Clownfish Eggs

[aibocyrus]

This new clutch looks massive compared to the one Finley came from lol. Really enjoying following this. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that. I personally have never seen anyone post a thread like this that really allows for people to follow along so closely to this

[holy carp]

Voted best current thread on nano-reef by me!

 

Good luck with the baby brine. I'd say try moving the new fry to the same tank as Finley. If he eats them, probably good food for him, and they were going to get eaten by something if you leave them in the tank anyway. If he doesn't eat them, Finley can be their she when he grows up.

[seabass]

Thanks guys; I really appreciate everyone who has given me information and encouragement. It undoubtedly has helped me get to this point.

Holy carp, that's very tempting; but I'll be out of town for a few days and I don't see them surviving with an inexperienced tank sitter. Plus, I'm sure it would up the difficulty level and degrade water quality. Nah, I'm going to go slow and try to learn from Finley. Then I should be in better shape to raise a larger batch. Even then, my thought is to try to raise only about 10 of them.

Happy (one week) Birthday:


BBS (better than birthday cake):


I added Seachem ammonia alert badges to the rotifer cultures (they are reading alert, so I added some Prime and plan to do a water change soon):


I got this filter from Amazon (for after metamorphosis):

[Droy008]

I love watching the transition you've made from a traditional reefer, to a full fledged baby fish daddy!

I feel like all the fish that you raise will come with love and affection.

Forget hybrid clowns "Seabass" Clowns will be the next big thing!

[seabass]

[nano_MC_reef]

did some of the eggs in the new clutch look completely black to anybody or is it just me?

[seabass]

I think those are just holes in the rock. They might be a little more apparent since I cleaned the rock (prior to her laying the eggs). The parents tend to get rid of any bad eggs.

[nano_MC_reef]

looking back at the picture, i think you were right

[vlangel]

My a lot has happened since I last checked in. Great job on getting Finley to the 1 week stage! I would let this batch of eggs go if you can't care for them. Imagine how a fish sitter would feel if they died on their watch? You will get lots of chances to raise all the clownfish babies you have the energy for.

[nano_MC_reef]

i agree with vlangel seabass. You really should let this batch go if you can't rear them at the moment. Trust me you will get a LOT more chances. i would know . i mean my clownfish have layed like three or four clutches in the past three months so trust me when i say you will get more chances

[seabass]

Thanks guys, looks like we are all in agreement.

Holy carp, that's very tempting; but I'll be out of town for a few days and I don't see them surviving with an inexperienced tank sitter. Plus, I'm sure it would up the difficulty level and degrade water quality. Nah, I'm going to go slow and try to learn from Finley. Then I should be in better shape to raise a larger batch. Even then, my thought is to try to raise only about 10 of them.

Finley:

 

More Fin:

 

Clutch:

[xAyanex]

Wish I could get pictures like that of my clown. So cute! And omg Finley is precious!

[basser1]

Seabass.... I've been following along and have to say that's quite an accomplishment! I had a breeding pair of banggai cardinalfish. I thought it would be easy to raise some.... wrong. You really have to be dedicated to them and I simply didn't have the time to put in to them.

 

BTW, the clowns in my avatar go through the breeding motions, but I have never seen any eggs. I have had this pair for over 8 years!

 

Is Finley eating the BBS?

 

Keep up the good work

[xAyanex]

Seabass.... I've been following along and have to say that's quite an accomplishment! I had a breeding pair of banggai cardinalfish. I thought it would be easy to raise some.... wrong. You really have to be dedicated to them and I simply didn't have the time to put in to them.

 

BTW, the clowns in my avatar go through the breeding motions, but I have never seen any eggs. I have had this pair for over 8 years!

 

Is Finley eating the BBS?

 

Keep up the good work

How long did it takes your clowns start breeding?

[seabass]

Basser1, thank you! Yeah, it's a bit more involved than I first thought. I'm still not sure he'll make it to adulthood, but I'm happy he's made it this far. Maybe your pair just wants a clean piece of tile to lay their eggs on, or maybe their tank mates make them too anxious. I wish I knew more about it. However, for me, this accidentally happened after moving my pair into a new tank (with new rock).

