Raising Clown Fish Eggs

mich2599 · Jul 28, 2019

So this morning I woke up and went to do my daily tank check-up. Well to my surprise I found that my Clowns had laid eggs on the corner of the tank. I want to try and raise them. Can anyone point out any good tips, or a thread that explains how to do so?

Thanks, in advanced

SueAndHerZoo · Jul 28, 2019

If you Google it or do a search on here I'm sure you'll find more knowledgeable information than I can provide, but I did raise them successfully once. It's going to be impossible to raise them in the main tank so you either need to get the eggs and parents into a separate tank, or you have to be ready to scoop up whatever fry you can when they do hatch, but if you miss the hatching, they'll be gone.

Mom has to stay with the eggs.... she constantly fans and cleans them. And you need to start raising rotifers to feed the fry when they hatch. It was not an easy undertaking, but quite rewarding.

Good luck.
Sue

mich2599 · Jul 28, 2019

SueAndHerZoo said:
If you Google it or do a search on here I'm sure you'll find more knowledgeable information than I can provide, but I did raise them successfully once. It's going to be impossible to raise them in the main tank so you either need to get the eggs and parents into a separate tank, or you have to be ready to scoop up whatever fry you can when they do hatch, but if you miss the hatching, they'll be gone.

Mom has to stay with the eggs.... she constantly fans and cleans them. And you need to start raising rotifers to feed the fry when they hatch. It was not an easy undertaking, but quite rewarding.

Good luck.
Sue

They are on the glass so I cannot remove them....I am reading articles but seems challenging.

SueAndHerZoo · Jul 28, 2019

It's probably too late to make it work this go round, but since you know you have a mated pair, set up a small tank just for the pair of clowns, give them the proper atmosphere for laying eggs (mine always liked the inside of a clay flowerpot), and be ready for more eggs.

Sue

LatinKing · Aug 1, 2019

If this is the first time your pair lay eggs, in most cases the parents will eat the eggs. This is typically what occurs with the first couple of spawn. Having a pair of mated clownfish in a reef tank can be challenging. There are other fish that will see the eggs as food, it's almost merely impossible for the pair to keep other fish away from the eggs. If you plan to raise clownfish the first thing you need to do is take them out and put the mated pair in a 10g with no sand, no live rock and place a clay pot, or a tile so that the female can lay her eggs on something that will be easy to take out of the tank before hatching day. There is too much information; setting the right controlled atmosphere for your breeding pair, what to feed, having a journal, setting up a larvae tank, culturing rotifer. If you are planning to raised the best way is to get a book on raising clownfish. Google search..and good luck.

Peace River · Aug 1, 2019

Congratulations on the eggs! That implies that your system and your fish are healthy so good work! I recommend Wilkerson’s book on clownfish - it is a classic for a reason!

vetteguy53081 · Aug 1, 2019

Important that parents are fanning the eggs from any dirt persay and are picking off the bad ones. Unless they are by themselves, you may experience them getting eaten.
You'll have to do what I began,, , , , , Allow the eggs to take their course. If they hatch, great - If not, see when they lay eggs again. (For me was every 3 weeks). Once you know the frequency, they generally lay in the same area. Lay a flower pot in that area. They should utilize that pot for future egg laying and privacy.
You will then need to transfer pot with eggs into a separate tank ( I recommend 20 long) and have a sponge filter and heater running. Once the clutch has hatched, you will need to feed them rotifiers , preferably live otherwise frozen.

mich2599 · Aug 4, 2019

Thank you all for the responses! The eggs are still in the tank and the parents are taking care of them. Keeping the other fish away, fanning them, and picking out the bad ones. I have decided to let them in the DT as I honestly do not have the time to required take care of them. If they do keep spawning I will eventually give it a try. I will be back in college in a few weeks and my time will be limited. Nevertheless, once again I really appreciate the responses

D-Nak · Aug 23, 2019

SueAndHerZoo said:
If you Google it or do a search on here I'm sure you'll find more knowledgeable information than I can provide, but I did raise them successfully once. It's going to be impossible to raise them in the main tank so you either need to get the eggs and parents into a separate tank, or you have to be ready to scoop up whatever fry you can when they do hatch, but if you miss the hatching, they'll be gone.

Mom has to stay with the eggs.... she constantly fans and cleans them. And you need to start raising rotifers to feed the fry when they hatch. It was not an easy undertaking, but quite rewarding.

Good luck.
Sue

It's actually the dad's responsibility to take care of the eggs. If you watch closely, the female actually watches over the male to make sure he's doing his job! Just like real life I guess! (At least for me!)

mich2599 said:
They are on the glass so I cannot remove them....I am reading articles but seems challenging.

Google "pickles guide to breeding clowns" for an excellent write-up.

mich2599 said:
Thank you all for the responses! The eggs are still in the tank and the parents are taking care of them. Keeping the other fish away, fanning them, and picking out the bad ones. I have decided to let them in the DT as I honestly do not have the time to required take care of them. If they do keep spawning I will eventually give it a try. I will be back in college in a few weeks and my time will be limited. Nevertheless, once again I really appreciate the responses

You can keep the parents in the DT and raise the babies when you feel like it. Just buy a Vossen larval trap from BRS:

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/larval-trap-vossen.html

If set up correctly, you'll be able to catch a majority of the babies.