Breeding Journal DataSheet for Synchiropus picturatus
General Species: Synchiropus picturatus
Social Structure: Fixed sexes, non pairing / non-mongamous, mating as a pair
Size of Individuals: male 2"+, female 1.5"+
Age of Individuals: unknown (wild caught fish) - fish had already been in captivity at least 1 year at the time of purchase!
Date added to Tank: 11/7/2007
Broodstock Tank Details Size of Tank: 24 gallon nanocube
Substrate Details: live sand
Filtration Details: stock nanocube filtration
Water Changes: 25% weekly
Water Temperature: generally 80F
Lighting: stock twin power compact bulbs
Lighting Cycle: generally 13 hours on in this tank, always ona timer
Other Tank Inhabitants: At times other dragonettes including Synchiropus ocellatus (Scotter Blenny), S. splendidus (Mandarin), Banggai Cardinalfish, Ocellaris Clownfish and many others...
Broodstock Feeding Details Food Types: Mostly frozen adult brine shrimp and mysis shrimp. After a long time in captivity, these fish did learn to take pellets (mostly Formula 1, small pellet)
Feeding Schedule: multiple feedings per day, with food falling to the substrate where it can be eaten.
Spawning Details Date of First Spawn: while I suspected they were spawning for months, the first official spawn was 6/17/2008
Spawn Time of Day: 11:25 PM
Dates of Consecutive Spawns: N/A...they seemed to be sporadic, and I didn't keep tabs on this pair very much
CourtShip Details: male displays fins flared to the female. If she accepts his advances, they make false spawning rises, swimming parallel towards the surface. If they spawn, the eggs are released at the apex of the assent, followed by a rapid dash to the substrate. After spawning the fish retire (sleep).
Egg Size: 0.8 mm or so
Egg Color: pretty much clear
Egg Count: a couple hundred
Hatch Details Hatch Date: the following day, 6/18/2008
Hatch Time of Day: approximately 11-1 PM
# Days after Spawn: 0.5
Larve Description: hatch as a prolarvae, no eyes, mouth, gut etc. To the naked eye, they look green. Under the microscope, you see they are clear with a dusting of green/yellow pigmentations.
Larval Tank Details Temperature: 82F
Size of Larval Tank: N/A - no real serious attempts were made to rear this species.
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 experience was originally documented on a thread @ MOFIB -
http://www.marinebreeder....b/viewtopic.php?t=1429 As of 1/31/2010, I still have the male from this pair. The female disappeared sometime back in September of 2009, shortly after moving the tanks from Chicago to Duluth. This species mostly took a back seat in my rearing efforts given the limited resources I could work with.
Female in bag 
Male in bag 
Male displaying to female 
Courtship Video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5cZbP7ebXQ Egg, 0 hours post spawn, at 60X 
Egg, 30 minutes post spawn, at 60X 
Egg, 1 hour post spawn, at 60X 
Egg with larval development, 11 hours post spawn, 60X 
Prolarvae, 0 hours post hatch, 10X, maybe only 12-14 hours post spawn 
Same, at 60X 
Larva from side, 12 hours post hatch, 60X 
Same, from above, at 60X 
33 hours post hatch, at 60X, next to a larval Pseudochromis cyanotaenia at 24 hours post hatch 
Same, different perspective 