 

I hear they can start spawning at less than 2 years old. However, mine are much older than that (sorry, I can't recall how old they actually are, but likely more than 5 years old).

 

I haven't directly noticed Finley eating baby brine shrimp yet; but both him and the shrimp are pretty small, so I could have missed it. Although I can see some BBS still in Finley's tank, I'm hatching a new batch tonight. I've read that clownfish larvae can literally eat themselves to death, so I have to be somewhat careful. I tried to remove the excess shrimp from his tank with a brine shrimp net, but I'm unsure if I've had any success.

 

When I have Finley in a separate container (for tank cleaning), I've been trying to feed him pulverized dry food (Coral Frenzy and Ocean Nutrition Spirulina flakes). So far nothing. I've been trying to introduce dry food this way so I can use much less (and limit pollution), but still keep it concentrated and easy to find. I'm going to try this method to introduce the new batch of BBS. Hopefully I'll get to observe him eating them.

[seabass]

I've witnessed all sorts of strange behaviors. He's curled his tail, gone into convulsions, swam with his mouth on the surface of the water, etc. And after he freaks me out that something must surely be wrong, he goes back to what I believe to be normal behavior.

 

Even though rotifers are easy to feed, I'm hoping that he might start eating other foods (as eventually he won't get enough nutrients from them). I think this will be necessary to go through metamorphosis. I believe this could happen as soon as this week, but it could takes a few more weeks.

 

One of the difficulties in raising a single larvae is he has to learn everything on his own. In a larger group, they tend to learn from more adventurous individuals (that test the waters when it comes to new food).

 

EDIT: I just read that the swimming in circles (convulsions) may have been due to shock, and that this could have killed him. Luckily, it didn't. Maybe I need to rethink confining him in a container to clean the tank.

"Shock in a juvenile clownfish is clearly identifiable: if the juvenile swims violently in small circles for just a few seconds and then drops dead, shock is the culprit. Noises, lighting changes, and being caught in a confined space (such as a net or transfer container) can all trigger fear and bring on shock. Within seconds, a juvenile goes from being healthy and thriving to being dead". Clownfishes, Joice D. Wilkerson

[pappadumplingz]

Luckly Finley is still cookin'. Hopefully you can also figure out a way to stop him getting shocked too. Good luck.

[seabass]

Luckly Finley is still cookin'. Hopefully you can also figure out a way to stop him getting shocked too. Good luck.

Thanks. He only did that once; but yeah, dodged a bullet on that one. Seemed like a good idea; however, no more transfers until he starts begging for dry food.

 

On a related note, Joice D. Wilkerson states that BBS actually makes shock more likely.

[Groot]

Just wanted to share a picture of my home grown clown fish. I originally did not want to put a clown fish in my tank but my father in law was breaking down some tanks and was going to get rid of him. So I felt like I had to keep him since he was the only survivor of the clutch that he tried to raise. But I really gotten attached to him so I'm happy I have him. He hits me sooo hard every time I put my hand in the tank.

 

 

I got this filter from Amazon (for after metamorphosis):

 

I love sponge filters simple easy and are great for breeding I even had them in my Discus display tank.

[seabass]

Just wanted to share a picture of my home grown clown fish.

Thanks for sharing. She's quite handsome. I hope Finley makes it to adulthood. I wasn't planning on permanently keeping any, but I don't know how I can give Finley away now.

[nano_MC_reef]

i would put up some of my clownfish fry but i can't find my damn camera. the thing is always gettin lost

[seabass]

So sorry everyone.

 

I was looking all over for Finley this morning and couldn't find him anywhere. Finally I found him; last night he must have wedged himself in a silicone seam (right at the water level) and couldn't free himself. In the book, they mention fixing any defects in the silicone, but I had already had the tank full by the time I read that.

 

I had slowly been lowing the water level in the tank, and I must have hit a sweet spot where Finley was more prone to find it. I'll drain the tank and fix the seams prior to the next attempt (or maybe I'll just resurrect my Mr Aqua 17.1 gallon, which has impeccable seams). Bummer.

[nano_MC_reef]

He was gone to soon

[Mariaface]

Aww! Well, better luck next time, when there will hopefully be more of the little guys

[xAyanex]

Oh well, rip Finley but you'll do better next time. It's a learning experience.