Cardinal Collection

[Kalkbreath]

Do you really think its possible to squirt the fish inbetween the spines of the urchins.............without killing the urchins? If the fish were being collected with cyanide , there would be about one dead urchin for every five cardinals collected. That would leave thousands of dead urchin shells as a tell tale sign that squirt bottles had been used there.......................I have never once heard of an account of some one finding thousands of dead urchin shells in the cardinal collection areas...... :wink: As for the total number of collected cardinals , take the published landed rates and then account for the Heavy DOA rates associated with this species. Then account for how many standing stocks there are and do the math.

 

[aquatic ian]

have you seen what happens to urchin shells when the urchin dies kalk ?
in my limited experience it floats . i wouldnt expect reports of dead urchin shells on the bottom to be evidence of cyanide use ,
nor lack of shells as an argument its not happening

 

[Anonymous]

IME, the core of the urchin rots away/is eaten while the spines fall. But considering how quickly life overtakes any potential living, those spines are probably quickly altered to being unrecognizable, not to mention the likeliness of currents sweeping them wide. - Thats wild (Carribbean) experience though, I have yet (and am not likely) to keep an urchin in a glass cage.....

At any rate, whatever the post-mortem processes, there would at least be a correlating decline in the urchin population... - Is that the case or no?

And pardon my further ignorance (and laziness since I didn't / won't bother to look elsewhere first) but how quickly do Bangaiis reach sexual maturity?

 

[JennM]

I had a pair who were born in captivity (brother and sister) and they were breeding for me within 1 year. I've had the female for 2 years now, but I lost the male...

They were living in my 120-g reef so I was not able to capture/rear the babies - they would always get eaten before I could get to them. Even put a long-spined urchin in the tank but the babies never found it.

Jenn