My first attempt raising clownfish

[ReeferMadness09]

Wow, 3 months and no updates....i'm slackin here. I've abandoned trying to pull eggs early and place them in a seperate tank to try and hatch. Instead, I've gone back to letting them hatch on their own and collecting them.....which has meant some late nights. Doing this has worked and i've actually been able to raise some fish lately. I've been working with different fish and find the variation in patterns that can come from a single clutch of eggs pretty interesting.

 

[Blue Lip]

Nice!

 

[Blue Lip]

Nice!

 

[Boom]

Yeah,I did better collecting at night, too. I ended up collecting a bunch of peppermint shrimp larvae and hermit crab larvae together.
Lost the last survivors at meta. I think I added too much nhbbs... Took wind outta my sails.
I'm giving parents a break. My DT phosphates went sky high so I'm trying to balance everything out before I start feeding heavily again.
Keep us posted. You're inspiring me to keep trying.

 

[ReeferMadness09]

Yeah,I did better collecting at night, too. I ended up collecting a bunch of peppermint shrimp larvae and hermit crab larvae together.
Lost the last survivors at meta. I think I added too much nhbbs... Took wind outta my sails.
I'm giving parents a break. My DT phosphates went sky high so I'm trying to balance everything out before I start feeding heavily again.
Keep us posted. You're inspiring me to keep trying.

Thanks Boom. I know exactly what you mean about the set backs. I've had a few points where i considered throwing in the towel. I've also had to take time off for a week here and there and just not do anything with it to stop from getting burned out. I started doing this for fun and if I cant find some enjoyment in it why bother right? You just have to keep working the problems out and eventually you'll get there! Raising shrimp will be quite the challenge but if you can do that then things like clownfish will be a piece of cake.

 

[Richie49]

Anyone know how to cultivate rotifers?

 

[Blue Lip]

Anyone know hown to cultivate rotifers?

5 gallon bucket with an air pump. Feed rotifers diet by reed mariculture

 

[Richie49]

Is it that simple?

 

[Reef Nutrition]

Is it that simple?

Check out our rotifer support pages. There is ton of information there about rotifer culture. http://reedmariculture.com/support_rotifers.php

Chad

 

[ReeferMadness09]

Check out our rotifer support pages. There is ton of information there about rotifer culture. http://reedmariculture.com/support_rotifers.php

Chad

Lots of good information there!

 

[ReeferMadness09]

I'll be at a frag swap in Lancaster PA tomorrow from 11-5 if there's anyone in the area that wants to shoot the breeze! I'll have some clowns there's too, just look for my name.

 

[Blue Lip]

Is it that simple?

Yes . Just make sure to feed daily and harvest when the culture gets too dense.

 

[mmw64]

Such an interesting read. Please update and show more pictures when you can. Following.

 

[ReeferMadness09]

Heres a quick one with my phone. i'll try to get some better ones up

 

[Feltman]

One thing a lot of people don't talk about is the sheer cost... I know u can sell the babies eventually, but do u feel like u end up at a wash at least or is this more of a money pit? Ive been doing a fair amount of research on the matter to try raising myself. for me it's the challenge and reward. but it's always nice to have a full picture before u dive into something

 

[Blue Lip]

Money pit for sure. Some species are more difficult than others. My latz like to kill each other off so I only end up with a few.

 

[ReeferMadness09]

Well up to this point I'd say I've spent more money than I've made. I've made money selling them but the problem is that I have no consistency with how many fish i'm able to raise. There are times when I go for a while without being able to raise any fish. I have outlets to sell the fish and feel that If I could consistently raise them every time eggs were laid I would be in the green but wouldn't expect to be rich from it. If you factored in the amount of time put into it, it might not seem worth it even then.

 

[ReeferMadness09]

 

[ReeferMadness09]

 

[Fishpalace]

An excellent thread and really shows how much dedication and patience you need to hatch and rear clownfish.

Paul