Breeding Journal DataSheet
This first post should be updated regularly to include new information as events take place or changes are made to your system
General Species: Paracanthurus hepatus
Social Structure: Pair
Size of Individuals: 6"
Age of Individuals: Unknown, approx 3 years
Date added to Tank: December 2009
Broodstock Tank Details Size of Tank: 1800mm x 600mm x 600mm
Substrate Details: Course Agronite
Filtration Details: Skimmer, Live Rock, Macro Algae, Carbon, GFO
Water Changes: 100L weekly (15%)
Water Temperature: 26.5C
Lighting: LED 50% white, 50% blue. Sunrise and Sunset via Red/Blue LED strip
Lighting Cycle: 7am to 8pm. Fade in and fade out.
Other Tank Inhabitants: Reef tank, with other Tangs, clowns, Anthia, chromis etc
Broodstock Feeding Details Food Types: Spectrum Thera A+, Spectrum Salt H20 flakes, Enriched Brine Shrimp, Marine Green, Spirulina Flakes, Norrie, Home Made Mash (prawn, pipi clam, white bait, squid, garlic, norrie etc). Occasional live brine shrimp
Feeding Schedule: Morning and night. Pellets followed 10 minutes later with defrosted frozen food mix.
Spawning Details Date of First Spawn: May 2011 photos below from 11/23/2011, 11/26/2011
Spawn Time of Day: Evening, as lights go out approx 7:00-7:15 (main lights start to turn off at 7:45 and are completely off by 8:00). Moonlight with sunset, comes on at 6pm and is at peak brightness at 7:45, fades to 11pm.)
Dates of Consecutive Spawns: About every 10-14 days. Though, sometimes this can be several nights in a week, then a break for a week or so. Since the start of this journal, every two to three days has become the norm. It may be that I was only noticing it on the weekends when I was home at this time, rather than outside with my other brood stock during the lights out time for the inside tank.
Courtship Details: Spawning occurs as the lights go out (one end of the tank to the other).
They swim together in tight formation, the more dominant one shepherding the other. This goes on for a few minutes, with them getting faster and more abrupt in their twists and turns. They will then release. At this point both of the tangs calm down and go their seperate ways. The release over the November - December 2011 period has become larger as they have got the process sorted. Now there is a large grey cloud of release that is very clearly visible to the eye. Previously this was much more disbursed.
Most of the other fish in the tank then spend the next 10 minutes or so on their free meal.
On observing the female, she is noticeably thicker (fat) near her cloaca immediately prior to spawning.
Egg Size: less than 0.5mm
Egg Color: clear and shiny, can easily be confused with bubbles. Now with pictures below.
Egg Count: Unknown approx 40 collected.
Hatch Details Hatch Date: 11/28/2011 (11/26/2011 spawn)
Hatch Time of Day: Morning
# Days after Spawn: 2
Larvae Description: 2mm long white piece of string to the naked eye.
Larval Tank Details Temperature: not measured, ambient room temp approx 25c
Size of Larval Tank: 4L, clear plastic container
Substrate Details: None
Other Tank Decor: None
Filtration Details: None
Lighting: CF Globe
Lighting Cycle: 24 hours
Water Changes: None
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 (No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please) Miscellaneous Information: 04/05/2012 Spawning is now every day to two days and has been getting more oftern since the beginning of the year. With either one or both of the females spawning with the male.
They seem to be getting more aggressive with their behaviour during spawns. The actual swimming around with each other is more frantic and its quite common for very large splashes to occur as they spawn. They (im fairly sure its the male) have also at times hit the glass lids of the aquarium when exiting their little dance hard enough to lift it up.
2015/10/21 S 2015/10/22 H
2015/10/24 S
2015/10/26 S
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<message edited by CaptCrash on Monday, October 26, 2015 11:05 AM>