Emperor Cardinal

[1234-fishy-freind]

Today i noticed that one of my 2 emperor (banggi) cardinals mouth seems to be bigger at the bottom, it isnt opened up more or swolen around the sides. It kinda looks like a pelican when it has just eaten a big fish. Both the cardinals are hanging out together alot more and the one that dosnt have the bigger mouth seems to jutter about sometimes while next to the one with the big mouth.

Have my cardinals bred ?
Is it a male holding fry?

thanks.

 

[Colin_T]

it certainly sounds like they may have bred. If the male has a mouthful he won't eat. Try feeding them and if one eats and the other doesn't he could have a mouthful. The buccal pouch (bottom of the mouth where the eggs are held) gets bigger once the eggs hatch and as the fry grow.

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Would it be a good idea to purchase a fairy large breeding net to put the male in then so that when he spits out the fry they wont get eaten by the other fish and then remove him and put him in the main tank?

Also, how long does it take before he spits the fry out ?


tanks

 

[Colin_T]

Most people separate the males when they have a mouthful to stop the fry being eaten by other fish in the tank. If you can find a large breeding net then put him in that, otherwise move him into a spare tank. Don't move him until about a week after you notice he has a mouthful otherwise they sometimes swallow the eggs. Once he has had the eggs in his mouth for a few days it is usually safe enough to move him. Try to keep him in water at all times and do not lift him out of the water while he has eggs. You can usually scoop them up in a net and guide him into a bucket of tank water. Then he can be moved elsewhere if needed.
He won't need feeding until he spits out the fry, which will be in a few weeks, depending on temperature. Cooler temps around 22-24C and he will hold the eggs for longer (3-4 weeks).

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Ok cheers, I will look out for a large breeding net then and put him in there.

If i fail to find a large anough breeder then i guess i could always put him in the sump.

 

[Colin_T]

If you have a sump on the tank then stick him in that. As long as there isn't too much water moving through it he should be fine and you can leave the babies there after they are released.
You should also keep the male and female apart for a couple of weeks after they breed. The males lose weight while carrying the eggs but will breed again virtually straight after they have released the fry. If they have too many batches in quick succession they can lose considerable amounts of body mass and die. If they are kept separate for a couple of weeks after he releases the young, he can build up his strength and recover for the next batch.

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

The only thing is though, if i put him in the sump and he spits the fry, could they get sucked into my return pump?

 

[Colin_T]

it is a big possibility if the pump doesn't have a prefilter on it. The other option is a net in the sump. You can get mosquito netting from material shops and make up a cage with that. Then the fry can go into that.

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

I think im going to look into getting a big breeding net and if i cant find a big one i will see about fry proofing the sump.