Clown fish will they ever breed?

[Brucealmighty]

Hey all I have just got home and done the usual register of all the easier visible creatures in the tank (hermits pass, shrimp 1 fish 15 and snails 5 as usual) then making sure everything is OK with them all it hit me, I have a pair of clown fish getting on for near to 8 years old but they've never decided to get down to business and have a family.

Will they ever breed? Just wondered because surely the urge to procreate would kick in eventually, I see them flirting all the time, yes OK I don't have an anenome but I know that they actually aren't compulsory, or are they? I ask because in the 8 years I have owned them most of the time they are at the back of the rocks hidden from view the only real way to see them is a reflection off the side pane, it's a shame they are beautiful fish and I only get a few minutes to see them when she decides to take him out for a swim about the tank rest of the time he's in the back 24/7 and she is occasionally visible making sure he stays there.

I have zoa's throughiut my tank and mushrooms (which they sleep in) so an anenome walking around is most likely a no no because it won't want to be at the bottom back corner with the clowns.

I'm curious as to what others experience is once they have clown fish nearing old age pensioners will they go to the big reef without having a family?

 

[Bucs20fan]

Some breed like crazy others dont. They dont require a nem by any means to breed. Most common breeding tool is a terra cotta pot or a large shell. At that age its unlikely they will breed if they are 8 years old.

 

[Brucealmighty]

Yeah I figured they were a bit old, thanks for your insights, I didn't know if a pot would be OK in a reef tank so I never went that route as I was worried about the rest of the tank but interesting, I just kinda figured they were for hiding purposes in a quarantine only as a whole

 

[Bucs20fan]

Yeah I figured they were a bit old, thanks for your insights, I didn't know if a pot would be OK in a reef tank so I never went that route as I was worried about the rest of the tank but interesting, I just kinda figured they were for hiding purposes in a quarantine only as a whole

They usually are, but clownfish love the closed in but big opening space for a nest, same with a large clam shell.

 

[Bj’s Reef]

I have a pair that have been in my tank for seven years. They have never breed, matter of fact they hate each other until it’s time to sleep. Then the two are as thick as thieves. Sleeping right next to each other occasionally bumping into one another for assurance.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey all I have just got home and done the usual register of all the easier visible creatures in the tank (hermits pass, shrimp 1 fish 15 and snails 5 as usual) then making sure everything is OK with them all it hit me, I have a pair of clown fish getting on for near to 8 years old but they've never decided to get down to business and have a family.

Will they ever breed? Just wondered because surely the urge to procreate would kick in eventually, I see them flirting all the time, yes OK I don't have an anenome but I know that they actually aren't compulsory, or are they? I ask because in the 8 years I have owned them most of the time they are at the back of the rocks hidden from view the only real way to see them is a reflection off the side pane, it's a shame they are beautiful fish and I only get a few minutes to see them when she decides to take him out for a swim about the tank rest of the time he's in the back 24/7 and she is occasionally visible making sure he stays there.

I have zoa's throughiut my tank and mushrooms (which they sleep in) so an anenome walking around is most likely a no no because it won't want to be at the bottom back corner with the clowns.

I'm curious as to what others experience is once they have clown fish nearing old age pensioners will they go to the big reef without having a family?

It depends on environment . DIET, other tank occupants and water conditions. I have 4 breeding pair and it wa not overnight

 

[PatW]

Clownfish breed pretty well in captivity. Where do you think all those designer clowns come from? They are color varieties that pop up with a bit of inbreeding in captivity. And there are a number of species of clownfish that have designer varieties. Now, by being “easy” to breed, that is a matter of the person trying to breed them. Some people breed clownfish easily enough to make selling their offspring economically viable. For other people, breeding them might require a near miracle.

 

[TigerReef]

Sure do! Here’s Moo and Cow and their eggs

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I've heard of some people having success getting their pair to breed after a period of no luck by switching up the diet they were feeding or by introducing eggs from another clown pair into the tank for them. This might be worth a shot if you're hoping to get them breeding.

