Clownfish have bred. What next?

Oldsalt

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Hello folks

I had to stick my hand into the 340 gallon tank a couple of days ago to put in some torch and hammer lps. The male clown started biting me aggressively. I then fed the anemone that both the mated pair are hosting. When it is swallowed, I could see these eggs on the rock where the male clown was defending and fanning.
I have worked out a way to plumb a small 10 gal tank using a low flow offshoot from my sump to bring the fry up in. But I dont know how or if I can even net the fry (or what they look like when newly hatched) when they hatch. I read up on nutrition, etc.. Still, this is a first for me. Any advice would be appreciated. I tried to upload a short video of the male attending the eggs but the mp4 isn't allowed. Here's a photo of the male. His mouth is by the eggs and he's fanning them. The eggs are slightly orange and are clinging to the rock behind the left side of the anemone where the male is constantly tending. He will not allow any other fish except for the female near the area.

20190129_184745.jpg
 
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Oldsalt

Oldsalt

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Agreed. The eggs are still behind the anemone tentacles and theres no way I can get to them anyway. Maybe, and it's a huge maybe, some might survive in the protection of the anemone but... I never intended to breed anyway. I've got enough husbandry to do with one tank especially at my age.
 

Muttley000

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Thank you D-Nak.
I reduced a 10 second long mp4 video to its smallest resolution but still not allowed to upload it I need to find out what formats are OK here.
Post to YouTube and link. Once you have larvae caught you still need a rotifers culture to feed
 
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I have an experienced clown breeder coming on Monday to set up a small breeding tank. He's loaning me his Vossen trap and enough rotifers to get started.
I'll do the YouTube upload and put the link (s) here. Thanks for that advice.
Hopefully I can raise some clownfish - I never intended to even try. From reading Pickles guide (and watching many YouTube clownfish breeders) this is definitely doable even for an fart like myself. If there's one thing I have acquired over the decades in this amazing hobby, it's patience.
 

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fingers crossed for you, keep us updated. what would the odds of survival be if you didn't have any other fish in the tank / maybe if you only had to remove a few others? I haven't researched this subject for long, please pardon my ignorance. I assume its simply because breeding in a reef tank with no other fish simply has bad survival.
 

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Here is my $.02. It takes about 10 days for the fry to hatch. Your clowns will most likely continue to lay eggs soon after each hatch. Place a clay pot or the base to a clay pot next to the anemone. With a little luck they will lay eggs on the pot or base. If They do you can simple remove the pot or base to another tank to hatch them on hatch day.
 
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Oldsalt

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I lost the 1st batch. They indeed have laid again but well before I could insert anything where they always lay. The area that the eggs are on is meticulously picked at until an area of around 1 to 2 inches diameter is back to bare rock. They are extremely protective of their space. So, I missed the chance 2nd time around but they will lay again within a weekend of hatch. I just can't say they will take to anything other than the rock they've come to love unless I try. It'll be around 6 days from today when the batch currently on the rock hatch. Last batch hatched on the 8th night. Couldn't save any of them, though I tried very hard. The fry are so fragile and photophobic that even light will kill them. I've done a lot of surfing to see what it takes to be successful. It would be prudent to buy a Vossen trap in case this pair won't lay on anything other than that rock. Here's a photo from further out to show the clowns area. Water depth is nearly 3 feet and tank dimensions are 6 x 3 x 2.5 feet. I'll get there. Maybe not this batch, but the next will have a good chance.

20190201_143628.jpg
 

JerseyClowns

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Hello folks

I had to stick my hand into the 340 gallon tank a couple of days ago to put in some torch and hammer lps. The male clown started biting me aggressively. I then fed the anemone that both the mated pair are hosting. When it is swallowed, I could see these eggs on the rock where the male clown was defending and fanning.
I have worked out a way to plumb a small 10 gal tank using a low flow offshoot from my sump to bring the fry up in. But I dont know how or if I can even net the fry (or what they look like when newly hatched) when they hatch. I read up on nutrition, etc.. Still, this is a first for me. Any advice would be appreciated. I tried to upload a short video of the male attending the eggs but the mp4 isn't allowed. Here's a photo of the male. His mouth is by the eggs and he's fanning them. The eggs are slightly orange and are clinging to the rock behind the left side of the anemone where the male is constantly tending. He will not allow any other fish except for the female near the area.

20190129_184745.jpg
 

JerseyClowns

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removing fry from a reef tank is daunting to futile. The best success I've had is using a small light shining at a point of the tank to attract the newly hatched fry. All other lights should be off. The fry will be attracted to the light and then you can attempt to siphon them out. Do not net the fry. At this stage in their life, they cannot survive being touched.
 
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Since my 1st post they have continued to breed every 14 days. I ordered a Vossen trap not long ago but still hasn't arrived. They won't lay on tiles. They ignore it and use the rock closest to the anemone - picking at it for a few days leading up to laying. I have set up a rearing tank and bought phytoplankton, air pump (one I had died ) and rotifer kit. Trying to keep the fry alive even after gentle syphoning fruitless, however, I came across a living clown in the sump that has gone through metamorphosis. How it survived is beyond my comprehension because it had to endure tumbling through the plumbing at extreme velocity then make it past Niagara falls into the refugium. This one a strong survivalist! I haven't tried snagging it yet because it shows up for a few seconds (healthy indeed) then disappears. It's always picking away as though it's eating too. Plenty of pods in there so I'm leaving it be.
They layed again on the 24th Feb. This time on the horizontal area of the same rock. Hoping that the trap arrives by hatch night end of this week - 3rd or 4th March. Otherwise I will need to wait for the next session. It seems that patience is key to everything in this hobby.
 
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PS definitely going to try a red clay pot instead of a tile next time. I'd rather remove a pot than use a trap - even a Vossen. Makes life so much easier.
 

JerseyClowns

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PS definitely going to try a red clay pot instead of a tile next time. I'd rather remove a pot than use a trap - even a Vossen. Makes life so much easier.

What's worked best for me is not removing the nest, but removing the parents. Now granted I have all my breeders in 4-5G dedicated tanks. On day 9 as soon as lights go out, I remove the parents to another partition and then within an hour after lights out, the nest hatches and then I raise the fry in that partition for the first month of their life. Never have to disturb the nest.
 

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I have a pair of 9 year old maroons, they lay eggs almost monthly. When they hatch the nems have a feast, can always tell nems are puffed up more than normal for a few days. Vicious cycle
 
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Oldsalt

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This pair (female is a saddle back but not the male) have been together for a couple of years. They were always in a large community tank. If I want to raise the fry, I need to do things very differently. For now IMO it's best to leave parents alone and either gather eggs in pot or using trap.
I checked my fuge again and 1 clown around 3 weeks old still going strong. It's within my macroalgae and eating tiny pods now. I'm still in awe that it made the entire trip without being eaten, then went through my plumbing and Niagara falls to come out alive. It's a real fighter!
 

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