Breeding Journal DataSheet for Centropyge argi
General Species: Centropyge argi
Social Structure: Harems, 1 male, multiple females
Size of Individuals: 1" and up. Male is largest in the group. IN 2010, Male is now almost 3" long, with 2 females around 2" and 2.25"
Age of Individuals: unknown
Date added to Tank: 4-25-2007
Broodstock Tank Details Size of Tank: 24 gallon nanocube
Substrate Details: live sand
Filtration Details: stock filtration with Remora C Skimmmer
Water Changes: generally 25%, weekly.
Water Temperature: generally 78-80F
Lighting: 150 watt Metal Halide
Lighting Cycle: generally 12 hours, on a timer
Other Tank Inhabitants:
Broodstock Feeding Details Food Types: They will eat EVERYTHING offered. Frozen Brine, Mysis, Spirulina Flake, Spectrum Pellets, Formula 1 and 2 pellets and frozen, Rod's food, Squid,
ANTYHING.
Feeding Schedule: Multiple times per day.
Spawning Details Date of First Spawn: 5-11-07 w was the first recorded spawn in my group.
Spawn Time of Day: Generally right after the lights go out.
Dates of Consecutive Spawns: eventually, this group has gotten into spawning daily now for years (as of 2010, I still have 2 from the ORIGINAL group, + 1 replacement from
along the way).
Courtship Details: Male displays to female in a "soaring" display, and false spawning rises consist of male nuzzling female's abdomen as they rise in the water column.
Actual spawning is split-second, with male realigning his vent alongside the female as they both shed gametes into the water column and then dash for the rockwork.
Interestingly, the spawning rise in MY tanks is only 6" or so...these fish come close to, but never hit the water's surface.
Egg Size: roughly 0.6 mm
Egg Color: clear, with single oil droplet
Egg Count: HUNDREDS.
NOTE - Eggs are bouyant and float to the surface. With pumps turned off, they seem to migrate towards the meniscus around the edges of the tank, where they can be
easily skimmed off.
Hatch Details Hatch Date: 5-31-07 - see notes immediately below:
Date of first successful incubation was a spawn that occured on 5-30-2007. From my notes: "
5-30-07 - lights went out at 9:45 PM CDT. First spawn occured at 9:47
PM CDT. Second spawn occured at 9:49 PM CDT. Within four minutes of lights out, both fish are spawned and they're done for the night! "
First hatch occured the following day, 5-31-2007. Hatch Time of Day:
11:15 AM # Days after Spawn: 14 hours post spawn
Larve Description: to the naked eye, they are tiny black rods. Upon magnification, they are a prolarvae with some black pigmentation. See pictures below.
Larval Tank Details - N/A - Have not had any success past 5 days post hatch, which is the starvation point. Have not tried "too hard though" either given
that I don't have access to any of the known first foods for this species (the nauplii of certain specific species of Calanoid Copepods).
Temperature:
Size of Larval Tank:
Substrate Details:
Other Tank Decor:
Filtration Details:
Lighting:
Lighting Cycle:
Water Changes:
Larval Feeding Details Food Types:
Feeding Schedule:
Metamorphosis/Settlement Date of Settlement Start:
Days after Hatch:
Date of Settlement End:
Description of Fry:
Grow-Out Tank Details Temperature:
Size of Grow-Out Tank:
Substrate Details:
Other Tank Decor:
Filtration Details:
Lighting:
Lighting Cycle:
Water Changes:
Size at Transfer:
Age at Transfer
Grow-Out Feeding Details Food Types:
Feeding Schedule:
Additional Information Miscellaneous Information:
This was my SECOND attempt at setting up a harem of Centropyge argi. The first attempt ended with all fish dead from a bacterial or viral disease. This second
attempt was originally documented on MOFIB at -
http://www.marinebreeder....bb/viewtopic.php?t=411 Pictures:
Male and female caught in the act and you can even see the eggs. Literally a luck, split second shot (what you see here happens in the BLINK of an eye) 
539 eggs incubating in a specimen cup hanging in a 10 gallon tank for temperature control - NOTE, the best way I've found to count eggs is to take a picture, and then
go into a photo/paint software at full resolution and mark each egg with a dot as you count, changing colors every group of 100. Makes counting manageable and relatively
accurate. See below:
Newly spawned Centropyge argi eggs at 60X magnification 
Newly hatched C. argi at 60X magnification 
Newly hatched C. argi at 60X magnification next to newly hatched Synchiropus sp. larvae for comparison 
72 hours post hatch at 60X 
122 hours (5 days) post hatch...longest I've managed to date... 