Here's my typical response (based on what I've seen work for others) that I give for clownfish breeding/troubleshooting questions:

"I've never bred clowns myself, but here's the advice that I've gathered from the forum while looking into clownfish breeding:

ISpeakForTheSeas said:
As I understand it, the main things are proper feeding (probably several times a day) and making sure there's nothing stressing the fish out. From there, you pretty much leave them alone and they spawn.

I don't know what you're feeding, but from what I've seen with others, I'd recommend trying LRS Fertility Frenzy, black worms, and NLS or TDO pellets (Otohime is a proven brand too, but it seems to have fallen out of favor somewhat in recent months/years) for the food. Adding enriched Rotifers and pods/BBS wouldn't hurt either - and you'll need to culture the rots for the baby clowns anyway. Fresh clams are pretty much always a good idea too. That said, the feeding doesn't have to be overly complex or expensive (Paul B fed clams and blackworms and had spawning), the above is just what I've seen work for a large number of people.

Beyond that, I've heard the following tips from at least one breeder (no guarantees these would work for/help you, but it's what I've heard from a couple of confirmed breeders): clowns like dirtier water, a 14 hour light period, slightly lower salinity (1.020), and a higher temp (80-82F).

Some things that I've heard which you might want to be aware of:
- Any changes to the clowns' environment can cause them to stop spawning for a while (I've heard this can potentially last for months, but it seems to generally be a much shorter timeframe than that).
- Clownfish are apparently "racist" sometimes against clownfish of different colors than them, so it may be harder to pair them/deal with aggression between them if your broodstock (breeding) clowns are different colors.

That's what I've heard - I hope it helps. Good luck!"

 

[Brucealmighty]

It depends on environment . DIET, other tank occupants and water conditions. I have 4 breeding pair and it wa not overnight

Yeah they did have a pair of dwarf angels playing the odd game of kiss chase for the first 5 years or so but since I lost my flame angel the coral beauty (the chased fish) is now the boss and attempted chaser of the wrasse's I guess they were spoiling the moment for the clowns getting Barry white on zooming around past them half the time and now they've retired and can't be bothered with noisy kids

Clownfish breed pretty well in captivity. Where do you think all those designer clowns come from? They are color varieties that pop up with a bit of inbreeding in captivity. And there are a number of species of clownfish that have designer varieties. Now, by being “easy” to breed, that is a matter of the person trying to breed them. Some people breed clownfish easily enough to make selling their offspring economically viable. For other people, breeding them might require a near miracle.

Sure do! Here’s Moo and Cow and their eggs

Thanks for the input guys and nice picture too,

And it seems I'm behind the times in wanting my clowns to have a family but call me old fashioned I like the orange black and white originals,

I wonder what will become of all these varieties in the future?, when you see the types of dogs and cats we have from allegedly some caveman taming a wolf and a lion or something as friends back in way yonder gone by, in couple of hundred years (probably less} will there be a plain black clown? or plain orange do they exist already? I know we nearly have a plain white version yes with the platinum ones, and yes they are beautiful in their own right but I'm still a sucker for old traditional ones I hope they will be preserved along side the many new versions

 

[ScubaFish802]

To the point about diet. My clowns breed very often, I feed them extremely heavily, far more than they realistically need. I do wonder if they need the extra space/capacity within themselves to trigger the response to use up a bunch of energy breeding. I would image a fish that is eating just enough to get by for example that the whole process of creating and tending eggs would be stressful

 

[fish farmer]

To the point about diet. My clowns breed very often, I feed them extremely heavily, far more than they realistically need. I do wonder if they need the extra space/capacity within themselves to trigger the response to use up a bunch of energy breeding. I would image a fish that is eating just enough to get by for example that the whole process of creating and tending eggs would be stressful

When I cut back feeding a few years ago my clowns stopped laying eggs monthly. When I started to feed heavy....once a month.

I think my pair didn't start regular spawning until they were around 10 years old...they are 16+ years old.

