The Picasso Clownfish Breeding Project

Sorry I didn't read the whole thread... So you got some babies and theya re no breeding age or your breeders had babies already???

Very nice looking clowns RCA.

You read the fine print when signing up right? The mods on RG get first pic of any baby's.....

Originally Posted by 1000

Sorry I didn't read the whole thread... So you got some babies and theya re no breeding age or your breeders had babies already???

I recently purchased these six fish to make three broodstock pairs. It could take years before they spawn. But with a little luck they'll have their gender rolls figured out within the next four months and begin spawning anywhere from four months to a year after that. I know that might be wishful thinking but I read that Clark's clownfish begin spawning within 14 months of hatching and I'll have three pairs to even the odds a bit. At any rate, if even one of the pairs graduates to a spawing pair, I'll be happy.

Originally Posted by skinz78

Very nice looking clowns RCA.

You read the fine print when signing up right? The mods on RG get first pic of any baby's.....

As long as you're prepared to wait a loooooong time for the first batch!

Picasso only throw about 25 percent of thier offspring a picasso gene. You may get lucky and recieve more. I have a good friend in Michigan that breeds clowns, psuedochromis and Cardnals. His throw rate is about 35percent at the moment but changes every batch. Yo may wish to contact him to assist in your endevor.

Originally Posted by Reefdaddy

Picasso only throw about 25 percent of thier offspring a picasso gene. You may get lucky and recieve more. I have a good friend in Michigan that breeds clowns, psuedochromis and Cardnals. His throw rate is about 35percent at the moment but changes every batch. Yo may wish to contact him to assist in your endevor.

I've heard some varying numbers now on how many Picasso offspring to expect. I'd be very pleased with a 25% showing. My real concern is what to do with the 75% of the babies that are normal true percs.

I'm really hoping that the LFS market would embrace a local breeder and purchase the tank-raised true percs from me. Aside from offsetting a few investment dollars, I'd be doing my part to aide in the conservation of the species. I've heard that in some areas the clown fish population was down 75% or so.

But back to the gene thing, it will be very interesting to see what ratio of fish I actually end up with. I can trace the lineage back two generations for sure. Two grandparents came from ORA (where they were selectively bred for who knows how long and absolutely have the gene) and two grandparents lived in the Solomon Islands (where they may or may not have the gene). The next generation were the parents of my fish, a Snowcasso (from the ORA Picassos) and a WC True Perc (from the Solomon Islands percs). My fish obviously have the gene or wouldn't look as cool as they do. But at the same time I think adding the Solomon Island fish into the mix helped with the gene pool a bit and also changed the color pattern slightly for the better.

Almost all the fish I see from ORA, including the Grandparents, have a straight line connecting the 3rd anal stripe with the 2nd body stripe. My fish don't appear to have this pattern at all. The stripes are still connected on some, but the white appears to move up the body and along the dorsal fin in a wavy pattern instead of straight across the fish's body. I think it looks great and can't wait to see what the offspring look like. I think adding the WC fish back into the gene pool kicked the pattern diversity up a notch and I'll have some unique looking offspring.

On a side note, I normally don't name my fish even though they do end up with nicknames. But I was thinking it might be a good idea to name these pairs to help with classification and sorting down the road.

I figured a really easy way to generate names would be to just use this year's hurricane name list. After a quick internet search, I'm very disappointed with the National Hurricane Center...

Ana and Bill
Claudette and Danny
Erika and Fred

Those have to be the worst fish names ever. Anyone have some good ideas? Maybe famous artists?

Nice fish and good luck.

After you get them settled in start feeding them heavy and that will encourage them to pair up and start laying eggs.

Originally Posted by skinz78

Very nice looking clowns RCA.

You read the fine print when signing up right? The mods on RG get first pic of any baby's.....

Hey Jason...the fine print also states that the administrators have 1st pic...then the moderators
And we're here to help you every step of the way...we've been there and done that...not sure if 'ya know this or not, but as far as we know, we were the only hobbyists who were successful with rearing saddlebacks! yeah...had to toot my own horn! so we're more than happy to assist you!

Thanks, best of luck..

Originally Posted by Barbara

Hey Jason...the fine print also states that the administrators have 1st pic...then the moderators
And we're here to help you every step of the way...we've been there and done that...not sure if 'ya know this or not, but as far as we know, we were the only hobbyists who were successful with rearing saddlebacks! yeah...had to toot my own horn! so we're more than happy to assist you!

Thanks so much! And yes, I did know this. I read it on a forum somewhere which is how I found you and chris in the first place!

In other news, big developments on my breeding strategy and setup today. I awoke to discover a pretty significant design flaw in my setup. The tanks are located in their own isolated walk-in closet. I didn't account for what humidity and minor salt splash could do to 20 year old paint. I spent the afternoon stripping the damaged areas and adding a layer of thick trash bags to the walls surrounding the tanks to shield the walls and protect the tanks from any potential peeling.

