How To Breed Clownfish?

[ollysaquariums]

Hey everyone, as some of you may know, I have a 4ft 303 litre reef aquarium and inside it I have a pair of clownfish I got from a guy off facebook marketplace back when I started the tank 6 months ago roughly.

He told me that they were about 4-5 years old and had been paired up for the majority of that time. Since they’re a pair I know they can breed but I don’t know much about how to trigger breeding and stuff like that.

Sometimes I’ll see the female doing dances near the anemone and rubbing herself on the sand and she’ll nip at the male and shake and stuff, but in the time I’ve had them I haven’t seen any eggs.

First of all, is it possible for them to successfully breed in my big display tank without me having to get them into a separate tank? I don’t want to remove them and put them into a new environment they aren’t comfortable with and they’re also looking amazing in the big tank at the moment. Secondly, if it’s possible to get them to breed, how do I do it and how do I know eggs are about to be laid, and finally, when the eggs are laid, do I remove them and if so how do I do that? Please let me know everything

 

[KrisReef]

It is rare to have eggs hatch and fry survive in a tank with other fishes. They tend to get eaten before the mature in tanks. Raising clownfish is best done with a breeding set up, from what little I know. My clowns layed a lot of eggs and they would hatch and disappear regularly. "Great coral food."

Seeking current clownfish breeding info (articles/books)

My girlfriend has expressed interest in breeding clownfish and raising babies. I jumped at the opportunity to get her more involved with this hobby way of life! I am looking for current/updated information on clownfish breeding and anything relevant. I have found a pretty thorough article on the...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[D-Nak]

They can definitely breed in your tank, mine do all the time. The female will usually prefer to lay her eggs on a flat surface, so adding something like a pot saucer might help (mine lays on the same spot every time). When the eggs are close to hatching, you can simply remove the saucer and place it in a hatch out tank.

Here's a guide to breeding clownfish:

Pickle’s Guide to Breeding Clowns

Pickle’s Guide to Breeding Clowns What works for me… You are welcome to place a link to this guide on another website or forum, however, do not place the actual article itself on your forum or website with out my permission. Your link must direct traffic to it's original form here on nano-reef.co...

www.nano-reef.com

Check out this forum for lots of good information (and this is probably a better place to post your breeding questions):

Fish Breeding Forum

This is the place to discuss and share about saltwater fish breeding. Got a question or want to talk about your experience? Please join in!

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Cthulukelele]

I have about 200-600 hatch every 2 weeks depending on how well the male defends that cycle in a full tank. Mine use the back wall and an old algae scraper for laying. The fry don't survive unless you follow a guide like what was posted. Removing them the day before they'd usually hatch to a breeding specific tank is what a lot of people do with relative success.

 

[19Mateo83]

I watched mine mate just yesterday. There is now hundreds of eggs on the stem of their “chosen” hammer colony. I know some put terracotta pots or something similar shaped that may help trigger mating behavior.

 

[dedragon]

First of all, is it possible for them to successfully breed in my big display tank without me having to get them into a separate tank?

most likely they wont survive because of pumps, filtration, and predators. 300 liters or 80 gallons isnt a very big tank either so even less likely

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@Kristopher Conlin

 

[Paul B]

You actually can't stop them from spawning. This pair is 35 years old and spawn every few days. I have collected the eggs years ago with a device I invented but, like for most egg layers, it is difficult and time consuming to raise the fry.



Here she is with her eggs. These are Fireclowns.

Feed them meaty foods, no dry foods