Banggai Cardinals
- Thread starter MarvinsReef
- Start date
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ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
Divers den? Maybe not the best way but I see them for sale often. I've never had luck pairing them up. I have a huge one in my tank and it always attacks any newcomers.
mfinn
likes zoanthids
Usually you need to get a group of 3-5 and you chances of getting a pair is fairly good.
OP
OP
Ok. I found a place that have been breeding them for years and they can get me an adult pair. So far, everything I've read is they are hardy and pretty easy to care for. Also, I haven't read anything that says they are prone to ich or any disease. Being captive bred I think is a big bonus. The only thing that I read that I didn't like was they have a short lifespan.. about 4 years in captuvity. Should I go for the pair? For those that have kept Banggai's please give me some input. 
Thanks
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Thanks
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ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
I'm not sure on the lifespan. I've had mine for nearly 5 years and it wasn't a baby when I got it.
They do seem to be disease resistant. I had a ich outbreak once and velvet once and the bangaii never showed any signs of either.
Definitely go for the pair. They are awesome fish. I wish I would have added mine as a pair.
They do seem to be disease resistant. I had a ich outbreak once and velvet once and the bangaii never showed any signs of either.
Definitely go for the pair. They are awesome fish. I wish I would have added mine as a pair.
OP
OP
mfinn
likes zoanthids
If they can get you a male/female pair, I'd go for it as well.
The mated pair I had were very easy to care for.
The mated pair I had were very easy to care for.
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
I forgot to add, mine will NOT eat prepared foods like pellets, flakes and such. They are plankton eaters and refuse anything except frozen mysis, krill, brine, etc. Mine ate all my peppermint shrimp too.
OP
OP
Thanks Martin.
that's a big whoooppps since all I feed my fishes is pellets. I only feed the BTA's frozen food and that's only 2-3x/week. I'll have to see if these captive bred ones are eating pellets before I bring them home. hope they do. wish me luck. they have a breeding population of about 100 Banggai's to chose from.
Thanks.
mfinn
likes zoanthids
Mine ate anything I put in the tank.
I'm sure a captive breeding program has them eating stuff like pellets and frozen foods.
I'm sure a captive breeding program has them eating stuff like pellets and frozen foods.
OP
OP
OP
OP
Cool. Thanks. What else can yah tell me about them? What do you feed yours? How often do you see them spawn? When you see the babies, are they good enough size to either give away or trade to LFS?
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altolamprologus
Community Member
Fool proof way of sexing: How to determine the sex of Banggai cardinalfish — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog
It usually helps to feed them a lot before sexing so the vents stick out more.
I have never seen a bangaii accept pellets. They would rather starve to death than eat prepared foods. Also, wildcaught bangaiis have a very annoying tendency to just die suddenly. I lost all four of my wildcaught ones (from two different vendors) within two weeks of getting them (even though they were eating like pigs and had absolutely no signs of disease) before getting my captive bred pair. It would have been so much cheaper if I had just gotten the captive bred ones to start with and IMO you shouldn't even attempt wild ones. I got mine from inland aquatics and I highly recommend them. You can get two already paired so you don't have to worry about sexing.
It usually helps to feed them a lot before sexing so the vents stick out more.
I have never seen a bangaii accept pellets. They would rather starve to death than eat prepared foods. Also, wildcaught bangaiis have a very annoying tendency to just die suddenly. I lost all four of my wildcaught ones (from two different vendors) within two weeks of getting them (even though they were eating like pigs and had absolutely no signs of disease) before getting my captive bred pair. It would have been so much cheaper if I had just gotten the captive bred ones to start with and IMO you shouldn't even attempt wild ones. I got mine from inland aquatics and I highly recommend them. You can get two already paired so you don't have to worry about sexing.
mfinn
likes zoanthids
I never fed anything other than prepared foods.
altolamprologus
Community Member
You got lucky. I'm not saying no bangaii will ever eat prepared food, I'm just saying the few dozen I've worked with chose to forego eating until frozen food was offered. They are very stubborn fish in general
mfinn
likes zoanthids
When I had them, about 13 years ago, there was virtually no info on them except one website. I think it was banggai.com or banggaicardnals.com or something like that.
Simplly a single webpage/blog where the person described what they knew. And that was my only source of info.
When I told the store I got them from, that I did get babies, they were amazed.
I fed the babies new hatched brine and I think they got white worms ( freshwater live food).
I only fed the adults frozen brine and some mysis. I did try them on the white worms but not very often because they were hard to get.
Simplly a single webpage/blog where the person described what they knew. And that was my only source of info.
When I told the store I got them from, that I did get babies, they were amazed.
I fed the babies new hatched brine and I think they got white worms ( freshwater live food).
I only fed the adults frozen brine and some mysis. I did try them on the white worms but not very often because they were hard to get.
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
+1
I haven't kept a ton of them but I've kept a few and they look at pellet foods like old dirty socks. They eat PE mysis like candy.
I traded one to a friend of mine and he got rid of it because it wouldn't eat pellets and that was all he fed. I don't feed anything but frozen so it's not a big deal for me.
OP
OP
Thanks guys. I guess I really have to make sure they are eating pellets before bringing them home. Having been captive bred for years will probably be on my side.
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