety of live foods. Best of luck.

So they are expected to hatch anytime today right?? I wonder how small they're gonna be.

So they are expected to hatch anytime today right?? I wonder how small they're gonna be.

So small they're not really visible to the naked eye.

Actually, they're just a kinda clear blob with a tail for 4 days.

Watch the slides on this article (I think it's the 3rd picture) to see what they look like:
http://en.microcosmaquariumexplorer.com/wiki/Breeding_the_Green_Mandarin

They don't even have a mouth or eyes until the 4th day.

They don't even have a mouth or eyes until the 4th day.

Hmmm I guess that makes feeding easy. :)

wow that's crazy

Hmmm I guess that makes feeding easy. :)

LOL, for 4 days, anyway.......after that, all h*ll breaks loose.

Remember : Photos Photos PHOTOS !!!

How about posting on MOFIB too. That way you can get more help. Witt might even chime in with some suggestions.
BTW John (BaboonScience) is out of town right now.

How about posting on MOFIB too. That way you can get more help. Witt might even chime in with some suggestions.
BTW John (BaboonScience) is out of town right now.

I did post there. Thanks. And John answered my email this morning.

I hope you got some help on both counts.

I wish you luck! I would love to have a Mandarin but my tank is not old enough and I don't feel that I know enough yet to properly care for one.

Any update on the babies?

No go on the eggs this time. Either I collected them incorrectly or they weren't fertile.

Now that they are spawning, I expect to have several more opportunities.

Don't get too excited yet. My female laid eggs regularly with the male in perfect position and still- no fertilization. Good luck, although it will be tough to grow those babies without fresh ocean plankton harvested daily.

Don't get too excited yet. My female laid eggs regularly with the male in perfect position and still- no fertilization. Good luck, although it will be tough to grow those babies without fresh ocean plankton harvested daily.

I'm just excited that they spawned.

I hope you got some help on both counts.

I most certainly did.

I'm just excited that they spawned.

I would be too! Great job getting them to this point. Good luck.
BZ

I was reading something today that said "spawning is the sign of a truly healthy fish" (for those that will spawn in a tank, of course)

I would be too! Great job getting them to this point. Good luck.
BZ

Thanks, Bob. I suspect they'll spawn again in the next couple of day. She's full of eggs.

Any eggs yet?

Any eggs yet?

Yes, got a spawn last night. Should hatch about 2:00 this afternoon.

We shall see.

Ooooh good luck!!!!

Ooooh good luck!!!!

Thank you. Unless my eyes are deceiving me, I have 20+ hatched larvae.

Some (awful) pictures of the eggs.........these things are so tiny, they are very hard to see.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh good luck Roxanne raising these guys! That'd be amazing. At least you know for sure they're both fertile!

That is awesome! Keep the updates coming.

That's awesome!

So what's next? Once the yoke sac is depleted, how many days before we should expect a dramatic change? Are you setting up rotties?

So what's next? Once the yoke sac is depleted, how many days before we should expect a dramatic change? Are you setting up rotties?

4 days until they have mouths. Then, I'll put rotifers in with them. It'll take about another week for them to graduate to pods and/or NHBBS. I'm growing Acartia tonsa in hopes that they will be a good food source for them. If not, I'm headed to Jekyll Island to pick up live zooplankton.

Hey Rox, did you dwarfs have babies?

Hey Rox, did you dwarfs have babies?

Not yet, but he's ready to pop. Any day now.

And, John (BaboonScience) came by today after the picnic and confirmed my suspicion that I have a pair of firefish as well. They have probably already laid eggs several times already, but I wasn't sure if they were a pair and their bolthole is too small for me to see eggs. I'm going to try putting a PVC tee in to see if we can get them to lay eggs in it.

Nice. Can't wait to see a thread on the firefish too. Finally got my purple paired up

Excellent! Keep it up! Since I can't raise any of my larva right now I have to watch your thread. Which firefish species? very cool.

Excellent! Keep it up! Since I can't raise any of my larva right now I have to watch your thread. Which firefish species? very cool.

