Christopher Marks Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Aww bummer! Staying up has got to be the hardest part. Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 You know what they say, "Watched eggs never hatch." That's the saying, right? If it isn't, it should be. I know you don't want to do it. However, most breeders use a clay tile and broodstock/hatching tanks for a reason. They also get a full nights sleep on hatch night. I'm sure that would help. I'm not even that opposed to it, although my goals aren't the same as most breeders. However, I'm at a loss as to why they always seem to hatch early in the morning, as opposed to at night. From what I've read, they should be hatching anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours after lights out. Oh well, I'm thinking that next time, I'll get some sleep early and set an alarm for 2 a.m. Thanks for the update. Sneak in a nap today Will do. Thanks to all who are following along, and for the advice. Sorry for the failed attempts, but I'm sure I'll get this down. So how long do you think the parents give the larvae before they hunt them down? Is it just sheer numbers that some survive and get away? I wouldn't think they would eat them as they hatch, but you can't really watch all that close because the light will postpone their hatching. 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Aww bummer! Staying up has got to be the hardest part. Yeah, it's kind of disappointing. I seem to watch and watch, then wonder if the flashlight is postponing the hatch. But you can't see anything without it, so I just sit there for hours, shining the light away from the eggs. Every hour or so, I'll shine the light just close enough to see if the eggs are still there. I still wonder if this is delaying the hatch. Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 I wonder if one of those red LED flashlights would make a difference? 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Good idea Chris! I think I saw one at Home Depot. Otherwise, I could use one of my Amazon gift cards that I got for Christmas. 2 Quote Link to comment
Newstead Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Better luck next time! Now I know why more people don't try to raise them - I admire your dedication. Looking forward to next time. 1 Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Yeah! Something like this red flashlight might be perfect, only $9: https://www.amazon.com/WAYLLSHINE-Zoomable-Scalable-Flashlight-Tactical/dp/B0136RV4YY/ 200 lumens might be overkill but it has a low power mode, and I think it will run a bit dimmer with a AA standard battery too. 2 Quote Link to comment
teenyreef Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Yeah! Something like this red flashlight might be perfect, only $9: https://www.amazon.com/WAYLLSHINE-Zoomable-Scalable-Flashlight-Tactical/dp/B0136RV4YY/ 200 lumens might be overkill but it has a low power mode, and I think it will run a bit dimmer with a AA standard battery too. I don't have any clownfish fry, but I did need a red flashlight to look at the tank at night. Ordered - thanks, Christopher! 2 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Yeah! Something like this red flashlight might be perfect, only $9: https://www.amazon.com/WAYLLSHINE-Zoomable-Scalable-Flashlight-Tactical/dp/B0136RV4YY/Looks like that should work well for observation. I figure that I'll also need my normal flashlight to attract them to the top. Thanks again. 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Better luck next time! Now I know why more people don't try to raise them - I admire your dedication. Looking forward to next time. Thanks Newstead! Just another humbling aspect of reefing. It'd probably be boring if everything was too easy. We'll see if they breed again shortly. I'm wanting to move them back to their 100 gallon tank, which might delay it a bit. 1 Quote Link to comment
RIP Sebastian Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Thanks Newstead! Just another humbling aspect of reefing. It'd probably be boring if everything was too easy. We'll see if they breed again shortly. I'm wanting to move them back to their 100 gallon tank, which might delay it a bit. Do you maybe wanna try removing the rock they are laid on and put it in the tank on hatch night? Nick 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Do you maybe wanna try removing the rock they are laid on and put it in the tank on hatch night? Nick, I tried that last time and they all died. I'm not exactly sure why (maybe water flow, improper air stone placement or volume, possibly bacterial issues). However, I suppose that might work if they hatched soon after I moved them. While it's done both ways, It seems to me that people have had better luck leaving the rock be and transferring the larvae. Quote Link to comment
RIP Sebastian Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Nick, I tried that last time and they all died. I'm not exactly sure why (maybe water flow, improper air stone placement or volume, possibly bacterial issues). However, I suppose that might work if they hatched soon after I moved them. While it's done both ways, It seems to me that people have had better luck leaving the rock be and transferring the larvae. Ok. Sorry to hear that. 1 Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 That sucks. All the work you go through and lack of sleep too! 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 So three days later... tonight after lights out, she laid a new clutch of eggs. I tried to get a video, but I think I was disturbing her. I let the camera roll and left, but the batteries ran out of power, the lights went out, and there were still no eggs. I ate some dinner then checked again; and sure enough, there was a new clutch of eggs. I'll post pics tomorrow when the lights are back on. 6 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Your clowns are out of control. Somebody needs to have "the talk" with them 5 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 Yeah, I think they already got that covered. Maybe they don't have anything better to do. Sorry for the picture quality. The lighting isn't all that great and the tank is on the floor, so no tripod: Looks like a decent clutch. The red LED flashlight is on the way. I hope it helps. I figure that this clutch will be perfect to raise (with a good food supply on hand, and conceived on New Year's Day). 10 Quote Link to comment
Droy008 Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Woo hoo! Lol, your clownfish could single handedly re-populate an entire reef if needed. 4 Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Your fish just don't stop.lol. Thats a nice size clutch, keeping fingers crossed? 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 So I got my red LED flashlight today. I tried it after lights out. Even at it's low setting, it's still too bright, and the clownfish certainly reacted to it. My first solution was to take a 90 degree PVC elbow and let it reflect the light; that worked pretty well. Then I added a PVC tube (which lit up like a Star Wars lightsaber). The glow from the "saber" was just about perfect. I could see the eggs and not shine a spotlight on them. To get a bit more light, you can shine the light out the elbow. I'm not sure how it will work out, but I have it ready nonetheless. I'm actually reconsidering whether to just move the rock on hatch night. I watched a couple of YouTube videos and it looks like they used a lot more air flow than when I tried before. I might give it another go. I got a better airstone just in case. I also picked up a 10 gallon tank on PETCO's $1 a gallon sale. I figured that this might help with the rotifer density in the hatch tank. 6 Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 More tools to help and a new plan of attack, you got this! I was worried the light might be too bright, even in red, that's a clever solution with PVC. Better order a blue flashlight so you can have a light saber fight 3 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Thanks Chris. Better order a blue flashlight so you can have a light saber fight Totally! Quote Link to comment
anizato Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 super exciting! well even if you can't save every clutch, aside from learning and all that, you can use them to feed your fish or ultimately trade them to your LFS for store credit or something? 1 Quote Link to comment
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