Do I spot Clown Eggs?

[Reef Maniac]

Thats cool! Sorry to rain on your parade but it takes alot of time ... to maintain their needs don't waste your time.

Congratulations

Unfortunately, I must agree with Madreefer, it's very difficult to successfully raise baby Clowns if you don't have a dedicated rearing tank and the correct live food prepared in advance. You might be lucky and have a few surviving in your sump (worth a try...) but don't be too disappointed if they all disappear within the first few days.

and unless you have a proper setup to house the eggs

In my experience you should leave the eggs in the display tank, with the parents looking after them, until the eggs hatch. It's then quite easy to scoop the babies out of the display tank using some sort of receptacle such as a large soup ladle. Reading the WIKI write-up should explain in more detail.

Can't I feed them small brineshrimp?

Unfortunately, again in my experience, the newly hatched larvae are too small to eat newly hatched brine shrimp - the shrimp have hard, sharp "spikes" protruding from their bodies, and these spikes tend to injure the mouthes of the larvae, causing them to stop eating. (Contrary to my experience, however, Dr. Niall Vine stated at IMACSA 2007 that the baby Clowns CAN eat baby brine shrimp).

Then make a very fine food mixture (shrimp/hake/nori/flakes) - This must be extremely fine...It must be close to a watery mix.

Baby Clown fish larvae needs to have their eating responses stimulated by swimming, live prey. They are unlikely to "hunt" and eat statically floating powdered dry food.

Hennie

 

[sunburst]

Congrats Raven. A great event having anything spawn in your tank. I recently also had this honour, and started reading up on the the possibility of extending my ego. A huge task which for one means removing them from the display. Now i provide my reef with fresh protein.

 

[Madreefer]

In my experience you should leave the eggs in the display tank, with the parents looking after them, until the eggs hatch. It's then quite easy to scoop the babies out of the display tank using some sort of receptacle such as a large soup ladle. Reading the WIKI write-up should explain in more detail.

This happens in my tank every month. And the routine is exactly the same. The male constantly looks after the eggs and the female checks up on them occasionaly and chases any of the other fish away if they get too close. I have never counted the days but when the eggs get silver (more chrome lookin) you can actually see the eyes on each of the eggs. When the lights go out they will hatch and the parents have a feast and eat them all. Why they do this, I don't know but the routine never changes and all of the other fish are in their sleeping spots so they lose out. I think the parents eat them because they know that the fry will not survive with the other tankmates. I thought about setting up another tank just for the clowns to do this but, they are obviously happy with the environment they are now in and to try and duplicate it is a hard task. ie: cost for extra equipment, room in my house, changing how my existing tank is, time factor and why disturb the tank when things are going so well. I'm sorry to sound so negative but my pros are out numbered by my cons. So take everyones suggestions and expereinces to mind and I hope you are very successful and do not get disappointed if all does not turn out.

 

[sunburst]

I have started to expect the same. Thanks for confirming. Now... how do i break this news to my 8 year old daughter who wants to be vet.

 

[Madreefer]

I have started to expect the same. Thanks for confirming. Now... how do i break this news to my 8 year old daughter who wants to be vet.

Sorry dude. I can't help you out on that one. I have no kids. Start with how the food chain works.

 

[Reef Maniac]

The male constantly looks after the eggs and the female checks up on them occasionaly and chases any of the other fish away if they get too close.

Exactly - that's why you should keep the eggs in the display tank, and not remove them before they hatch. without the constant attention of the parents ("fanning" the eggs, removing debris, etc) the hatch rate of the eggs will be quite low, if they hatch at all.

I have never counted the days but when the eggs get silver (more chrome lookin) you can actually see the eyes on each of the eggs.

It's normally 6-8 days, depending on e.g. water temperature. Mine used to hatch every 7 days, regular as clockwork.

When the lights go out they will hatch and the parents have a feast and eat them all.