Nemateleotris magnifica

I purchased 2 about 6 months ago at Creation, but one disappeared the first day. Then I got one from Petsmart which we had in quarantine for about a month and when we put her in the tank with the other, they paired up almost immediately. The original one shared his/her bolthole the first day.

They eat frozen mysis and brine, but I also feed the tank NHBBS every day.

Here's a picture of them:

Nice. Can't wait to see a thread on the firefish too. Finally got my purple paired up

Neat! Those are the expensive ones!

Have you seen the "flicking" behavior? I think it's an indication that they are protecting eggs. When they come out of the bolthole to eat, one of the fish "belly flicks" the sand near the hole if another fish comes anywhere near it.

At first, I thought the fish was sick, but watching more closely seems to indicate that the behavior is intermittent and designed to keep tankmates from getting too close to the bolthole.

Note, though, I have absolutely no "science" behind this assumption, just observation of the fish.

There isn't much published about the reproductive behavior of these fish, much less raising the fry.

You all know this was supposed to be my re-entering this hobby after a 15 year lapse, to keep me from going stir crazy after I retired. Well someone, tokejr, got the bug and hi-jacked it. She takes care of the knowledge for all critters (corals included) and I do all the hardware and most chemistry. It's nice to have spouse interested so we can do much of the SW thing together. I started back up 2/1/09 with not even a piece of air tubing and now have 72, 55, 30, 20, 2-10's (sump/refuges on the 72, 30 and 55) with a laundry room that looks like a LFS storage room and looking like a meth lab with all her bottles of pods, rotifers, brin shrimp with air pumps, air tubing, valves, breeder tanks, RODI, new salt buckets, etc. Very little room left for washer and dryer and dirty clothes. ROFL And who said this hobby isn't addicting and this is in just 7 months. Oh yeh I forgot the tanks of macro algaes and the 5 gal nano with the dwarf ponies.

You all know this was supposed to be my re-entering this hobby after a 15 year lapse, to keep me from going stir crazy after I retired. Well someone, tokejr, got the bug and hi-jacked it. She takes care of the knowledge for all critters (corals included) and I do all the hardware and most chemistry. It's nice to have spouse interested so we can do much of the SW thing together. I started back up 2/1/09 with not even a piece of air tubing and now have 72, 55, 30, 20, 2-10's (sump/refuges on the 72, 30 and 55) with a laundry room that looks like a LFS storage room and looking like a meth lab with all her bottles of pods, rotifers, brin shrimp with air pumps, air tubing, valves, breeder tanks, RODI, new salt buckets, etc. Very little room left for washer and dryer and dirty clothes. ROFL And who said this hobby isn't addicting and this is in just 7 months. Oh yeh I forgot the tanks of macro algaes and the 5 gal nano with the dwarf ponies.

LOL, now wait.........my pairs are in 2 tanks - the 30 and the seahorse pico. His are the 72 and the 55.
:lol2:

HA! That sounds familiar... It didn't take long for my "illness" to kick back in full time either. The firefish are very cool and I am looking forward to reading about the dwarf seahorses. oh yeah, and I thought my neighbors were gonna call the cops with all the green water, rotifers, brine shrimp and bright lights in the basement!

Any thing new on the mandrines?

Did you lose the fry? I'm just curious. If not, would you post some pics?

Did you lose the fry? I'm just curious. If not, would you post some pics?

Yeah, got them to 4 days and they just all disappeared.

I'm moving this pair to a 45, so I'm going to stop trying to raise the babies until I get them moved.

Well, if every batch takes you a little closer to complete success it shouldn't be long before you're raising them out. Please keep us posted.

Well, if every batch takes you a little closer to complete success it shouldn't be long before you're raising them out. Please keep us posted.

Thanks. Will do.

It's a learning process. I was able to get my Tail spot blennies to about 10 days before losing the hatch. John has been working with them as well and had a bit more success. Keep trying and you may crack the code. Of course, now you have the little dwarf seahorses to worry about too.

