Caught in the Act: Cirrhilabrus johnsoni Spawning

evolved · May 22, 2013

My johnsoni pair spawns several times a week. This has been going on for months now. It happens every evening; the male goes into nuptial display around 9:30. This is at the end of the ramp down of the whites, which shut off at 9:30 and then it's all blues until they ramp down and off at 10:30. The male will be in nuptial display for up to an hour. While he courts the female every night, she generally complies and does the dance with him, but she isn't able to produce eggs every day, and never on consecutive days. So some days are just a "dry run" it seems.

However, last night I was finally watching AND recording at the right time. Take a look.

You'll note the rhomboid come over and wait for the feast when the pair start their routine. Then him and the male johnsoni are clearly eating eggs from the water column. I don't think the male was quite ready for the female here; he usually swims right along side her when she releases, and you see a quick cloud behind them both.

Click on the image for video:

revhtree · May 22, 2013

That is awesome! You're doing something right!

ritter6788 · May 22, 2013

That's great! Love the dance.

bct15 · May 22, 2013

All of the other fish are like...oo a piece f candy.

Is it possible to catch some of those eggs and hatch them in maybe a 40 breeder with a ton of flow and know over flow and a way to keep the eggs from getting sucked into a powerhead?

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Coral Dreams · May 22, 2013

To bad their being eaten.

mnat · May 22, 2013

Awesome video. Congrats on the spawning behavior as that generally is a sign of a very healthy fish. Might have to add johnsoni to the list after seeing those flashing colors.

eliramos · May 23, 2013

epic!!!!!

evolved · May 23, 2013

revhtree said:
That is awesome! You're doing something right!

Not sure if it's me or them, but thank you.

ritter6788 said:
That's great! Love the dance.

Thanks. The dance continues all evening really, but at some point turns more into the female trying to avoid the male.

bct15 said:
Is it possible to catch some of those eggs and hatch them in maybe a 40 breeder with a ton of flow and know over flow and a way to keep the eggs from getting sucked into a powerhead?

That would be the question, and something that hasn't really been done before. What conditions the eggs really need is anyone's guess.

Coral Dreams said:
To bad their being eaten.

It's great coral food. But to make them not be eaten, I'd have to have an extremely fine net in hand, ready to swoop in. And then do what? No one knows; that's unventrued territory.

mnat said:
Awesome video. Congrats on the spawning behavior as that generally is a sign of a very healthy fish. Might have to add johnsoni to the list after seeing those flashing colors.

Thank you. The irridesence of the male with his light switch on is something I could never capture with a camera.
Collection of the species is very transient, and they're not the easiest or exceptionally affordable to get ahold of when available.