Bangaii Cardinal... Odd Behaviour

Ryan · #1 05-07-2009, 06:47 AM

It all start when he first went into the new tank. He fights with his reflection. Makes for some great photo oppritunities and I shrugged it off because he will probably get bored eventually. But this new behaviour has me worried. I guess its not a behaviour problem as much as a choice of sleeping spot. He has decided to take up sleeping right next to my Torch coral. Given the torch is only 2 head right now but I am worried that he may hurt himself in the Torch. I have heard Torch Corals have pretty potent stings.

Should I be worried about his new sleeping spot?

Myka · #2 05-07-2009, 03:17 PM

Not much you can do about it. My Bubble Coral killed my Bangaii. Do you just have the single one? This is probably happening because your Bangaii has reached sexual maturity. If you can get a really good photo straight from the side I may be able to hazard a guess at its sex, and you could try to find a mate for it. That would distract it from it's reflection.

Ryan · #3 05-07-2009, 03:43 PM

I am 95% sure its a male and I am thinking about getting another one but not until I get the tank moved in a few months. I already talked to my friend who owns a fish store, he said I can buy one and if they fight he will swap it for another to see if the other one will be ok.

Myka · #4 05-07-2009, 03:59 PM

Do you know how to sex them? The best you can do is hazard a guess, as they are nearly identical until they are quite large. I had to identify mine by the spots on their bodies until they were 2 years old when the male started to look different. Before that the only way I could tell them apart was when the male was holding eggs or the female was really full of eggs.

My Bubble coral ate my male though, so I'm looking for another male.

Ryan · #5 05-07-2009, 04:12 PM

I heard you can tell from the jaw. looking at my guy then going into the lFS and looking at his pairs (yes they are pairs, he started with 6 and removed them as pairs formed). My guy has the same Jaw structure as his male but different than the female so i am going to try it in a while and see.

Its not the displaying I am worried about he will get over that its sleeping up against my torch that has me worried.

Myka · #6 05-07-2009, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryan

I heard you can tell from the jaw. looking at my guy then going into the lFS and looking at his pairs (yes they are pairs, he started with 6 and removed them as pairs formed). My guy has the same Jaw structure as his male but different than the female so i am going to try it in a while and see.

Its not the displaying I am worried about he will get over that its sleeping up against my torch that has me worried.

It is the jaw you look at mostly, but it's not a science that's for sure!!

If you can get him to stop displaying though, he won't be sleeping near the Torch. I would be worried too. I would move the Torch.

Ryan · #7 05-07-2009, 04:46 PM

I cant move the torch its glued into the rock.

Ryan · #8 05-07-2009, 06:04 PM

Myka these are not the best pictures but they are the best my camera will do with this setting on a moving target. The fast action setting wont let me zoom in this close.

Myka · #9 05-08-2009, 06:36 AM

I think your Bangaii is quite a bit too small to tell yet. Looks barely sexually mature, if that.

Here's mine (male on right...he's holding eggs though...I can't find any pics without him holding eggs). Yours looks much younger than mine, and yours looks like my female which means yours is either female or not mature enough to know yet. Imo...