Picture of the Week, Banggai Cardinalfish Egg

Photo Credit: Chad Vossen, Vossen Aquatics LLC

The Banggai cardinalfish has been a staple in the marine aquarium hobby for many years, despite its high mortality in captivity and the intense pressure on wild populations. Because of the impact the trade has had on this species, hobbyists have gone above and beyond in their attempts to breed the species in captivity. One such individual who is breeding Banggais is Chad Vossen, of Vossen Aquatics, LLC. Chad has been breeding tons of fish this year, and this cardinalfish is just another one of his many success stories. And of course, he’s been sharing his successes with the rest of the aquarium community via social media, with this picture of a 10-day old Banggai egg really catching our eye.

Standing out most to us in this egg is the detail of the fish’s eyes. It seems that in most developing marine fish, the eyes are the first to really be distinguishable from the rest of the gooey mass. And because cardinalfish, in general, have such large eyes, it shouldn’t really surprise us that the eyes in this egg are as big and bright as they are. This picture was taken with help from a microscope.

Congrats again to Chad for his massive fish and invertebrate breeding success.

UPDATE: As we were writing this article, Chad posted a day 11 image showing a fully hatched Banggai egg.