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Pickle010

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Before you get started with this thread - if you are looking for information on how to breed clownfish or what I do when I'm breeding; there is a condensed cliff's notes version of the things I've learned along the way here: Pickle's Guide to Breeding Clowns which is stickied at the top of this forum. By all means feel free to jump in and ask if you need help or to share your progress here in this thread.

 

 

I started this thread as a diary of my personal breeding experience. Since then, it's become a place where other new breeders and experts alike have come to share their wisdom and experiences. So welcome to Pickle's N-R Breeders Lounge! All are welcome - novices - experts and even those with no intention of breeding. If you've got an opinion, question, advise to share or are just curious - this is the right place! :welcome:

 

 

And so it began:

 

 

First of all... I had no intention of starting this thread this early, but todays events led me to want to document what's happened so far so here I go.

 

At the end of last summer I decided that I wanted to try my hand at breeding clowns, but the whole idea was very intimidating. The more I read the more confusing it became and at times I thought I would just shell the idea. But then guys like Christosclowns and GT Aquatics showed up and reading their posts and seeing the fruits of their labor pushed me to pull the trigger and start gearing up for breeding. Make no mistake - I am in no way ready to raise fry - yet.

 

Here's what I've done so far:

 

I've purchased a 4 20g high tanks which are all going to be plumed into a 50+ gallon sump with lots of LR and cheato. I have accumulated several pound of LR that has been curring for some time. My old 40 Breeder will get some dividers and will be turned into a grow out tank and I've purchased some smaller tanks to hatch the fry.

 

Along the way I've decided that I'd like to raise Osc's and Snowflakes. The choice was really easy... I had a pair of Osc's that I paired up over 3 years ago and by all accounts they are a strong healthy good looking pair of clowns. I acquired another pair of Osc's here from a friend and then I chose the snowflakes just because I love the patterns.

 

I contacted Erik (Christosclowns) and he spent a while on the phone with me discussing my plans and how to get started. He discouraged me from buying a pair of his clowns right away and suggested that I look for proven Osc females first to pair the new snowflakes with. His reason was because males carry the dominant genes and that if I where to buy the snowflakes first and did not find them suitable females for some time they could very well turn female if left alone for too long.

 

So the hunt began - It didn't take me too long through my local club to find a couple of females that had the qualities I wanted and had proven to have laid eggs. Truth is I got really lucky on this one and some of the guys in my club want snowflakes.

 

Once the females where here and in place I contacted Erik and purchased two of his snowflakes. knowing my intentions, Erik was careful to select two very nice snowflakes from different clutches. This way if I wanted to I could of them paired as well.

 

Introducing the babies to the females was a little intimidating. The smaller of the two snows was only 3 months old and very small. He surprised me though by swimming straight to the female and she accepted him immediately. The larger of the snowflakes which appears to be 4 or 5 months old was a little more cautious in approaching the female. He sat in a corner next to a power head. The female spent the next couple of hours venturing up into the corner to check him out and then backed off and gave him space. Finally though he followed her back down into the display. Since then both new pairs have been inseparable. It's a good sign.

 

The new snowflake males are still a couple of months away from being mature enough to fertilize eggs, which is fine with me. I'm taking my time and using the down time to learn all that I can.

 

The day after the snows arrives Erik called to follow up on the babies to make sure they arrived alright and to see if I needed any help or suggestions on how to introduce them to the females. Luckily my females did accept the new mates with no problems - but he had a few great suggestions like taking the female out and changing up the tank or even switching the tanks since I had multiple tanks going. What impressed me the most was that he spent a bunch of time on the phone talking about the breeding process giving me all kinds of information overload. We discussed everything from temps, lighting, tanks, feeding, salinity and even culturing rotifers. Mind you - the guys wife just had a new baby a couple of days before - he didn't have a whole lot of time on his hands.

 

At any rate... I decided to use some of his advise to start getting the fish ready for spawning. I extended my lighting schedule, raised my tank temps and started lowering my salinity. I researched different foods and began feeding a variety of prepared and homemade foods.

 

The clowns have all adapted well - and seem to enjoy the constant feeding. The tanks all have their share of algae but with regular water changes the parameters are excellent.

 

Then it happened...

 

My original pair of clowns that I've had for the last 3 years spawned today. I've spent the last two hours watching in amazement as my female laid her eggs and the male quickly followed behind fertilizing the eggs. The clutch is not very big... I didn't expect the first one would be and the clowns are hard work fanning and mouthing the new eggs. The male seems to be catching on but I'm not sure just yet if he is eating them - I half expect that being his first time he most likely will.

 

So it looks like I'm going to have to get in gear a little quicker then I expected.

 

Stay tuned for updates... notes, frustrations and hopefully some babies in the near future.

 

 

IMG_5010.jpg

 

IMG_5014.jpg

Edited by Pickle010
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Thanks guys... Updates will be slow for a little while - the real fun will start in a couple of months. I'll do my best to keep this updated as I progress.

 

let me know if you have any questions....im here to help

 

Thanks bro... do me a favor though.. if you catch me doing something dumb on here or have a better way to offer don't hesitate to chime in. I'll take all the help I can get.

