Apogon compressus Breeding Guide

The ochre-striped cardinalfish Apogon compressus is a paternal mouthbrooder that has been reared in captivity; the male incubates the egg ball in his mouth. This guide covers sexing, conditioning, spawning and fry rearing.

Overview

Apogon compressus (treated by FishBase as Ostorhinchus compressus), the ochre-striped cardinalfish, is a member of the family Apogonidae reaching about 12 cm total length, with a common length near 8.5 cm. It is distributed in the Indo-West Pacific from Malaysia east to Palau and the Solomon Islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands and south to the Great Barrier Reef, in small aggregations among or near branching corals at depths of 2 to 20 m. It is a nocturnal paternal mouthbrooder and has been reared in captivity.

Sexing

Mature males have a larger jaw and longer head to accommodate the egg mass during oral incubation, which is the most reliable distinguishing feature. Outside the breeding period the sexes are similar, so the brooding individual is the confirmed male.

Conditioning

Adults condition on a varied carnivorous diet of small meaty foods, offered in the evening to match their nocturnal feeding. Keeping a group among branching coral or rockwork that mimics their natural shelter encourages a pair to form and reach spawning condition.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

FishBase records distinct pairing during courtship and spawning. After pairing, the female releases eggs that the male takes into his mouth and fertilises, forming a cohesive egg ball that he broods. That this species has been reared in captivity indicates the full cycle can be closed under aquarium conditions.

Egg & Fry Care

The male incubates the egg ball orally and does not feed during brooding. On release the young require small live first foods through their pelagic larval phase, so a dedicated larval-rearing system improves survival relative to leaving fry in the display tank.

Common Challenges

Protecting the brooding male from disturbance so he retains the clutch, and supplying suitably small first foods to the larvae, are the main challenges. As with related cardinalfishes, larval feeding is the principal bottleneck even though this species has been reared successfully.