BZ

It's a learning process. I was able to get my Tail spot blennies to about 10 days before losing the hatch. John has been working with them as well and had a bit more success. Keep trying and you may crack the code. Of course, now you have the little dwarf seahorses to worry about too.

BZ

Yeah, just learning to recognize the eggs is a challenge. Also, I'm learning on culturing phyto (dang, T. Iso is hard!) and going to try a few new ones this month.

Yeah, just learning to recognize the eggs is a challenge. Also, I'm learning on culturing phyto (dang, T. Iso is hard!) and going to try a few new ones this month.

I quit using phyto and switched over to instant algae. It made feeding the rotifer cultures MUCH easier! I have some left if you want to try some.

Bob

I can remember back when everyone was jumping up and down when they first started breeding some clowns. ... and I'm really not all that old :)

I quit using phyto and switched over to instant algae. It made feeding the rotifer cultures MUCH easier! I have some left if you want to try some.

Bob

Ohhh, thanks, I'd love to try some! PM me when you have a chance to breathe and let me know when I can run by and pick some up.

I can remember back when everyone was jumping up and down when they first started breeding some clowns. ... and I'm really not all that old :)

LOL, we kept saltwater fish when it was an accomplishment to keep a clown ALIVE for 30 days. No live rock, just saltwater and HOB & undergravel filters.

Yep! I can hardly wait to get a tank set up again. I telecommute so it would really be a great distraction when I need a break.

I was wondering if you've had anymore luck with these?

I'm so happy to see these guys are doing good and obviously in good hands. I told you they were a breeding pair I just never had the time to really watch them that closely. I have some great video of them mating too, and a pciture of her all prego. I've always had really good luck with keeping these fish.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e370/perrythompson/120%20Gallon%20Tank/DSC02564-1.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e370/perrythompson/120%20After%20Crash/th_VID00003.jpg (http://s43.photobucket.com/albums/e370/perrythompson/120%20After%20Crash/?action=view&current=VID00003.flv)

So, who actually has the pair now, is it TokeJr or Chemically Balanced? I just love those guys. My tank is cycling now and I'm thinking in 6 months to a year, I'll feel comfortable adding a couple to the tank. I haven't had a tank in years, so at the time it was nearly impossible to keep them alive much less breeding.

So, who actually has the pair now, is it TokeJr or Chemically Balanced? I just love those guys. My tank is cycling now and I'm thinking in 6 months to a year, I'll feel comfortable adding a couple to the tank. I haven't had a tank in years, so at the time it was nearly impossible to keep them alive much less breeding.

I have this pair (bought them from Chemically_Balanced) but have not had time to try to raise larvae. We got custody of my grandchildren and just haven't had time to devote to raising fish lately. Once we all get settled in (after the holidays) I plan to devote more time to it.

It's a bit time consuming to raise a 6 and 9 year old again.....just making adjustments.

Glad to hear you got custody of them congrats..I need to come and see you I got my 5.5 nano up and running and it is doing great.

Glad to hear you got custody of them congrats..I need to come and see you I got my 5.5 nano up and running and it is doing great.

Thanks!

We just had another batch of babies (10) and I've got one of my juvenile males about to pop as well. Amy picked up another 4 babies last week.

Wow. Nothing's more important than the kids. Maybe they'll get into it. I'm hoping you'll get some raised out by the time my tank is nice and established ... so I'm being selfish. I bet the kids are really excited about the little miniature seahorses.

Wow. Nothing's more important than the kids. Maybe they'll get into it. I'm hoping you'll get some raised out by the time my tank is nice and established ... so I'm being selfish. I bet the kids are really excited about the little miniature seahorses.

Yes, the kids are fascinated particularly with the seahorses. My 6 yr. old granddaughter starts dreaming of fairytales and magic horses when she sits in front of the dwarf tank. My grandson is fascinated with science and therefore loves all the testing, the water changes and the chemistry of the tanks. We've got some budding reefers on our hands.