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Quick day 2 update:

 

To my suprise this morning it looks like most of the eggs are still there. I'm bummed I'm not ready to raise the fry. I'm sure the clowns will go through an adjustment period once I move them to the breeder set up - So as soon as I'm ready - I'm sure they wont be.

 

On another note the nem in the pic above split last night. Bonus!

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Note to self - do not keep RBTA's in with the pairs once they are settled into the new breeding set up.

 

So tonight I got home from work and went straight to tank to check on the eggs. I was curious if there where any left and what they'd look like. Well... that Nem that split last night... half of it started walking and it walked right across the eggs!!! That's right, I couldn't tell if there where any eggs because the foot was right where the eggs where supposed to be. All I could do was yell... YOU BASTARD!!!!

 

An hour later and the nem has now walked on past the eggs. There still appears to be a lot of eggs and the clowns went right back to work taking care of them.

 

Again... luckily I don't have any intent of raising this fry.

Edited by Pickle010
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GT AQUATICS

it is very common for them to eat their first spawn. Also the eggs could have suffered some damage from the anemone and thats why they ate them.

 

also when you get the pairs into a breeding setup just do a bare bottom and a clay pot. Its pointless to have the extra lighting to keep an anemone happy when clay pots work just as well

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I deffinately will... the only reason they are in the set up they are in now is because I'm still getting the breeding set up together. I planned on open tanks with pots plumbed into a large sump that will house all my rock and a refugium. The nems and any other corals I have will be moving to a seperate system.

 

I was curious if they ate them because of damage - if that some how triggered the response. I know two days is a very short time but it looked like until that happened that all the eggs where still there.

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GT AQUATICS

fish are very defensive of their eggs. I moved my blennies pot 6" over to the left of my bio cube and then the next day they ate all the eggs. They naturally know that there can be deformities and they know not to take the risk so they eta them

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Tagging along - always fun to watch folks get a breeding setup going :)

 

And its pretty normal for clowns to eat the first couple of nests - why no idea, they just do :)

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i wouldn't really moving into a breeding tank, just leave them in that tank

 

Most successful breeders move the eggs to a "nursery" type tank set up for rearing embryos.

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christosclowns

yo yo pickle whats up buddy. I am very dissapointed you did not call me to tell me the good news. I think I should change my name to The Clown Whisperer lmao what do you think glenn lol. ANyway awesome man, Here is the deal if your setting tanks up for breeders like glenn said bare bottom pots. But if this pair has been in their for three years and they just started give them a pot in that tank.I wouldnt necessarily move them directly into a breeder set up as it will throw off the spawns could take up to 4 months or so to resume again. What i would do is put a half pot where the layed get them to lay on a 4 inch half pot. After they do this for two or three times, your going to take the half pot thats 4 inches and place it in a 6 inch pot with the eggs on the 4 inch so they get used to being in the pot while the eggs are there. Doing this you will pull the rbta or anenome they are with and they will host the pot instead. Basically what your doing is luring them into the pot but your using their eggs as bait. It works i promise. When they lay in the pot for 3 oe 4 rimes and your breeder tanks are ready you will take them in the pot while they are sleeping at night. Plug the hole of the pot with your finger make sure clowns are in pot and scoop them out in the pot with the eggs and water and you will bring them directly into your broodstock system. VUALA you wont miss more than one week or two of spawning and they will be ok ready to go.Call me tomorrow or whenever and ill explain further later bro looks like its time to explain the rotifer and larvae dont read to much its simple

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  • 2 weeks later...

Awesome info Eric! Thank you.

 

Sorry I didn't see this sooner - go figure I don't check my own thread.

 

I'll give you a call sometime - but I have to prep myself first - Have to get a few cups of coffee in me and get ready for the information overload!

 

 

I'll keep updating on my progress.

 

 

 

i wouldn't really moving into a breeding tank, just leave them in that tank

 

 

Keep in mind the tank I have them in now is only temporary. Yes it works but the the primary focus is going to be water quality which is harder to do in a tank that isn't plumbed / fuged or skimmed.

 

I will deffinately take Erik's advise and move them in the pot with the eggs to the permanent set up. I'm not doing this for a living so if they miss a spawn or two I wont be upset.

 

I've got plenty of time.

 

 

 

Sounds pretty exciting. Fun to think I may have a local source for captive bred clowns!

 

 

Stay tuned - it's going to be a while yet but you deffinately will have a hook up!

 

 

 

Most successful breeders move the eggs to a "nursery" type tank set up for rearing embryos.

 

 

The eggs will go to hatch tank... but that is down the road. Right now I'm still getting the primary holding tanks organized.

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Well just 20 days after the first spawn they have spawned again! is that about the normal timing I should expect? 3 weeks? Seems kind of fast. But hey...I'm not going to complain!

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FishEyeAquaculture
Well just 20 days after the first spawn they have spawned again! is that about the normal timing I should expect? 3 weeks? Seems kind of fast. But hey...I'm not going to complain!

As they get more adjusted to spawning with each other it will be every 8 to 10 days.

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