LINI News Update

by Yayasan LINI on Fri 23 Oct 2015, 14:26

LINI News Update

LINI Aquaculture Training Centre (LATC) Breeding the banggai cardinalfish (BCF)

We are currently rearing 80 juvenile Blue Tang Surgeonfish (Paracanthurus hepatus) at the LINI Aquaculture and Training Centre (LATC). They were donated by Bali Double C and were approximately 2.5cm in length when we received them. After five weeks, and being fed with algae growing in our facilities and chopped mussels mixed with udang rebon, the Blue Tang have grown to an average of 3.5cm.
These beautiful fish are part of LINI’s reef restoration program. Blue Tang are just one of the species that have become locally extinct in the area due to overharvesting. They will be released onto the protected reefs of Penuktukan and Sambirenteng later this year when they reach a length of 5cm.

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We are very excited to share the news that we have our first juvenile Banggai Cardinalfish at the LINI Aquaculture and Training Centre (LATC). They were released from the males’ mouths as post-larvae juvenile fish approximately 5-6mm long on Saturday 19 September 2015.
The juvenile fish were released in our large raceway aquarium at the LINI Aquaculture and Training Centre (LATC). As the raceway is so large and can only be viewed from above, we did not notice that the males were carrying eggs in their mouths. We estimate that the eggs would have been laid on 21 August 2015.

Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) are paternal mouthbrooders. Before being released as juvenile fish, a clutch of eggs is incubated in the mouth of the male fish before the eggs hatch. The embryos then remain inside the mouth cavity for a further period of time where they consume their egg yolk and develop to post-larval stage. Throughout the incubation period, which is approximately 28 days, the male fish does not eat.

Prior to this, when we observed pairs of fish separating from the group we removed them to their own aquariums, allowing them to establish their territory for courtship and spawning. During the afternoon of August 29, we spotted the first Banggai Cardinalfish male carrying eggs in its mouth and since then the spawning has continued by different pairs. There are now 11 males with swollen mouths and they are about to release their babies in the coming days.

After two months at the Centre, the Banggai look healthy. We feed them with green mussels, frozen mysis shrimp and local cocktail abalone.

We are pleased with how our breeding program for this endangered species is going and hope to bring you more news soon!
If you are interested in learning more about our ornamental fish breeding program or visiting the Centre please contact us by email at: info@lini.or.idor telephone: +62 361 8427 168.

On Friday 28 August, we were thrilled to have the Consul-General of Australia in Bali Ms Majell Hind visit the LINI Aquaculture and Training Centre. This was a great opportunity to show the many parts of the Centre made possible due to funding through the Australian Consulate-General’s Direct Aid Program (DAP). Funds from the DAP allowed LINI to renovate and build the Centre’s concrete ponds, roof, concrete tables, workspace, water filter, and office/laboratory.
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Consul-General of Australia in Bali Ms Majell Hind speaks to Gayatri Reksodihardjo-Lilley, Director of LINI, and Alex Azzopardi, a volunteer on the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) Program working at the LATC, about the pond system.