Clownfish Fry

[sarinaruu]

I currently have been trying to save my clownfish fry in a separate tank, it’s a 5 gal but i’ve been unsuccessful so far.

I started with 1 gal of water, and slowly adding half a gallon a day to keep the water fresh. On day 2 I noticed nitrite had went to 5, so I did a 50% water change and dosed with prime, but I think it was too late and they were already at the bottom of the tank barely alive, and by this morning it was at 10 and they are all mostly gone.

Most guides say not to do a water change till day 3 so what’s the best way to keep the water safe? I noticed the phyto I put in to tint the water and feed rotifers is kind of clumpy so maybe that’s contributing to the nitrite issue? I only had 0.5 ppm of ammonia at the highest as well.

Salinity and temp the same as my display tank, and I’ve been doing water changes with that water. Also put a ton of rotifers in with the fry and have been topping off twice a day with 1/5th of my rotifer population.

 

[IKD]

I currently have been trying to save my clownfish fry in a separate tank, it’s a 5 gal but i’ve been unsuccessful so far.

I started with 1 gal of water, and slowly adding half a gallon a day to keep the water fresh. On day 2 I noticed nitrite had went to 5, so I did a 50% water change and dosed with prime, but I think it was too late and they were already at the bottom of the tank barely alive, and by this morning it was at 10 and they are all mostly gone.

Most guides say not to do a water change till day 3 so what’s the best way to keep the water safe? I noticed the phyto I put in to tint the water and feed rotifers is kind of clumpy so maybe that’s contributing to the nitrite issue? I only had 0.5 ppm of ammonia at the highest as well.

Salinity and temp the same as my display tank, and I’ve been doing water changes with that water. Also put a ton of rotifers in with the fry and have been topping off twice a day with 1/5th of my rotifer population.

Hard to say if the nitrite is really the problem just yet. Were the fry already dying off before you measured the nitrate? Adding Prime directly could be a potential issue, but not sure as I haven’t done that before. I do recall, killing off a whole batch of my fry when I dosed BG complete directly to the tank instead of premixing/diluting. My main focus was on ensuring the right amount of food source was available and tank oxygenated.

 

[sarinaruu]

Hard to say if the nitrite is really the problem just yet. Were the fry already dying off before you measured the nitrate? Adding Prime directly could be a potential issue, but not sure as I haven’t done that before. I do recall, killing off a whole batch of my fry when I dosed BG complete directly to the tank instead of premixing/diluting. My main focus was on ensuring the right amount of food source was available and tank oxygenated.

I mean yeah hard to say for sure, but they weren’t dying off until I added prime. But last time they died off and I didn’t use it.

Another theory I have is maybe the rotifers are hiding or getting stuck in the phyto clumps? Here’s a picture under my microscope after pouring through a 200 micron sieve and then a 53 micron, the phyto still gets through. Plenty of rotifers in the fry tank I think though.

 

[IKD]

I mean yeah hard to say for sure, but they weren’t dying off until I added prime. But last time they died off and I didn’t use it.

Another theory I have is maybe the rotifers are hiding or getting stuck in the phyto clumps? Here’s a picture under my microscope after pouring through a 200 micron sieve and then a 53 micron, the phyto still gets through. Plenty of rotifers in the fry tank I think though.

What rotifer culture do you use (and phyto brand)?

 

[sarinaruu]

What rotifer culture do you use (and phyto brand)?

I got my rotifers locally so i’m not sure, but I use phyto feast to feed them. Hopefully someone can respond about the nitrites.

Maybe daily 50% water changes after day 1, and filtering the phyto through the 53 micron sieve, and letting the rotifer bucket settle for 10 min before harvesting will help with the clumps and excess nutrients.

@Humblefish do you have any advice or know anyone that could help?

 

[Uncle99]

Did they actively feed at first?
You see them “dart” sometimes clumsily.

They must have rotifers immediately after hatch for about a week or so, then you could start to wean them to pulverized flake.

Maybe they could survive 12 hours without, but then they would starve super fast.

Not once, was I successful without a weeks supply of rotifers started right after hatch and always available.

I would put some of the rotifers into the phyto say 4 hours before adding to the fry tank, this way, you increase the nutritional component somewhat. Some use Selcon as well.

 

[sarinaruu]

Did they actively feed at first?
You see them “dart” sometimes clumsily.

They must have rotifers immediately after hatch for about a week or so, then you could start to wean them to pulverized flake.

Maybe they could survive 12 hours without, but then they would starve super fast.

Not once, was I successful without a weeks supply of rotifers started right after hatch and always available.

I would put some of the rotifers into the phyto say 4 hours before adding to the fry tank, this way, you increase the nutritional component somewhat. Some use Selcon as well.

They seemed like they were eating and darting around! I put in about half my rotifer colony as I put them in so they would have food right away. And I had a dim light on them as well. They seemed energetic and healthy up until the nitrite started rising.

 

[IKD]

I got my rotifers locally so i’m not sure, but I use phyto feast to feed them. Hopefully someone can respond about the nitrites.

Maybe daily 50% water changes after day 1, and filtering the phyto through the 53 micron sieve, and letting the rotifer bucket settle for 10 min before harvesting will help with the clumps and excess nutrients.

@Humblefish do you have any advice or know anyone that could help?

I believe there is a specific type of rotifer you want to be using. I thought it was S-type for the first week and then transitioning to L-type after that.

What kind of rotifers for clownfish breeding??

