ReefHacks | Clownfish Breeding System - 160g.

Berlibee

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Hello everyone,

Finally, I can post again after a long break! Last 12 months were absolutely insane in the right way, but I could barely keep up with all my projects.

And today, it's a perfect day, and I can show you the results of 18 months of work, learning, testing and researching. ;Pompus

Equipment List:

Tank:
160g - 72x16x24 custom acrylic by Acrylic Habitats.
Light: BeamsWork DA 72" LED.
Overflow: Synergy Reef 16″ Shadow Overflow.
Sump: Synergy Reef TS-34 Triton Method Sump in Red Mercury.
Skimmer: At this moment Testing - Dalua Great White Protein Skimmer GW-10.
Return: The Hydor Seltz D 3200 GPH Controllable AC Universal Pump.
UV Reactor: Pentair Aquatics SMART UV 40 WATT.
Controller: GHL ProfiLux 4 Aquarium Controller - Mega-Set.
Doser: GHL Doser 2.1 SA
ALK Monitor: GHK KH Director.
Heater: x2 Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm 300 Watt Aquarium Heater.
ATO: XP Aqua Ultimate ATO - Complete 4-Sensor Aquarium Auto-Top-Off System.
Carbon Reactor: Bulk Reef Supply GFO & CARBON REACTOR - DELUXE.
Cooling: Lasko 1827 18″ Elegance & Performance Adjustable Pedestal Fan.
RO/DI: SpectraPure MaxCap Performance Plus.
Control Board: Standard Aquarium Controller Board Mounting System - Marine Depot.

Other:

Stand: 80/20 aluminum t-slots by Fandl8020.
Cycling: Red Sea Reef Mature Pro Kit.
Nutrients Control Additive: Red Sea Fish Pharm ARE22204 NO3 PO4-X Biological Nitrate and Phosphate Reducer.
Nutrients Control Equipment: Pax Bellum ARID N24 Macroalgae Reactor.
Bio Media: x8 of Brightwell Aquatics Xport Bio.



Reefing Q&A Thread Index:

Q: What is the best level of nutrients in a mixed reef tank?
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Breeding Q&A Thread Index:

Q:
How to pair maroon clownfish?
Q: Spotlight of the controller board.
Q: How do you keep your nutrients at the desired levels?
Q: What are you feeding to your fish, to keep their colouration so intense and lay eggs?
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Business Q&A Thread Index:

Q:
How you ended up bringing your hobby fish to market?
Q: How I can start selling my reef photos and get extra income to support the hobby?
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ReefHacks | Clownfish Breeding System - 160g.

First of all, huge thank you to my wife Yuliya. She did an insane amount of work on this project and still working daily to improve all aspects of this breeding project.

I want to present to you our new clownfish breeding system (grow out part). At this moment we've transferred almost all of the babies to this new home. And the system is fully cycled.

Full-Clownfish-System.jpg


Cycled with Red Sea Reef Mature Pro Kit, on day 21, we had 1000 baby fishes in the system with absolutely no issues. But as you can see on the photo, we are also using a much more significant amount of the biomedia, x8 of Brightwell Aquatics Xport Bio, when each brick is rated for 1000 gallon.

Sump_Media_Skimmer.jpg


We are very happy with the tank quality. Acrylic Habitats did a fantastic job, and everything was made as we have requested, these guys know what they are doing. The tank is 72" long, 16" high and 24" deep with nine divided chambers. Each chamber can hold around 200 mature fishes between 6 and 12 months old. The first chamber is for small clownfish babies transferred there from the hatching tank at the mark of one month old and hold around 500 fish.

Clownfish-Babies-1-month-old.jpg


When they are large enough and can't pass anymore between dividers, we sort them by type in different chambers.

Mocha-Storm-Clownfish.jpg


Mocha-Clownfish.jpg


Each chamber is 3/4 drilled for the incoming flow.

Plumbing-Left-Side.jpg


This is one of the most fun projects that we made in the last year, and we are very proud. If you guys have questions about how to breed clownfish, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm very open to any questions, and we have no secrets about the process. Many people are afraid of breeding, but it's really not that hard, especially if you know reef tanks. There is a tremendous amount of information about the breeding process; not everything is modern sure. But still very useful and I'm here if you need help. Cheers!

I will post more details on this build and process later! Have a nice evening everyone! ;Shamefullyembarrased
 
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Peace River

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Sweet! ;Wideyed I look forward to the updates!!!
 

Chefwheredyougo

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I had a question. I'm new, probably had the tank for about 4-5 months now. The first fish I b8home with 2 maroon clowns, 1 a thunder maroon the other a lightning maroon. The thunder came with a GBTA, and was about a 1 1/2 to 2 inches in length. The lightning was less than half her size. Since I've had them, around 4 months I guess. The thunder has stayed mostly in her bta, but ventures out every now and then, while the lightning hangs out in the upper corner of the tank, only venturing out for food. The the thunder chases him back. My question is, is there any chance of the 2 mating eventually? The larger does nip every now and then, but never bad. And the smaller does start to follow the larger for a short distance.. the lfs said they could be mated or pair off. Jw if that's true and if so how long until this happens?
 
