Clown Fish Breeding

[redhotlynn]

I have one ? how old do they have to be before they will lay eggs ?...lynn

[Skrkar]

haha i am just full of questions... I am back to the idea of harvesting my own greenwater, rotifers and brine shrimp... I know brine shrimp are pretty easy just put the eggs in some water and wait for them to hatch with the assistance of some air stones and some food to keep them alive... but the greenwater and rotifers... I know you need the greenwater to feed the rotifers and the rotifers to feed the newborns. Do newborns need the greenwater too? How to I cultivate my own water and rotifers? How do I go about starting it? How long does it take to establish? Maybe you can give me a step by step. I am picking up my first pair tomorrow :-) I am so excited! I know it will be a big game of patience before they begin to lay, but I just like to know what I'm getting myself into for the future. I have set up quite a large setup in my spareroom with 5 complete 10 gallon tank setups. Perhaps I can make it into a small business and sell to a local wholesaler for some profit, that would be great!! Hopefully I can get the hang of it quickly and not have to experience one unsucessful batch after another! Look forward to hearing from you soon!!

[Skrkar]

is anyone out there??

[thecoralreef]

Skrkar - If you had 2 clutches of eggs from different parents you can put them in the same tank, even if they are a day apart you can put them in the same tank. I would try to refrain from different breeds as they may be hard to separate later. As for pics I will take a couple pics this weekend sometime and get them posted in here. If I can find the pic, someone posted a pic of a pair of mine they bought from a store and they looked really nice. You don't need greenwater for clown fry, but I have added it to the fry tank myself to help keep the nutrient level down and also to keep the rotifers in the fry tank fed so they are high in nutrients for the clown fry. Greenwater I harvest about every 7 days along with the rotifers about every 7 days. Rotifers I grow from live rotifers using greenwater. Rotifers and greenwater you must keep separate and use different instrument for each. You will easily contaminate your greenwater with fotifers and not have any clean greenwater to start new cultures (oh so much to learn).

Have you found a copy of Clownfish by Joyce D. Wilkerson, you can usually get it from Amazon.com and usually ships next day. There is a link to amazon on this page at the top on the left hand side. Again, this book is very valuable to have on hand if your going to try breeding clowns. I used this book like the Bible.

redhotlynn - typically clowns need to be about 2 years old or more before they will lay. That being said, each pair of clowns is different, some may never even lay eggs. It will depend on their environment as well. If they feel threatened in their environment they may hold off on breeding until they feel comfortable.

Mike

P.S. - sorry about not getting back sooner, I seem to be busy in spurts lately working till late and don't get a chance to get back on here in the evening.

[Skrkar]

Okay good to know, yeah I'm just trying my hand at ocellaris for now until I get a bit more experienced. I've got 4 pairs lined up! And yes I found a copy of the book Clownfishes! It's wonderful I'm learning so much and I can't keep my nose out of it!! Thanks for all the info. I have been working a lot with an employee and a local fish store, he also breeds several different species... in fact, that's where I got 2 breeding pairs from! He is moving and wanted to give them good homes. So I gladly took them and for almost nothing! I can't wait to see pics of your little babies!!! Thanks again, if you think of anything else you think a beginner should know what she's getting herself into be sure to let me know!! Keep in touch!

[thecoralreef]

I had the same thing when I read that book. It was hard to put down and easy reading. She explains alot of thing very well and how to set things up for different budgets. If you have any other questions or comments please feel free to ask.

Mike

[Skrkar]

Yes, excellent book indeed. I have 4 pairs now all settling in... one pair has settled and doing the "mating dance" constantly, and starting to clean up the tiles, dun dun dun, maybe soon! Nitrites are still sitting a bit high in that tank and can't figure out the cause. Had a piece of live rock in there and took it out tonight, maybe it will let it finish cycling and finally stabilize now, its been high for about 4-5 days now with no change. Any suggestions? I was just wondering, I'm getting my tanks up for about $50 each 10 gallon tank... and with 4 pairs of active breeders (hopefully and eventually) its obvious I will need numerous tanks. Just wondering if you had any suggestions on cutting costs or if $50 a piece is already doing pretty good. This is for 10 gallon tank, hood and 15W flourescent light, tank cover, 50W heater and aqua tech filter. I plan to put the babies in these and have them double as grow out tanks so I don't have to move them around, just stick on a filter! Let me know! Thanks for everything. OH also. I am feeding solely omega-3 and spirulina brine to all of my broodstock, is this okay? everything else just seems to make the water go crazy, and I also take the time to spot feed. Was contemplating maybe some new spectrum pellets in their diet. What do you suggest?

[thecoralreef]

This is a pic of a pair that someone in the Toronto area I belive bought from a store I sold them to. This pic I believe is about 1.5 years old maybe so they may be bigger yet. I think he posted this pic on RC some time back but I'm not 100% sure. He sent me a link at one time to the thread there but it has been deleted long time ago.

[bluedogge88]

Hello Mike, I am new to this forum, but I found this thread and have read the whole thing, and I am amazed at how well you have done from the begining. I was wondering if there was anyway that you could go into a little more detail about your food processing. I am not for sure if it is my computer or what, but I can not see any of the old pics. that you had posted like with your greenwater set-up or any of that. Is there anyway you can repost those pics. or possible email them to me. I am very interested in possibly trying to breed clowns, but I am having a hard time grsping the concept of how you are making the green water, rotifers, and brine shrimp without being able to see any pics. Please help. I am very interested in this, and from everything that I have read online, your method seems to be working the best, as far as your survival rate. Also would it be possible for you to add some links on where you get your equipment for the green water, Rotifers, and Brine Shrimp. And what exact equipment is needed. I would really appreciate your help. Thank you

[thecoralreef]

Any of the old pictures that you can't see in the beginning of the thread are in my gallery on Fragexchange. The thread was moved and since then the links to the pics don't work. If I have time I will try to relink them but if you look through my gallery you will find them all in there.

Mike

[SequoiaSunset]

I was considering clown breeding and your thread is so inspirational. Thanks so much!

[thecoralreef]

I hope you find what you are looking for! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. I don't pretend to be a expert or anything close, but I love to help when ever possible from my own experiences.

Mike