I've been doing some research and want to hear some live responses on this, What species of rotifer is best for clownfish fry after hatching? -I know it depends on the type of clowns, so i'll say what situation im in. I have a pair of lightning maroons I can breed, and also a pair of...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Uncle99]

They seemed like they were eating and darting around! I put in about half my rotifer colony as I put them in so they would have food right away. And I had a dim light on them as well. They seemed energetic and healthy up until the nitrite started rising.

Maybe too much added at one time and ammonia spike?

I drip mine continuously.

I’ve had complete clutch failures as well.

 

[sarinaruu]

Maybe too much added at one time and ammonia spike?

I drip mine continuously.

I’ve had complete clutch failures as well.

You drip rotifers?? Could you elaborate on that please :0 I’m feeding L strain and I have regular ocellaris

 

[Uncle99]

You drip rotifers?? Could you elaborate on that please :0

So, I take some of the batch and transfer to a plastic bottle, add some phyto and selcon and let them take that up for a few hours.

Then I have some air line tube from that vessel to the fry tank. In the middle I have a plastic valve I can open close.

I start the syphon going and close the valve until I get a consistent drip but slow.

It takes some fiddling but your trying to keep food available, but not poluted.

I water change 10% daily.

I do lose quite a few at metamorphosis stage, but the ones that survive, are solid.

Doing some cleaner shrimps, the process is identical.

Good luck, is fun!

 

[sarinaruu]

So, I take some of the batch and transfer to a plastic bottle, add some phyto and selcon and let them take that up for a few hours.

Then I have some air line tube from that vessel to the fry tank. In the middle I have a plastic valve I can open close.

I start the syphon going and close the valve until I get a consistent drip but slow.

It takes some fiddling but your trying to keep food available, but not poluted.

I water change 10% daily.

I do lose quite a few at metamorphosis stage, but the ones that survive, are solid.

Doing some cleaner shrimps, the process is identical.

Good luck, is fun!

That’s a really good idea!! What drip rate would you say you do? And do you put rotifers as soon as they hatch or just the drip?

 

[Uncle99]

Yup, an intial hit, but small, and slow drip.
Maybe 30 drips per minute.
Soon as they hatch.
Constant availability.

 

[D-Nak]

I believe there is a specific type of rotifer you want to be using. I thought it was S-type for the first week and then transitioning to L-type after that.

What kind of rotifers for clownfish breeding??

I've been doing some research and want to hear some live responses on this, What species of rotifer is best for clownfish fry after hatching? -I know it depends on the type of clowns, so i'll say what situation im in. I have a pair of lightning maroons I can breed, and also a pair of...

www.reef2reef.com

No need to S-type. They're just smaller. L-type is perfectly fine. Juvenile L-type are basically S-type.

 

[D-Nak]

My recommendations are:

1. Start with 5 gallons of water, minimum. The fry will be fine seeking out food in more water. As the saying goes, "the solution to pollution is dilution" and this is the case with the larval tank. With a large amount of fry and rotifers, 1 gallon or water can foul quickly, especially if a lot of the fry die off before you're able to siphon them out (I've had batches where I've siphoned out 90% of the babies on the first day because they didn't make it through hatch night).
   
   
2. Make sure that the water is oxygenated. Rotifers can consume a lot of oxygen, especially when in a dense population like we create in grow out tanks. I have air stones in each corner of the tank. It also prevents the babies from congregating in the corners.
   
   
3. Speaking of rotifers, it sounds like you may be adding too much too quickly. You need to find a balance to get the right density--too much at they'll quickly pollute the water and the fry may over eat (sometimes they can eat so much that they have trouble swimming) and too little and the fry won't be able to find them (this is rarely a problem in my experience, though). Keeping your water tinted supposedly makes them easier for the fry to see them.
   
   
4. Don't worry about the phyto clumps. You can siphon them out when doing water changes.
   
   
5. That said, the phyto out of the bottle shouldn't have clumps in the first place. I usually get clumps when removing rotifers from the culture bucket, the phyto out of the bottle should be 100% liquid. I recommend switching to RG Complete since it has buffers and ammonia neutralizer built in. Once you get into higher volumes you can switch to RotiGrow OneStep and Rotigreen Omega (this combination is cheaper in the long run).

I hope that helps!

 

[sarinaruu]

Okay so update in case anyone finds this thread.

I ended up buying rotifers from online with the actual rotifer food, instead of store bought phytofeast (too many clumps that ended up decaying) and there’s a HUGE difference. I can visibly see the rotifers, and they are actively swimming. The other ones I had must not have been dense enough to make a solid population and I had to really search to find them under a microscope.

It should be 2-3 weeks before I have fry again but they were definitely starving before so i’m optimistic this time will be successful. Till then im going to build up my rotifer colony and make 2 buckets so I can harvest from both.

Hopefully this helps anyone else, they aren’t kidding when they say a healthy rotifer population looks like a snow globe.

 

[D-Nak]

Make sure to thin the rotifer culture by harvesting regularly. Once you've doubled up your buckets it's helpful if you keep one at a low density while the other is higher--that lessens the odds of both crashing at the same time.

 

[Uncle99]

Okay so update in case anyone finds this thread.

I ended up buying rotifers from online with the actual rotifer food, instead of store bought phytofeast (too many clumps that ended up decaying) and there’s a HUGE difference. I can visibly see the rotifers, and they are actively swimming. The other ones I had must not have been dense enough to make a solid population and I had to really search to find them under a microscope.

It should be 2-3 weeks before I have fry again but they were definitely starving before so i’m optimistic this time will be successful. Till then im going to build up my rotifer colony and make 2 buckets so I can harvest from both.

Hopefully this helps anyone else, they aren’t kidding when they say a healthy rotifer population looks like a snow globe.

That’s great news!
Enjoy