breeding clowns

[cruzeoc]

has any one successfully bred clown fish if so what paramiters did you go by or did you just run it like a normal reef tank

[NaH2O]

I don't know of anyone that has successfully bred clownfish. There is a lot of extra care that needs to go into it. Growing phyto to feed rotifers, then feeding the rotifers to the babies. I've heard the book by Joyce Wilkerson is a good place to start. Also here is some information from Albert Thiel's site: Breeding Clowns (http://www.athiel.com/breeding/clowns.htm). I hope you find this helpful and let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

The following quote regarding eggs is taken from the above website:


Eggs Day 1-3
The eggs begin life as a bright orange colour and then turn a dark brown at about day 3.

Eggs Day 4
On day 4, the egg has a dark pigment which is the eye.

Eggs Day 5-6
Around day 5, the eggs turn a slivery colour.

Hatching
Just before the eggs hatch, they are violet and seem to bulge. Eggs will hatch within 6 to 12 days and generally on day 7 or 8. They will hatch at night 1 to 2 hours after darkness and the hatching can take 15 to 20 minutes. All unhatched eggs will hatch the following day.

Larva
The larva are 4mm in length and will head towards the upper part of the tank.

Larva Tank
It is recommended that all larva are moved to a separate larva tank. To move the larva, shine a torch (flashlight) on one of the sides of the tank after hatching has occurred. The larva will be drawn to the light and they can be carefully siphoned out of the main tank. DO NOT use a net, as this will damage their incredible delicate bodies. The larva tank should have high blacked out sides, good lighting and a continuous flow of fine air bubbles. As a general rule, the tank should be at least 10 gallons in size with 30 to 50 being preferred. The tank can be a simple affair with a heater and an air stone leaving the bottom bare to ensure easy maintenance. Obviously the water quality needs to be exactly the same in the larva tank as it is in the main tank.

Cleaning Larva Tank
Siphon settled particles from the tank everyday using a small hose. Change 10 to 20 percent of the water every 2 days. It is imperative that the larva tank is kept clean. Continually monitor the water conditions.

Feeding Larva
This seems to be the hardest part. Rotifers should be feed as a first food with baby brine shrimp being feed around day 4. On day 10-15 try pulverised flake food and blended food like shrimp or scallop.

Juvenile Growth
The young receive their colour when they are about 1/4" to 1/2" long at which stage, they can be moved to a filtered tank.