The Picasso Clownfish Breeding Project

Hey Jason! Love seeing this documentary thru pics...keep 'em coming!

We first wean the babies off of rotifers and on to Golden Pearl.
Then wean them off of Golden Pearls an on to Cyclops-eeze.
Then wean them off of Cyclops-eeze and on to high nutrient flake.
(By this time they are about 14 weeks old).
From this point I continue with flake and every couple of days will also add Cyclops-eeze until they're about 18 weeks old. At that time I start introducing tiny amounts of frozen mysis. We haven't had any problems so far...hope this helps!

Quick update today. I knew the divider was going to reduce water flow a bit in the main tank but I was surprised at just how much. There was a thing layer of film across the top of the 2nd compartment and it appeared that the water was bordering on stagnant despite 300 gallons funneling through it every hour. I've decided to add an airstone in the back of that unit and it appears to have helped a lot with the water circulation in there. It's also brought the temperature variations back to normal between all of the tanks. The tanks are now equalized closer to 79.5 Degrees.

Michigan and Niles had me a little worried this morning. Michigan has claimed the flower pot and Niles looked a nervous wreck not wanting to approach it. Michigan is eager to sample any flake food I put in now but Niles is much more cautious.

Spot and Blotch also had me concerned. Spot was becoming more aggressive by the minute. Blotch had spent most of the day in the uppermost corners of the tank swimming with his reflection. Towards the end of the day, it looked like Spot was allowing Blotch to at least approach the plants and has stopped chasing him away as much.

White Fin and Mako couldn't be any happier and they like to eat. They gladly share the flower pot together but White Fin does display her dominance every now and then.

I've noticed that the "female" fish is already showing signs of becoming larger. They were probably larger yesterday but I didn't notice the minute differences until today. All the fish I'm predicting will be male are displaying the exact same behavior as well. They swim nearly twice as fast as the larger fish, and all do the twitch thing whenever the larger partner approaches. All the males also choose to sleep away from the females last night.

This is fun.

I am so jealous I have wanted to do some breeding of clowns for so long.

I tried the video capture setting of the camera today. Still having trouble with the focal length but I had to share the images of the little guys in motion with everyone. I'm sorry to report that Niles is extremely camera shy. Spot and Blotch have finally settled down after two days of fighting while White Tip and Mako decided to put on a little show for the camera...

Michigan & Niles(hiding)


Spot & Blotch


White Tip & Mako

Cool Vids man!!!

Thanks, was my first attempt. Now that I know what I'm doing I'll try to capture some better vids in the future. I can probably afford to zoom in a little bit and I think filming at a 45 Degree angle will help the camera focus and stop paying so much attention to the little critters on the glass.

Which reminds me, does it seem like there are an unusual amount of copepods and amphipods in my tanks?

I dont think so...
I think personally that an excessive amount is good for the tank. Less feeding on your part.

This so much fun to watch Jason...so glad you're keeping us in the loop...and BTW: it just keeps getting better!

Blotch has started to challenge Spot's authority. Fun stuff.

I just clicked on that last video not realizing the volume was turned up on my speakers....: well all of a sudden I got this guy screaming "Let the bodies hit the floor" there goes my trying to be sneaky and check out the boards at work. I had four co-workers come running over to my office wondering what I was listening too....
I got a good laugh for today though, so thanks.

P.S. The clowns are cute, at least what I saw of the them before I quickly turned the vid off

Originally Posted by ento_reefer

I just clicked on that last video not realizing the volume was turned up on my speakers....: well all of a sudden I got this guy screaming "Let the bodies hit the floor" there goes my trying to be sneaky and check out the boards at work. I had four co-workers come running over to my office wondering what I was listening too....
I got a good laugh for today though, so thanks.

P.S. The clowns are cute, at least what I saw of the them before I quickly turned the vid off

Office rule #1, never have your speakers turned up! But sorry about that, I meant the video to be humorous and educational, wasn't thinking it needed a NSFW tag.

The video managed to capture some great evidence that the pair is well on their way into pre-courtship. One fish is the aggressor and the other responds with a submissive display on queue. Won't be long before they are bonded!

Originally Posted by ento_reefer

I just clicked on that last video not realizing the volume was turned up on my speakers....: well all of a sudden I got this guy screaming "Let the bodies hit the floor" there goes my trying to be sneaky and check out the boards at work. I had four co-workers come running over to my office wondering what I was listening too....
I got a good laugh for today though, so thanks.

P.S. The clowns are cute, at least what I saw of the them before I quickly turned the vid off

been there done that! really stinks when it's the boss in the next room

Cool videos, keep them coming

Originally Posted by ento_reefer

I just clicked on that last video not realizing the volume was turned up on my speakers....: well all of a sudden I got this guy screaming "Let the bodies hit the floor" there goes my trying to be sneaky and check out the boards at work. I had four co-workers come running over to my office wondering what I was listening too....
I got a good laugh for today though, so thanks.

P.S. The clowns are cute, at least what I saw of the them before I quickly turned the vid off

you should have run to the person closest to you and asked them if everything was alright

Originally Posted by Barbara

been there done that! really stinks when it's the boss in the next room

LOL... Lucky for me my boss is not even in the same building. I actually jumped myself because I wasn't expecting the music to be so loud.

too funny!

Originally Posted by ento_reefer

I just clicked on that last video not realizing the volume was turned up on my speakers....: well all of a sudden I got this guy screaming "Let the bodies hit the floor" there goes my trying to be sneaky and check out the boards at work. I had four co-workers come running over to my office wondering what I was listening too....
I got a good laugh for today though, so thanks.

P.S. The clowns are cute, at least what I saw of the them before I quickly turned the vid off

Funny I just did the same thing only I'm trying to keep quiet so my wife can sleep

The little Picassos have survived their first week with me after the big move. That means it's time for some new videos and log updates!

Of the three pairs, Michigan and Niles have clearly developed the strongest bond together. They appear perfectly comfortable leaving the confines of the flower pot and I took some video of them out for a swim together. All the fish are developing black now over their bodies, but Michigan in particular is showing dark black coloration bleeding off her bars.

Spot and Blotch are also progressing nicely. Spot now allows Blotch to share her swimming space and has stopped chasing him away from the flower pot. Blotch has developed dark black on his dorsal and tail fin. I'm really hoping that they end up turning completely black. You can see this coloration in the video.

White Tip and Mako don't seem to be getting along as much as when they were first introduced. In fact, the only time they interact is when they are defending the invisible territory line that they've established. I didn't paint the sides of the 20 gallon tank initially and I'm starting to think that I'm going to have to. The fish refuse to leave their comfort zone and will even pass on food if it's more than a body-length away. The upside of this is that I can take some great close-up video of the two of them!

Michigan & Niles


More Michigan & Niles


Spot & Blotch


White Tip & Mako

Cool video's Fish look pretty cool!

Nice videos. The fish are looking good.

I made sure not to add scary music just for you, ellen!