Rearing Clownfish

Originally Posted by reefergal

They're hatching!!! My baby Clownfish are hatching! A little joy in the midst of great world suffering... I needed this!

This isn't my photo, but this is what they look like. And so far I've got enough rotifers. I counted 20 larvae about 30 minutes ago and they are more eggs still to hatch. I know they probably won't all make it...but just this experience is such a miracle to witness.

woo hoo Laurie!!! and I agree......definitely a miracle to witness - - did you actually get to witness them burst open? (now that's somethin' to experience) ....... no........don't put anything in the fry tank other than rotifers and a bit of phytoplankton the first few days.....the eggs do change and so do the batches.........with each batch from #1 to about #5 or #6, the batches will get bigger and as long as you feed the parents nutritional foods, the eggs themselves will get healthier too..........I typically tell people it's best to wait until batch #5 or #6...........also, where are the eggs actually being laid? when ours used to lay on the coral base itself, many wouldn't stick......if they used rock or a tile then the eggs stick better and last thru to hatching....as long as you follow the guidelines we outlined here, you will be fine! some of the pitfalls jason's speaking of are actually outlined in those guidelines for you too!

so how are they making out this morning????

Reefergal you should post some pics. hint hint

And start a new thread!

i second that. some pics and a thread would be real nice.

..........we just LOVE new threads!

So hows it going?

I lost a lot of fry early on and yesterday a.m. I only had 3 fry alive. Later in the day those three fry died ): I was doing water changes 2x a day with 1.023 aged salt water. Maybe I should have been using tank water. Also, next time I'm going to let the fry hatch in the tank and retrieve them after they've hatched rather than remove the rock with eggs.

Just before I turned out the lights on the adult Clownfish tank yesterday p.m. I noticed that my False Perculas were spawning and I was able to capture that whole dance on video! Those eggs should hatch on the 23rd and hopefully I'll have better luck next time.

My bubble wand only bubbled on one side so I wonder if it wasn't dispersing the heat properly. If I turned it up to bubble on both sides then there seemed to be too many bubbles coming out too fast. Also I wonder if I put too much algae in the fry tank for the rotifers. My Ammonia Alert Badge was yellow (0 ammonia), but I probably should have been testing too. If you have any suggestions for next time I'd really appreciate them. I hope I can figure this out.

Thanks for asking

Hey Laurie!
well good first attempt!
there's so much that could go wrong...the most important tips I can give are:

• make sure there's enough rotifers and that they're well fed before straining them into rearing tank
• make sure rearing tank already has rotifers and 6-7 drops of phyto in it before you add the larvae
• make sure the light above isn't too bright the 1st 0-5 days - use paper towels to diffuse
• make sure temp matches parent tank day 0-1 then slowly bump it up to 80 by day 4
• make sure to clean dead larvae/dirt out twice daily before feeding - it's good to drip back in "clean" parent tank water to replace what you take out
• make sure bubblers are very very low - too high will toss them too much

I do use a test kit every day vs the patch and we do collect directly from the parent tank after they hatch...I think the biggest issue may just be that it's the first batch........I would wait until batch 5 or 6 before collecting......the 1st few batches usually aren't strong.......and now that you know they're spawning, I'd also feed the parents twice/day vs once (smaller portions) using good food - 5-star or Rod's and supplement with mysis and high protein flake/pellet....
so....................are you gonna post that video for us?

Barbara, thanks so much for this follow-up info - you and Chris have been so helpful! I've been printing all your info so I'll have it for my next attempt at raising the fry.

As for the video, I'll try to upload some of it by early next week.

Thanks again

anytime Laurie!

though........it would be really cool if you were to start your very own clownfish breeding thread in this forum (hint hint) ...it would also allow you to have your own "log" for this....you can post all your observations, what worked/what didn't etc, and still get input from all of us too...

So sorry to hear about the loss of the fry. Cant wait to see how the following batches go for you. Would really enjoy some pics or vids

How are you preparing the frozen mysis after day 60? I assume you are grinding it up or something.

My little buggers are at 3 months (84 days) and I was considering introducing brine shrimp but I think even a brine shrimp would be way too large.

We buy the small mysis and add it the way it comes.

Originally Posted by chris&barb

We buy the small mysis and add it the way it comes.

I must have the wrong size mysis. My mysis is as large if not larger than the clowns themselves!

so is mine. Have you seen the double pack that came out? PE Mysis and cyclopese I think is what it was. I can't find the email. Small little cubes. I'm going to get some when I find them at the lfs.

I had that same problem with the larger mysis. I put some on a plate and chop 'em up with a knife. That seems to work, but it adds one more step.

yeah...........we have the same problem even with the smaller ones sometimes .......I might try cutting it myself though like laurie does - I just hate adding another step

Barb I keep this thread open on my phone at all times, thank you so much, you have been such a blessing

Barbara-
Could you please help me! I waited up b/c I thought tonight was hatch night but alas they did not hatch. My question is...do I have to start over with the fry tank tomorrow night or can I just ensure the salinity and temp are the same as the parent tank??

Originally Posted by aschutt

Barbara-
Could you please help me! I waited up b/c I thought tonight was hatch night but alas they did not hatch. My question is...do I have to start over with the fry tank tomorrow night or can I just ensure the salinity and temp are the same as the parent tank??

It took you longer to write this post than it will to drain the fry tank and refill it with broodstock water.

With much love, don't be lazy. Just siphon it down and refill it.

You have so much work ahead of you. Three months from now you will look back on this post and smile. : )

Originally Posted by aschutt

Barbara-
Could you please help me! I waited up b/c I thought tonight was hatch night but alas they did not hatch. My question is...do I have to start over with the fry tank tomorrow night or can I just ensure the salinity and temp are the same as the parent tank??

Did you get this all worked out aschutt? and