Ecsenius Midas (midas blenny) spawn

Re:Ecsenius Midas (midas blenny) spawn (rjramos)

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 08:29:44 GMT

Incredible is right! It was pure luck. I bought the fishes about 4 months apart from each other. The larger fish was with another fish that suddenly disappeared in my tank, I have no idea what happened to him? Then I bought the smaller fish about 4 months later. I have been very confused as to which one is the male/female, but on recent activity observed, I believe the male is the larger fish with dark head and blotching throughout body. The activity observed is quite different from what I've seen with clowns in the past. Here, the larger fish prepares the site for spawning. Both fish have their own lair and are seldom seen together, especially when the lights are on. The occasions when I have seen them together have been in the early morning before the lights go on, and for a short time after lights are on. Last Saturday morning they were both in the crevase doing a dance ( got video).The day after, the smaller fish had a big belly which looked like roe through the translucent skin. Monday morning the spawning site had no eggs, when I got back home in the afternoon I had over 200 eggs. Both fish have on occasion been together with the eggs, although the smaller fish comes and goes as it pleases. The larger fish is more protective of the site. I am expecting hatchlings again, I'm predicting this weekend. Hopefully, I will catch the event and be able to scoop larvae, as I did once before in the last 3 spawns. I will continue to take pictures and video. Hopefully I can do something with the larvae this time! This is the area where I could use some knowledge and experience. Although I've had countless percula spawns in my set ups and this new rare occasion( midas blennies), I have no experience in the fish nursery department.

Re:Ecsenius Midas (midas blenny) spawn (Freddie83)

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 00:51:55 GMT

Incredible, have you found a way to sex the fish? Or was it just luck that you found a male and female?

Re:Ecsenius Midas (midas blenny) spawn (rjramos)

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 22:54:51 GMT

Got another clutch of eggs noted yesterday. The pair has been very active since Saturday. Got some great videos and pics in photobucket to post! The only problem is I'm not that good with computer and trying to figure out this site.

Rich

Re:Ecsenius Midas (midas blenny) spawn (rjramos)

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 16:46:53 GMT

Thanks.All three spawns have been this size. I figure about 200 eggs maybe more

Re:Ecsenius Midas (midas blenny) spawn (Lrood)

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 16:29:17 GMT

Nice video, looks like a fairly large nest.

Re:Ecsenius Midas (midas blenny) spawn (rjramos)

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 15:01:12 GMT

http://s1293.photobucket....=image_zpsa442a961.jpg Hey John;
Here is a link of picture of the female(or what I believe to be the female) in the crevasse with eggs.

Re:Ecsenius Midas (midas blenny) spawn (coralhead317)

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:05:35 GMT

Rich,
If you haven't tried this already - upload your pictures to photobucket, flickr, or other hosting site; then copy and paste the image code here. MBI doesn't host the pictures. Good luck.

John

Ecsenius Midas (midas blenny) spawn (rjramos)

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:23 GMT

Spawning in this pair of midas blennies has occurred 3 times in approximately a 1-1/2 month period, within my 120 gal. display tank. The fish were aquired at different times, the larger fish app. 3-1/2", I bought at a LFS app. 1 year ago. The smaller fish app. 3" I bought at same LFS app. 8 months ago. Until the first spawning event was noticed the fish did not spend much time together, with the exception of an occasional chasing. Each one had its own lair within different corals. The larger fish retreats to a crevase in the base rock of a huge 18yo bubble pearl coral. It is in this crevase that the eggs are laid. The smaller fish retreats to a hole in a porites coral, distant from the other fish. The smaller fish(male) has been seen in the crevase with the larger female, but very seldom, and usually after the lights go out. Color changes have been noted in both fish but mainly the larger fish. Its head gets dark and dark bars on body. The first spawn, I wasn't sure if what I was looking at were actually eggs. I have had perculas spawn on this same coral in the past, however, these eggs were smaller, rounder, and more affixed to the rock. The eggs would not sway in current as the clown fish eggs do. After app. 7 days the eggs were gone. At this point, I realized that a spawn had occurred. There was no involvement of the smaller(male) fish in tending to the eggs. The larger fish is observed tail fanning the eggs occasionally,but other than that, no blowing as clowns do. The egg nest is left unattended by the larger fish very frequently, during feedings but also sporadically. On approximately, the seventh day of second spawn, I came home about 2 hrs after the lights went out and noted larvae swimming around the front glass of the aquarium, the eggs in the crevase were depleted. I got a fine net and flashlight and managed to scoop some larvae out. Being unprepared and having no experience in rearing fish, I placed them in a larger fine net in my refugium(I did expose them to air). I could see they were still alive and swimming within the net in the refugium. The next morning, I had to work, and before leaving I noted many were still alive in the net, some were dead on the bottom. After returning from work(24hrs), all but a few were dead, and at that point I gave up on it. The third spawn, I must have miscalculated the day of the spawn by a day. The eggs hatched overnight on the night before I was expecting them to hatch.

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