Pickle's N-R Breeders Lounge

[Pickle010]

I get mine at Reed Mariculture

 

 

In other news... Today is officially day 7!!! Next step is the big one though - Meta should happen sometime next week.

[Jacobnano]

Meta is short for metamorphosis right? I would assume so.

 

 

Sweeet. Do they stand a better chance of surviving one they reach that point.

[Pickle010]

You are correct Metamorphasis is when they go through the physical change and actually go from looking like little alienz to looking like clowns. The body shape changes and they will start to develop head strips. They will start swimming like clown fish as well. If they don't have the proper conditions and nutrition they won't make it through that point.

 

Oh... and yes a lot of people call it a success once they pass through meta - I probably won't raise that flag though until I get them to a month.

[Jacobnano]

You are correct Metamorphasis is when they go through the physical change and actually go from looking like little alienz to looking like clowns. The body shape changes and they will start to develop head strips. They will start swimming like clown fish as well. If they don't have the proper conditions and nutrition they won't make it through that point.

 

 

Oh cool, thats what I figured

 

Oh so this is kinda of the make or break point for them? If conditions are perfect they will make it, if not they die.

[Pickle010]

Yep and it tells me if I need to go back to square one or not.

[Pickle010]

I know it's not fish... but it's related and it's progress:

 

 

 

Best part is the wife it out there sanding, filling and painting - because if it's coming in the house it has to be pretty.

[cheryl jordan]

Very cool.

 

I am guessing you are building your breeder set up.

 

How many tanks will fit and how many gallons is each tank.

 

Are you going to plumb them together?

 

That is if it is indeed what your building, could be an entertainment center for all I know.

 

[Pickle010]

You would be correct..

 

The top rack will hold 6 20g highs (I'm 6'3" and will need a step stool to get to them)

The middle will be for a grow out tank - for now that is a 40bdr.

The bottom rack will be for the sump - aaproximately 60 gallons.

 

All of which will be plumbed together.

[dtfleming]

Hey Pickle do you think a custom tank that is separated into 4 5 gal tanks plumbed to a sump would be too small for broodstock?

[Pickle010]

5 would be pretty tight. I'd make it a large sump though as you'd want to best possibly water quality for the broodstock. I was just looking at my 5.5 quarenteen tank and honestly don't see why it wouldn't work.

[dtfleming]

yea, these are odd shape. 8x14x10 all together and plumbed to a big sump. Just need to add a skimmer to it. have lr, pump heater, filter media.

[Chicagoclowns]

congrats on getting through meta, thats a huge step. So as far as my clowns go the female snowflake spends almost all her time in the pot with the occasional trip around the tank. The male is in more often and most importantly after watching the basketball game i came in to them frantically cleaning the right side of the pot. They were constantly biting and tail wagging at the side of the pot so hopefully this is in preparation of a nest. I apologize for the crappy pictures i took it with a iphone because when i approach the tank they swim out and i didn't want to risk running for my digital and them stopping.

[Pickle010]

I'm not through meta yet... that's my next major hurdle.

 

Awesome!!! They deffinately sound like they are getting ready to get down to business. Keep me posted on the progress!

 

I would suggest getting rid of your sand bed.. as you can see it's only collecting crappage. I'd start siphoning it out with each water change. I never painted the bottom of my tanks but I think I may paint them white when I go to drill them next week. Bare bottom is so much easier and cleaner, especially when you are intentionally overfeeding your fish. The bottom of my tanks are starting to get covered with coraline except for one really clean spot just beneath my pairs nest. I can see my female rubbing her nose against her reflection... I think she is being protective of the nest.

 

Now when I do my water changes I just syphon all the detrious right out of the tanks with the water.

 

yea, these are odd shape. 8x14x10 all together and plumbed to a big sump. Just need to add a skimmer to it. have lr, pump heater, filter media.

 

 

Sounds like you are ready to get started - are the dividers dark? I'd just be sure that the pairs couldn't see each other as it will be a distraction.

[Chicagoclowns]

Yea even tho all three tanks are side by side the sides and backs of all tanks were painited black. Ill take the sand into consideration. I do have 6 hermits and one very large turbo snail in the snow tank so we shall see. I hope they lay soon. The cleaning started just after about a week of me increasing temps, decreasing salinity, and feeding more

[Pickle010]

Be ready for anything... Once I made those changes my pair laid within a week to 2 weeks and I hadn't even reached the peramiters that I was advised to get to. If I recall my temps where at 83 - 84 and my salinity was around 1.021 - 1.022.