Yes, that's normal. Once the eggs hatch the larvae become part of the plankton layer, and thus food for every creature with a large enough mouth. They hatch about one hour after dark, and in nature the currents/tide quickly disperse them in a VERY large volume of water, which lessens the chance of their parents eating them. Unfortunately this is impossible in our tanks, hence the reason why one should (gently) remove them soon after they hatch.

Hennie

 

[Shaun]

Exactly - that's why you should keep the eggs in the display tank, and not remove them before they hatch. without the constant attention of the parents ("fanning" the eggs, removing debris, etc) the hatch rate of the eggs will be quite low, if they hatch at all.

Can't they be hatched like people hatch Discus.

 

[Madreefer]

Unfortunately this is impossible in our tanks, hence the reason why one should (gently) remove them soon after they hatch.

Hennie

What I'm saying is that if your going to breed the fish than they should have their own tank for this. There is really only one good reason to try and raise fish. To make money. Who in the right mind would want to keep all those fish? If someone tries this just to see "if they can do it" and they are successful. Well I hope that they find a store that will take them first.

 

[sunburst]

Congratulations

Unfortunately, I must agree with Madreefer, it's very difficult to successfully raise baby Clowns if you don't have a dedicated rearing tank

It's then quite easy to scoop the babies out of the display tank using some sort of receptacle such as a large soup ladle.


Hennie

I battle to remove flotsam from my tea cup with a teaspoon. A soup laddle and hundreds of litres of water...

Exactly - that's why you should keep the eggs in the display tank,


Unfortunately this is impossible in our tanks, hence the reason why one should (gently) remove them soon after they hatch.

Hennie

Maybe a cracker shrimp pump would do the job; however depth makes its difficult as the juveniles are hardly visible. Smaller than fleas

What I'm saying is that if your going to breed the fish than they should have their own tank for this. .

After trying to catch fry by syphoning i have come to the conclusion that a dedicated breeding tank with no clutter and smallish volume would be the only practical way of doing this

Sorry dude. I can't help you out on that one. I have no kids. Start with how the food chain works.

Hmm... something like this maybe.... sometimes moms and dads eat the babies, to protect them from being eaten by strangers ... and then sometimes a bigger and stronger thing eats the mom and dad... and then we eat them...Eish

 

[Reef Maniac]

I battle to remove flotsam from my tea cup with a teaspoon. A soup laddle and hundreds of litres of water... After trying to catch fry by syphoning i have come to the conclusion that a dedicated breeding tank with no clutter and smallish volume would be the only practical way of doing this

From my article on WIKI: Breeding Clarkii Clownfish - Marine Aquariums of South Africa - wiki

"All the power heads and external filters should be stopped the evening of the hatching. Just before the last light goes out, one should also stop the sump return pump. After lights-out, one should check on the tank every 15 minutes or so, using a red filter in front of a torch. About 1-2 hours after total darkness, the eggs hatch, all within a few minutes of each other. At this stage, one should switch on a dim exterior light, just to make it easier to work in the tank. Then, use a bright torch (without filter), and shine the light into the tank at a place convenient to catching the fry. All the hatched fry will immediately start to swim towards the light, and congregate in great masses just below the water surface. It's then a simple thing to scoop them up into a shallow bowl (or even a large soup ladle). The fry should then be transferred to the rearing tank, and gently released by immersing the bowl below the water surface. Care should be taken to ensure as little current and turbulence as possible while doing this, as the newly hatched fry are very delicate"

You DO need a dedicated rearing tank, but the eggs should remain in the care of the parents until they hatch.

 

[sunburst]

Wow Hennie that was a great concise and well documented article. Do i feel embarrassed. :blushing: On our very own home grown masa nogal.

 

[Reef Maniac]

 

[Raven]

They've done it again!

whoa - My clowns laid eggs once again!
This time more that double (if not triple) than the previous time!!!!

But it's so sad that I don't have the right food to get these youngsters alive!
So ANY one with rotifers - please help out!!!

I've tried a couple of places, but no-one can or really wants to help out.

But at least the rest of the fish really enjoy the live food.

 

[Warr7207]

Get hold of abgg118 for greenwater etc.