attempt to raise clownfish fry
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Help
Forum Name: General Help
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URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=80050
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Topic: attempt to raise clownfish fry
Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Subject: attempt to raise clownfish fry
Date Posted: May 15 2016 at 9:24pm
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So after 2 years of no activity my clownfish decided to lay eggs. I know i wont be ready in time for this clutch but im thinking i will attempt the next go round. Is there a local source for live rotifers and rotifer food/nannochloropsis. I'm reading all the info i can find now but im a bit confused on how to tell how old the eggs are. I didnt see any eggs on thursday but i saw the clowns cleaning a spot for them. Didnt notice eggs friday but didnt look very long. Sat was gone all day and didnt check. Sun morning when the lights came on i see at least 50-75 eggs but they dont look orange(ish) they look almost clear with a definite dark spot up top which i assume is eyes. Heres a really bad quality video i snapped (ill try for better one tomorrow) http://www.facebook.com/geoffrey.sorensen.5/videos/vb.100000388830165/1125711967451754/?type=2&theater¬if_t=video_processed¬if_id=1463367065413491" rel="nofollow - http://www.facebook.com/geoffrey.sorensen.5/videos/vb.100000388830165/1125711967451754/?type=2&theater¬if_t=video_processed¬if_id=1463367065413491 |
Replies:
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 9:31am
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What I see in that video is eggs that look to be about 4-5 days from hatching, meaning they were laid about 4-5 days prior to the video. A day or two before they hatch the eggs become all silvery colored. You know they start hatching about 30-60 minutes after lights out, right? Hope this "Save the Babies" thread helps. It was started May 2011, a month before you joined the WMAS forum, so you may not have seen or remembered it at the time: http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=48272&KW=clownfish+nursery&PID=426577" rel="nofollow - http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=48272&KW=clownfish+nursery&PID=426577 Aloha, Mark  (That was 5 years ago.
 My, how time ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: A Reef Oasis
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 11:14am
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We have rotifers and Rotigrow to feed them ------------- "oh crap where am I going to put that!" bstuver |
Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 11:43am
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Im guessing the eggs must have been laid Thursday night, which would make the eggs 3 days old at the time I noticed them and filmed it. I've read a lot about breeding them so I understand the basics but have never attempted to raise fry yet as this is the first egg clutch. I have a copy of Beginner to Breeder by Martin Moe that has pretty in depth section on clownfish rearing that ill look back over in the next few days. I may attempt to siphon the babies out if anyone is interested in raising this batch. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: May 16 2016 at 12:31pm
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The Larvae are very delicate. Siphoning injures them and they die. Try using the method of turning off the circulation and setting a weak diffused light spot to attract them to where they can be scooped out. You will notice in that thread that we did this and discovered some tricks to being successful at it. Aloha, Mark ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: May 18 2016 at 10:30am
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Well looks like tonights the night... i see lots of little silver eggs! Still not ready for this batch so unless somebody nearby wants to claim them they may just be free food for the rest of the tank. |
Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: May 19 2016 at 7:07pm
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OH NO... well the eggs had the silvery shimmer yesterday and this morning.. thought for sure they would hatch last night but this afternoon the male ate all the remaining eggs which from my understanding is fairly common for a pairs first batch of eggs. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: May 20 2016 at 8:02am
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True, and in a few weeks her next batch might have more eggs. Aloha, Mark ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: May 20 2016 at 9:47am
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Im going to try to place a clay pot nearby or a piece of tile in the exact spot to see if i can get them to lay on something that i can easily remove... only time will tell. I did go pick up some rotis and phyto and have a batch going.. should be able to split the rotis once or twice before the next eggs are laid |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: May 20 2016 at 12:07pm
Maybe you've seen this already. I'm sure I've posted elsewhere before.  When it comes to feeding Rotifers, in recent years http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/Algae-Pastes-c6.html" rel="nofollow - frozen Algae paste has been perfected and it's close to you in Ogden. It is so easy to use and economical too. So much easier than growing it myself, but that was kinda fun too. I grew it and shared it with everyone. My systems have loved twice weekly feedings of single celled algae and rotifers. It's a nutritious feast for some coral and inverts.
  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: May 29 2016 at 5:28pm
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Clutch #2 was laid this morning. I witnessed it in person which was actually pretty cool. I acquired some rotifers and some DT's live phytoplankton. I dont really like the phyto blend as even with me mixing it with clean saltwater before adding it to the roti culture after a few hours it is clumping up and accumulating on the sides/bottom. Rotis dont mind as the population seems to be increasing pretty steadily(not that i have a way to count). Id like to find a few of those 5g water cooler jugs and try growing my own nannochloropsis! |
Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: June 08 2016 at 6:05am
| Dang... clutch #2 eggs made it to day 9 before being eaten. I tried to trick them into laying on a piece of tile but they knocked the tile off and laid on the rock. Going to re-arrange the rockwork to put the clay pot a bit higher up into the cave area they are laying. |
Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: June 14 2016 at 6:06am
| Wow.... 3 days after eating the eggs they laid clutch #3. This batch is easily 100+ more eggs than the previous clutches. Starting on day 8 I will monitor them closely to see if the male starts to eat them and if that happens I may pull the clowns and put them into a temporary time out box. After this batch hatches I will have to re-arrange the entire tank if I want to try the clay pot or tile method as the rock they are laying on is at the bottom of the tank and is supporting 3 other pieces of rock.... |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: June 14 2016 at 9:18am
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Be advised that re-aquascaping the tank may cause them to stop spawning. Because they were so long in preparing to start their first spawn, this could delay spawning for months. Not certain, but just saying it could happen. It's common for clownfish to need a little time and experience to raise a family. They will eventually learn to let the eggs mature and hatch. If it were me, I would probably wait until they have taken at least one batch full term and then I might just do the "pumps off/light attraction/scooping" procedure to collect the larvae. Aloha, Mark ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: June 14 2016 at 9:47am
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That brings me to my second problem... with all the pumps off my anemone deflates and lays directly on top of the eggs... |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: June 15 2016 at 1:55pm
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Hmmm, well, on the night of the hatch, before stopping circulation, poke the anemone with a stick until it shrinks up and stays out of the way. I have poked an anemone hard/deep enough so that the stick hits solid rock. This irritates the anemone enough to shrink up for a while. This brings up something I just realized (haven't seen a pic of the tank so I'm just making an assumption). If the Clownfish like laying their eggs near the anemone, rather than change the aquascaping, try changing the water flow to see if the anemone will move to a new place. This less drastic change may not hinder the spawning schedule. The parents may still lay in the same spot where the anemone will no longer be in the way, or they may choose a new spot near the anemone. The new location would hopefully be a place where it's easier to deal with the eggs. Just a thought. Aloha, Mark ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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