 

I just recently bumped up the temps on my sno / oc pair and they are spending much more time in the pot. Not a lot of cleaning just yet - but I'm expecting them to start anytime.

[Chicagoclowns]

So i have more good news and some off topic bad news. First for the good. The mle snowflake is spendimg almost every second by the females side an is being attacked if he isnt cleaning lol. They spend almost all there time in or swimming aroumd the back of the pot. If this comtinies ill definitly need your advice for starting a rot culture. In other news with the black clowns i may be afraid i habe two females. Because of all there time between switing mates and tanks i think theyve become both females although every once in a while when they are near eachother one waggle in submision. I may give it some more time but i think i may try to go to a lfs an trade one in for a small black clown.

 

Now for the bad unclown news. This applies to my 55 reef tank

 

Ill give you some background info so you understand my feelings. My roomate had a huge colt coral he fragged many

times for me but they never stuck with the coral glue and i have no idea where they went. I finally i found one small frag that attached to the bottom of a rock that my anemone was attached too. I moved everythin and rearranged my rock so the colt was up near the light. Hes been fine and growing until

i just saw that my annoying pencil urchin that i have been wanting to get rid of forever because he moves entire rock pile had moved to the top and disloged my nice happy colt. I now cannot fond it and my roomate moved a month ago so i no longer have a beautiful purple colt

[Pickle010]

How old are the black clowns? and how long did you have them seperated. I was told that if you leave a clown alone long enough that it will turn female however I would suspect that if they are both females you would have some aggression issues.

 

It deffinatlely sounds like your female is cracking the whip on your male snnow - It would be awesome if they lay for you soon. My pair seems to only leave the pot to eat now and as soon as they are done eating my male goes back to cleaning. You have some time when it comes to the rots though. I wouldn't expect much from the first two clutches or so as it isn't uncommon for them to eat the eggs until they figure out what they are supposed to be doing.

 

That sucks about the colt and the urchin - I've never kept either one in my tanks. I've always read that they are reef safe but that they can be a pain in the arse as they will knock stuff over and carry stuff around.

[Pickle010]

This morning is day 9 - and deffinately don't have the numbers that I've started with... I would say that I probably have 1/2 of the original 140. I am noticing that the ones I still have are the larger of all that hatched. From day one you could see that some of the clowns where larger from the start. I don't know if it's same clowns but you can see a difference in that some are just larger and fuller looking as compared to the others.

[Pickle010]

Day 9 Pic - I know - I really need a better lens for this.

 

 

And one of the new guys... can't wait to get him a picasso:

 

[dtfleming]

Looking good, my breeding setup is ready to go. lighting 16hs, sg. 1.020, temp 84. I got a female ocellaris and female perc coming tomorrow. Gonna try to pair the O up with a snowflake and perc with picasso or onyx.

[Pickle010]

Sweet let me know how the pairing goes... I initially tried to pair my snow with the female that I have laying now. She wasn't so accepting, I would up putting her back with her original mate. Then I got lucky with the second female I tried to pair him with, my snow was a brave little guy. He was only 3 or 4 months old and swam straight up to a full grown 2 year old Ocellaris - she didn't even flinch though.

 

I'm curious how it will go in the smaller spaces. I would deffinately get the smaller ones in first then add the females.

[Jacobnano]

So whens the meta happening???

[Pickle010]

Could start anytime - I've read about clutches starting on day 8 and others hitting sometime between days 11 and 14. You just never know.

[Jacobnano]

Cool cool. I assume you are prepared and everything for that haha?

[Pickle010]

All you can do is keep the water peramiters correct and feed them so they have the energy to survive the change.

 

I have taken down some of the paper I had blacking out the front of the tank. The fish don't even seem to notice. They are swimming past it just lilke any other part of the tank. I like it because it's easier to see what's going on from the side then it is looking top down.

 

On another now - my male snowflake has seriously taken to cleaning the pot today. I've even caught him brshing against it with his belly the same way my other male does when he is fertilizing eggs. I feel like I should buy him a magazing or something.