 

[Brucealmighty]

To the point about diet. My clowns breed very often, I feed them extremely heavily, far more than they realistically need. I do wonder if they need the extra space/capacity within themselves to trigger the response to use up a bunch of energy breeding. I would image a fish that is eating just enough to get by for example that the whole process of creating and tending eggs would be stressful

Not much chance for them to be underfed I would guess as they have an auto feeder on 3 times a day, I give them treats too (sometimes is only way to see them) frozen or flaked foods in the evenings and they also seem to have a bit of a liking for the tangs nori that the wrasse's rip into shreds, I get that in bulk from amazon not the LFS packs 1 sheet for a 10 pound note things which isn't viable, so they have a variety of food stuffs I have always leaned towards a well fed tank little and often as I can't see hermits until there's a new random shell moving or turned up in a place where it shouldn't be either. I'm leaning towards the tank mates spoiling the mood for them maybe they are underfed if you give your fish alot more compared to mine, I guess it would be a contributing factor for sure food amount but I'm not starving them no

 

[Brucealmighty]

When I cut back feeding a few years ago my clowns stopped laying eggs monthly. When I started to feed heavy....once a month.

I think my pair didn't start regular spawning until they were around 10 years old...they are 16+ years old.

Maybe there's hope for my not so ancient clowns then, could I use a plastic cup over a terracotta pot? Or does the clay/stone help the adherence with the picture above it looks like they're breeding against the wall or glass

And as Mr Scubafish says he feeds heavily too, maybe I should start slowly increasing their foods, they do have a pet shrimp that fetches food for them too and too is hardly seen because of living upside down in a cave next to them

 

[Vagabond]

My percule pair started about 2 yrs after introduced in my tank.You might have a problem if they start breeding cause they will never stop.I don't even see them swimming in the tank anymore unless it's feeding time.As soon as the eggs hatch, they're back at it.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

most of the time they are at the back of the rocks hidden from view

Is it possible they are laying eggs where you can't see them? When mine lay a new clutch, aside from when I feed the tank, the male spends 100% of the time caring for the eggs.
(The eggs become fish food... If you're looking for baby clownfish as evidence of breeding, you'll be waiting a long time, lol)

 

[Brucealmighty]

Is it possible they are laying eggs where you can't see them? When mine lay a new clutch, aside from when I feed the tank, the male spends 100% of the time caring for the eggs.
(The eggs become fish food... If you're looking for baby clownfish as evidence of breeding, you'll be waiting a long time, lol)

Hey tell you what that's something that hadn't occurred to me, I figured they would stay by mum n dad and be babysitting the next batch when they were needed, but I have 2 wrasse's and a dwarf angel, they quite possibly have become the greatest snack in my tank I don't know about, I am thinking back to my testing now for spikes and troughs that's a good point, thank you I will have to look at my book of results

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Hey tell you what that's something that hadn't occurred to me, I figured they would stay by mum n dad and be babysitting the next batch when they were needed, but I have 2 wrasse's and a dwarf angel, they quite possibly have become the greatest snack in my tank I don't know about, I am thinking back to my testing now for spikes and troughs that's a good point, thank you I will have to look at my book of results

It takes a LOT of planning and effort to raise clownfish. Even the parents will eat the fry... and a lot of times fish, shrimp, etc will snack on the eggs before they even hatch.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Hey tell you what that's something that hadn't occurred to me, I figured they would stay by mum n dad and be babysitting the next batch when they were needed, but I have 2 wrasse's and a dwarf angel, they quite possibly have become the greatest snack in my tank I don't know about, I am thinking back to my testing now for spikes and troughs that's a good point, thank you I will have to look at my book of results

I'm not sure what your test results have to do with anything...?

 

[Brucealmighty]

It takes a LOT of planning and effort to raise clownfish. Even the parents will eat the fry... and a lot of times fish, shrimp, etc will snack on the eggs before they even hatch.

and I thought the shrimp was feeding them it does take morsels of food round the back of the cave although I think it is hoping to save them for itself then again maybe its a payment thing going on and the clowns then tolerate the shrimp being in their area and to your test results question I'm thinking a nice fat feed on live anything would be detectable on nitrates? Although I guess the rock will take care of that as it gets higher but surely there would be some kind of lag before that happens?