remove clown eggs without killing them?

[salty joe]

My Allards clowns decided to start laying eggs a few months ago. One batch of eggs after the other!
Is it possible to remove the eggs from a rock wall without killing them?

 

[D-Nak]

Unfortunately, it's not possible. Your best bet is to add a tile on top of where the pair likes to lay and hope that they lay on that instead. Most clowns like to lay on the same spot so the chances are fairly high that they'll lay on it.

 

[salty joe]

Yep, exact same spot, thanks. I'll give that a try when I'm ready to attempt raising clowns.

 

[Largeangels]

The other option is to get a Vossen's Larval trap.

 

[salty joe]

Never heard of that, what a cool idea! Thanks!

 

[Largeangels]

 

[D-Nak]

If only the Vossens trap worked as well as it appears in the video, I'd continue to use it. I would love to see a video that shows the beginning of the collection process--I hate to be a skeptic but for all we know someone dumped babies into the trap and is simply showing how the babies tumble within it.

I encountered a few problems:

1. Adjusting the bubble amount to get the babies to enter and tumble in the trap takes some finessing.
   
   
2. The light that attaches to the outside of the tank falls off. I plan to swap out the suction cup for magnets.
   
   
3. If there are any fish in the tank that are up at dusk/night--such as cardinals--they pick off the babies before they make it into the trap. The light that attracts the babies also attracts other fish.

This is not to say that the trap doesn't work, it definitely does, and it beats manually collecting fry--which takes a long time and the risk of damaging or killing the babies is high.

 

[Largeangels]

Thanks for the feedback. I've only seen the videos but never used one.

 

[Uncle99]

It’s best to remove the nest fully but not until the day before hatch as parents are the best at keeping the eggs until hatch.

You can harvest some on the night of hatch (eyes go silver) by placing a small narrow flashlight at the top corner and using airline tube to transfer to a cup.

You must have at least 7-10 days fresh Rotifers (gut packed with phyto and selcon) ready if your thinking of moving forward.

 

[D-Nak]

It’s best to remove the nest fully but not until the day before hatch as parents are the best at keeping the eggs until hatch.

You can harvest some on the night of hatch (eyes go silver) by placing a small narrow flashlight at the top corner and using airline tube to transfer to a cup.

You must have at least 7-10 days fresh Rotifers (gut packed with phyto and selcon) ready if your thinking of moving forward.

If you're recommending that the babies are sucked out of the tank through the airline tubing, I advise against this. Anecdotally speaking, this could cause physical deformities as the babies grow. Even babies bumping their heads onto the walls of the grow out tank is believed to be a cause of these physical deformities.

 

[Uncle99]

If you're recommending that the babies are sucked out of the tank through the airline tubing, I advise against this. Anecdotally speaking, this could cause physical deformities as the babies grow. Even babies bumping their heads onto the walls of the grow out tank is believed to be a cause of these physical deformities.

Of course it’s not a great idea, but I have saved many this way before, rather this, than all fish food.

While many damaged, some survive, and I can end up with say 30 ish which is better than zero.

Moving the substrate is certainly best and easier, but sometimes, for me anyways, it’s not always possible to do that as in the example of the poster.

It’s more of an easy river than the rapids.