Banggai Cardinalfish Reproduction
By: Vallie, Turner, Ella
Overview of Discussion
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Intro
Background
Timeline
Research Questions
Hypothesis
Material and Methods
Review of Research Questions
Tables/Graphs/Videos/Pictures
Reflections and Conclusions
Introduction
● Originally, our plan was to discover and implement the
habitats that encourages the Banggai cardinalfish to
breed
● However throughout the year, our goal simplified to
observation and encouragement of reproductive
behaviors
● We wanted to encourage the fish to mate and
reproduce
Background- General
● Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Apogonidae
Scientific Name: Pterapogon Kauderni
● Location: Found in the Banggai Islands in the IndoPacific
● Behavior: Shy, hiding, easily startled
● Male v Female: males- more massive head and square
jaw, females- more rounded with a less prominent jaw
Background- Reproduction
Behavior
● pairing with mate over spawning site and territorial
● Courtship occurs in afternoon, while spawning
occurs at sunset
● Spawning signs: well-rounded belly in female,
heightened activity between pair
● In captivity, spawning occurs once a month
● Male fertilizes eggs by swimming over them
quivering his genital pores
● Mouthbrooders- 50 eggs, 21-30 days
Timeline
October 22nd- First day of observation of 6 fish in Observation
Tank
October 30th- 4 Banggais moved to Tank 3; 2 moved to Tank 9
along with the original fish
November 5th- New Banggai in Tank 9 moved to Tank 5 after
bullying
November 11th- New Banggai in Tank 9 died; only original left
December 10th- Fish D dies in Tank 3
January 21st- Fish C in Tank 3 develops tumor (parasites), taken
out to die
April 1st- Ovulation spotted
Research Questions
1. Which type of shelter (natural or artificial)
stimulates the most reproductive activity?
2. Will the fish noticeably pair off in the tanks?
3. How long will it take for the fish to form a pair?
4. If the fish do form pairs, does that mean they will
necessarily breed?
5. Will the lack of shelter be a contributor to males
eating eggs during incubation?
Hypothesis
●
After separating the Banggai cardinalfish into habitats with minimal shelter (PVC
pipe) or natural shelter (live rock), the fish in the natural shelter of live rock will
have the most pairs of fish and higher breeding rates because it emulates what the
habitat in the ocean, thus decreasing the stress on the fish.
Methods and Materials
● Original Plan:
o Tank separated into natural (live rock) v. artificial
● What actually happened:
o Adapted methods to simplify
o Encouraged Banggai to breed using live rock
 Modified live rock structures
o Moved fish to different tanks
o Started feeding fish more often
Fish A
Fish C
Fish B
Fish D
Videos of Behavior
http://banggaireproduction.wiki.lovett.org/March+Videos#March%20Videos
2.Will the fish noticeably pair off in the tanks?
● Trends have shown that the fish physically spend time
together in pairs; however, it has yet to be proven to be
sexual
● Typically, the fish would be startled as we approached
the tank and either scatter or pair together and hide,
depending on their circumstances in the tank
● After quiet observation, the fish would usually pair
together, maybe even chasing and following a bit
● However, this never developed into sexual pairing
3. How long will it take for
the fish to form a pair?
● Our fish never paired
sexually.
● They would be in the same
location in the tank
however they were not
sexually paired
4. If the fish do form pairs, does
that mean they will necessarily
breed?
● The fish never formed pairs
therefore we would not
know how long it would
take to breed.
● Research has shown from
other scientists that it
usually takes anywhere
from one to several months
after maturity for the
Banggai to mate/form
pairs.
Unable to answer
1. Which type of shelter (natural or artificial)
stimulates the most reproductive activity?
5. Will the lack of shelter be a contributor to males
eating eggs during incubation?
Reflections on Hypothesis
After separating the Banggai cardinalfish into habitats with minimal shelter (PVC
pipe) or natural shelter (live rock), the fish in the natural shelter of live rock will have
the most pairs of fish and higher breeding rates because it emulates what the habitat in
the ocean, thus decreasing the stress on the fish.
Outside Sources
“Once you obtain a male and a female, they may pair up almost instantly, but
not guaranteed”
“The hardest part is obtaining a good pair. First off, as many of you know, they
are difficult to sex.”
-
Reef Central Website
Challenges
● Determining sex
● Obtaining the right
environment
● Keeping them alive
● Identification of fish
Solutions/In the Future
● Tagging them for
better identification
● Feeding them
more often
● Confirming the
sex of the fish
Overall Concepts and Application
● Fish must be fully mature in order to
mate
● Sex needs to be identified for sure
(required: 1 male, 1 female)
● Environment with hiding places that are
visible for observation
Bibliography
Works Cited
Agliata, Jack. "Spawning the Banggai Cardinal." Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine May 2007: n. pag. Print. <__http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/spawning-the-banggai-cardinal.htm__>
Allen, G.R, and T.J Donaldson. "Pterapogon Kauderni." The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. N.p., 2007. Web. 2 Oct. 2014. <__http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/63572/0__>.
"Banggai Cardinal Fish (Pterapogon Kauderni)." Fishlore. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2014. <__http://www.fishlore.com/profile-banggaicardinalfish.htm__>.
"Captive Breeding of Banggai Cardinalfish." World Journal of Zoology 7.4 (2012): 273-78. Print.
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