by Matthew L. Wittenrich | Sep 14, 2008 | CORAL - Matthew L. Wittenrich, Marine
It has been a little over three months since I stocked my first spawn of Spotted Mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus) eggs into a barren rearing tank. Forty days after hatching they looked like mandarins, but were still far from revealing the adult colors so appealing of...
by Matthew L. Wittenrich | Sep 10, 2008 | CORAL - Matthew L. Wittenrich, Marine
Profit, ethics and the marine aquarium trade This year’s Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA) heard a rather alarming call for action and a warning question issued to everyone involved in the marine aquarium hobby. At what price do we sacrifice...
by Matthew L. Wittenrich | Aug 15, 2008 | CORAL - Matthew L. Wittenrich, Marine
Over the past several months I have learned a great deal about the behaviors and breeding of mandarinfishes (Synchiropus spp.), also known as dragonets. Mostly, I have learned that I want to know more. Each new day brings a new challenge, a new question and more...
by Matthew L. Wittenrich | Jul 21, 2008 | CORAL - Matthew L. Wittenrich, Marine
The other day I was visiting a local Florida fish shop and came across these Percula Clownfish. They had been captive-raised by a local aquarist and brought to the fish shop with great pride. As I watched them writhe in a tight group amidst a fake turquoise coral, I...
by Matthew L. Wittenrich | Jul 14, 2008 | CORAL - Matthew L. Wittenrich, Marine
You Can’t Breed the Greens without Trying the Spotteds By Matthew L. Wittenrich After a 14-year hiatus of keeping mandarins, I must admit, they are slowly creeping up on my list of favorite fish. Having met success in rearing large numbers of the Green Mandarin,...
by Matthew L. Wittenrich | Jul 11, 2008 | CORAL - Matthew L. Wittenrich, Marine
Today, for about the 400th time this week, I re-read Wolfgang Mai’s article in Coral Magazine entitled Mission Accomplished: Spawning the Spotted Mandarin. No matter how many species of fish we raise, there is always a sense of wonder and excitement when working with...
