Clownfish breeding adventures / log

If the eggs arent on a huge piece of live-rock then simply take the eggs out (attached on whatever) without leaving the water. Use a ice cream tub or something similar and keep them under the water. Then place the eggs in the breeder and put a small air-stone close to them so that the bubbles gently, but firmly, aerate the eggs the whole time. They must definitely move the whole time. I've found that more is better than less.
 
Why not hatch them in the breeder tank?

Could do it that way but it was just going to be an off work xmas project & that time frame has closed up now anyway.....will give it a bash some other time...Seems they've gone into clockwork mode laying again 1-2 days after the other lot have hatched, they laid again today.

They laying on the back wall of the tank,Ill try find one of the small clay pots when i can give it another bash
 
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Ok so here is a little update on the new broodstock holding tank. Its actually super simple and nothing fancy. Its a 4 foot tank divided into 6 "breeding compartment" like you would build a sump. 3 foot sump with some liverock underneath the tank and a uplift pump. Flow is very relaxed and there is some macro algae in one of the compartments currently, which still needs to grow. LOL

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Oh ja, in each compartment i have a clay pot for the egg deposits. Im not a big fan of the tiles, but thats just a personal thing. They also work well. The occelaris pair are showing interest in spawning and i reckon they will spawn within the next 10 days or so.

Im keeping them well fed at the moment - feeding different flake foods, some Ocean nutrition pellets, spirulina flakes, mysis, and other frozen bits etc.

On the right of the one picture there is a piece of eggcrate which i use to separate my maroon clowns. Im still in the process of pairing them up. Ive got a massive normal female which is extremely light of colour and a small miss bar gold maroon. They are still feeling each other out.
 
Im also busy experimenting with using spirulina powder as a alternative to live phyto to feed my rotifiers. This is still in an early phase.
 
Is the glass in between the compartments see through? Don't they bother their neighbours? Or does algae growth on the glass cover it enough to allow for privacy to do their thing?
 
What clowns are they? Occellaris?
Yes they were with the tank when i got it,that guy had the tank for about a year & a half & i've had it about a year,this last lot is their 4th lay i think


Im also busy experimenting with using spirulina powder as a alternative to live phyto to feed my rotifiers. This is still in an early phase.

So you can get that spirulina here? What sort of shop? I did some brine shrimp too but was just feeding them bakers yeast & what it did to the water don't make it look too pretty....
 
Is the glass in between the compartments see through? Don't they bother their neighbours? Or does algae growth on the glass cover it enough to allow for privacy to do their thing?

Its normal 3mm glass which ive smeared with black silicone so its completely black. Works like a charm.
 
So you can get that spirulina here? What sort of shop? I did some brine shrimp too but was just feeding them bakers yeast & what it did to the water don't make it look too pretty....[/QUOTE]

Yes, the powder you can buy locally. The brineshrimp is only nutritious for the first 24 hours when they still have their yolk sack attached to them. They are basically just a "vessel" to enrich and then feed to the fish. So when you feed them yeast they have absolutely no nutritional value. There is a very nice product from brightwell which gives great results and are very high in HUFA's.
 
The batch is very small though. I reckon in the region of 50 eggs. This is only the second time this pair has laid eggs ever so i reckon this will pick up. The are very very active currently and the male doesnt leave the eggs alone for more than a few seconds. Im just glad with the move and everything that they are back in their spawmomg cycle!! Will be extracting the pot with the eggs and replacing it with another one. Pics to follow...
 
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The male busy attending to his parental duties, lol. He never stops, will give it to him.
 
The eggs then. Sorry for the crappy picture, i thought it was better. As you can see, the clutch is small.
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LOL, its the few black dots in the middle of the pot. Will try get a better one now.
 
Then ive got this pair which havent spawned yet, but it wont be long. They are definitely busy with their courting behavior and the male is a real clown (like in hanswors). The small misbar-gold-maroon male is with them as im still busy pairing him up with his big lady. (normal maroon - pics to follow.) Looking forward in rearing some babies from this pair because pictures dont do them justice.
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This is tha huge maroon female which i still need to pair with the small goldbar male. Its a work in progress, but she is allready looking more friendly towards him, haha.
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And then these 2 also still needs to find each other. No aggression, but also no courtship behaviour. This is the newest pair and have only been together 3 months or so.
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Oh ja, and that huge rock thing in the last pic is actual a hermit crab!
 
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