I was also very successful with my DYI divider. I ended up using egg crate for the basic structure then attaching some plastic crafting canvas (I think the plastic canvas is my new favorite material in the world.) I used the same canvas to add a mesh screen on the intake slits of my overflow box.

Finally, I added two new flower pots and a few vibrant artificial plants to complete the setup. It honestly looks great. I'll take some pics tomorrow.

Babies arrive in the morning!

Right on, can't wait to see pic's.

Me too

Jason...so how are the babies?! Where are some pics? How late were you up? Give us some details please!

Had a big morning moving in the six happy little fish! I'm taking pics and will post more in a little bit! Here are the new troops!

May I ask why Michigan and Niles Name? I used to go thier in my teens to drink when the drining age was 18 in Michigan, A great place was the White house. Live rock bands and Pitcher of Daqruis Or magaritas. Tyhose were the days.

Final Preparations

With six fish on the way, I had decided to pair them from Day 1 within three separate broodstock tanks. To accomplish this, I built a DIY Divider for the 40 Gallon Breeder using eggcrate and plastic canvas sheets. I've also added some vibrant looking fake plants from Tetra that I'm hoping will make the fish feel more secure and encourage good coloration.

Here we have the DIY Divider and new Aquascaping:


Again the divider with some new inhabitants!


The little guys arrived around 10AM this morning via UPS overnight in breathable Kordon bags. Several of them actually looked quite happy, others were clearly in shock. But within minutes of beginning to acclimate they all looked fine. I couldn't believe that any of them had already formed any strong bonds so I took it upon myself to pair them up as I saw fit.

Michigan & Niles

The first pair I made was Michigan & Niles (these names probably aren't permanent, just an easy way for me to ID them for now.) I hate to show favoritism early on, but these are my favorite. Michigan looks like... well, Michigan. Niles has a beautiful flowing pattern from tail to midsection, like a winding river. The camera I'm using is digital and I'm forced to focus on the glass then move the camera forward a few inches in an attempt to get a clear focus. It's really hit or miss and I spent the most time trying to capture these two. Back to the pics!

Michigan & Niles


Good shot of Niles (lower right)


Good shot of Michigan (lower)

Spot & Blotch

I know the names are terrible and the pics are equally as bad. Of the three pairs, this was the only pair to show immediate signs of aggression and territory disputes. Spot appears to have taken over the flower pot and poor Blotch is hiding up by the heater. Spot is without a doubt the aggressor. It has a distinct spot in its white midsection which you really can't see in the pic. Blotch has a huge blotch of white on its cheek which you again can't make out in this pic.

Spot


Blotch


White Tip & Mako

The final pair is White Tip and Mako. They are the lone pair in the 20 Gallon and seem to like hiding out behind the flower pot rather than inside of it. White Tip has a completely white Dorsal Fin. It's not the only fish to have that characteristic but it was showing it off very proudly early on and I think it's going to look fantastic one day. Mako is a cool sounding shark name and I thought it went well with White Tip, thus the name.

White Tip & Mako


Finally I thought I'd leave you with some full tank shots. I've made sure to seal off every inch of the tanks since I'm prediciting some jumping that will be occuring over the next few months. I'm pretty proud of the new egg crate lid as well.

Originally Posted by Reefdaddy

May I ask why Michigan and Niles Name? I used to go thier in my teens to drink when the drining age was 18 in Michigan, A great place was the White house. Live rock bands and Pitcher of Daqruis Or magaritas. Tyhose were the days.

So the bar is actually named "Michigan & Niles"? That's a complete coincidence if it's true, I had never heard of it!

I thought Michigan's patterns looked like a map of Michigan and Niles kinda looked like a section of the Nile River. Clever, eh?

They look great Jason, where did you order them from?

Got them from Woodstock A.K.A. Doni. She's been doing an incredible job documenting her now thriving buisness and sharing information with everyone.

CHRIS & BARB,

What were your occy babies eating by the time they were 4-6 months old and 3/4" long???

I've tried a mix of flake, crushed pellet, frozen brine and krill but haven't had any success getting the little ones to eat just yet. They've gone up and smelled a couple flakes but decided they weren't intersted. I might go out and buy some of Rod's food or something in the morning. I can't imagine they'd still be on a rotifer diet at the size they currently are. I'm seeing them peck at the amphipods in the tank so I know they've got to be hungry.

Oh, and after 12 hours of observation I'm officaly predicting now who I think the females are going to be. Michigan, Spot and White Tip are going to become the females. Niles, Blotch and Mako are destined to become the males. As soon as the lights went out tonight, the three male fish bolted out of the bowls and began exploring the tanks. I think they wanted to get as far away from the more aggressive fish as soon as it was safe to roam about. It really was surprising that they all acted the exact same way at the exact same time while the other fish just stayed in the flower pot!