(Pterapogon kauderni)
Origin
The Banggai cardinalfish is a small tropical fish that belongs to the family Apogonidae.
It is a popular fish in the aquarium fish trade and is part of the few fish that have been regularly reproduced in captivity.
Since they are still caught from the natural environment these fish are in danger of extinction.
Unfortunately this type of fish is endemic to the Banggai islands in Indonesia. The entire population is geographically limited to about 5000 sq km.
Banggai Cardinalfish
They can feed on Artemia, Chironomus larvae, fresh fish meat, chopped shrimp and other types of animal food.
In nature when it comes to food it is an opportunistic fish. Its food includes plankton, benthic organisms, and so on.
Features and description Banggai Cardinalfish
They are easy to maintain and are recommended for beginners but they can become territorial and aggressive and are recommended to be kept only in pairs.
The species grows up to 8cm long and is easily distinguished from other species by its dorsal fin, fork-shaped tail and three black stripes.
The male differs from the female due to the larger oral cavity that can only be observed when it is in use, i.e. open.
In its natural habitat it is a diurnal fish that forms groups of about 9 individuals in waters with depths of 1.5 to 2.5 m depth.
Breeding Banggai Cardinalfish
They are very similar but the male has a sharper head and the adipose fin is more prominent and the female has a more rounded head and the adipose fin is smaller.
These tropical saltwater fish are some of the easiest to breed. If you want to multiply cardinal fish it is good to take more and hope that two will be paired.
If the conditions of life and food are adequate, they will mate. If the fish have mated you will find that the male no longer eats.
This is because he keeps his young in his mouth and cares for them until they are 20 days old, when he releases them into the aquarium. From this moment they can separate and the chickens can be raised artificially with artemia nalupi and fine feed for chickens.
Pairs are formed two weeks before spawning. The female is the one courting the male. The female is the one that influences the fertilization and the size of the eggs, and the size of the male is the one that influences the amount of eggs that the pair can produce.
Usually mating takes place between individuals of the same size and the male can carry all the eggs that the female produces.
As I said, courtship is initiated by the female. They have the advantage of choosing their partner. After establishing the partner, the female makes a few surprise movements of the partner through the back while he remains completely still.
After begins copulation which can last from several hours to 2-3 days. If during this time another female approaches it is attacked immediately until it moves away. It has been observed that if another male approaches it will protect the two.
During this mating period if the female is not satisfied she will periodically or permanently leave to another male.
In captivity Banggai Cardinalfish is very popular among aquarium fish breeders. Instead of being bred, due to the fact that in many it is not difficult and is on the verge of extinction, it is picked from the natural environment and sold to cescators.
It first appeared in international trade in 1995, and after 2000 between 500,000 and 1,000,000 copies were sold annually, which led this species to the brink of extinction.
The water temperature should be 23-26 GR celsius. Ph 8.0 – 8.3.