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Berlibee

Berlibee

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I had a question. I'm new, probably had the tank for about 4-5 months now. The first fish I b8home with 2 maroon clowns, 1 a thunder maroon the other a lightning maroon. The thunder came with a GBTA, and was about a 1 1/2 to 2 inches in length. The lightning was less than half her size. Since I've had them, around 4 months I guess. The thunder has stayed mostly in her bta, but ventures out every now and then, while the lightning hangs out in the upper corner of the tank, only venturing out for food. The the thunder chases him back. My question is, is there any chance of the 2 mating eventually? The larger does nip every now and then, but never bad. And the smaller does start to follow the larger for a short distance.. the lfs said they could be mated or pair off. Jw if that's true and if so how long until this happens?

Maroon clownfish are the hardest to pair, they are very aggressive, and it can take time to pair them. But that the small one is hanging around the top of the water can be a good sign. When two clownfish are fighting for their dominance, the male is taking the top position in the tank and female the bottom. It's a sign that the male is submitting. Be sure to feed them plenty of good quality food, a variety of frozen and dry. And watch them closely, a maroon female can kill the male in seconds if you see damaged fins and sign of stress, better to move the male into an acclimation box, recover him for 1-2 weeks and then release back. But as you have many space where he can hide in the reef tank, I doubt that you will need an acclimation box. But sometimes small males are not the smartest and just staying in the corner while female is beating him, so better to be ready and know what to do in case this happen. And as she didn't kill him yet in 4 months, they should be fine, just give them more time and love. ;Shamefullyembarrased
 
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Berlibee

Berlibee

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Great photo, Alexey. This will be a great discussion. Can't wait to hear about your live feeds techniques and weaning process!

Best,
Chad

Hey Chad! Thank you. Sure I will share this info as well. Will add this to my schedule. Need to create a helpful index of the thread, so we have all the info available and easy to find. ;Pompus
 

flo

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very interested in the tank. Can you show more of the back of the tank and also the overflow part? Thanks
 

Peace River

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Never seen a breeding page with photographs this good and amazing documentation. Hoping this becomes the norm for all breeders.

@Berlibee ’s pictures are amazing, but please don’t hold all breeders to that standard - yikes!
 
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Berlibee

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very interested in the tank. Can you show more of the back of the tank and also the overflow part? Thanks

Thanks! Sure I need to check my phone. Maybe I have some photos or videos left of the plumbing. ;)

Never seen a breeding page with photographs this good and amazing documentation. Hoping this becomes the norm for all breeders.

Ha! Thanks. I hope this can push all breeders to share more info on this topic. I sure recognise that we are all protecting the business. But this subject is fascinating for everyone. We should talk more about and experiment! Even if you won't become a professional breeder. You can always try to hatch at home, grow them and gift to your friends. It's a very exciting process! ;Shamefullyembarrased

@Berlibee ’s pictures are amazing, but please don’t hold all breeders to that standard - yikes!

Hehehe, I see a lot of nice images around! But thanks guys, very happy that you like the photos. ;Snaphappy
 
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Berlibee

Berlibee

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When we put the system in its place, I was sitting with Yuliya on the floor in front of the tank with happy, but at the same time exhausted faces. And in front of us was the endless expanses of an open stand. It was wonderful! But there was one problem - cables from equipment. Sounds familiar? Even though we are both radio-electronic engineers, cable management is not our forte. But then I remembered my recent conversation with Kyle from Adaptive Reef, and I exactly knew what we needed. ;Pompus

The control board:

Control-Pannel-GHL.jpg


This board is incredible guys, super light and available in two colours, black and white. I have the regular version - Standard Aquarium Controller Board Mounting System from Marine Depot.

  • Face Size: 25.25" H x 15 W
  • Thickness: 3.5"
  • Inside Zip Tie Tracks: 2
  • Inside Shelf: 1
  • Hole size A: 1.25" x 3"

We have an extra shelf added, and also it's super simple to set on the board. I required only one for the GHL Combo setup. With GHL ProfiLux 4 Aquarium Controller - Mega-Set and KH Director. And under the shelf, I have an iPad connected to the controller for instantaneous access to the charts and settings. Plus on the right, the controller of the Hydor Seltz D 3200 GPH return pump.

I know what you're thinking now: "It's overkill for clownfish grow out system, no one is using such high-end equipment on breeding setups. And alkalinity levels are not that big of an issue for fish-only systems!"

And I can agree with you, but ask yourself: How many fish breeders are reefers like us? And you'd be right, not so many. Or perhaps I don't know many of them. But that doesn't mean we can't set up a fish-only system with high-quality equipment. They simplify processes that you need and besides you can't deny the fact that it's super fun! ;Happy

Profilux4_002.jpg


Stability is the key in any saltwater system. Therefore a monitoring system of any kind is very welcome! There are various names I follow with fangirl mania. Each contributes something unique beyond a cool name or fancy, but worthless features. If you've seen any of our previous articles, then you already know GHL is one of these select brands. Profilux 4 is doing its job perfectly. I can't say that the Profilux 4 user interface is the most user-friendly on the market, but it's a fantastic piece of equipment. pH, ORP, Salinity, Temp monitoring, and reporting anything that you need to know about your system. When you're taking care of 2000 fishes, you want to be sure that they are safe.

Profilux4_001.jpg


After all, I sleep much better when I know that the controller is taking care of the lights, cooling fan, temp, alk levels, dosing schedule and especially heaters!

Don't hesitate to ask questions, but for now, let's dig a little deeper into the sump ... ;Happy
 

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