PaddyOB's Project ** Clownfish Breeding **
 

Ok so to start this build a few things. No, I have never intentionally bred clowns. Yes they have bred in my tanks. Yes I know captive breeding is easy but raising the fry is not.

Soooo... It's a project. We all know it gets done, so why not me?

I'm going to attempt it anyhow.


I have arranged for a 40G breeder which i will be picking up in the next bit. Thanks Jeff!

I am going to divide it with black acrylic and have two separate sides, each isolated from the other. I'm not planning a sump system. Probably just AC30s. One each side. Easy to shut off if you need to.

I figure I'll start with two pairs. Orange OC pair (bought today from Hooper) and the second pair 1x orange OC, 1x black OC.

Any thoughts on the pairings ?

Once I get the tank running and established I'll start my phyto and roti cultures.


So yea. I don't know what the H.E. double hockey sticks I'm doin but I'm hoping to take my hobby to a different level. And I hope it works.

I'm cheap. Lol. Start small.

I have had 16 pairs of clownfish for over a year now.
to date, only 1 pair has laid eggs.
getting them to breed, IMO, is the big first step.
if you have luck in that department I would love to hear of what you are doing to get them to breed.
I have thought about playing fish porn and some Barry White music to see if that would help...lol
all kidding aside, it is frustrating...
good luck though.
I would hold off for the rotifers and phyto because even if they do breed, they recommend leaving them alone for the first 2 or 3 batches so you don't spook them.
it doesn't take that long to get the cultures up and running.

I agree. I plan to have the tank established and as you mentioned, breeding before going into phyto.

However, I could use the phyto for other feeding purposes too I am sure if I had extra sitting around.

This is a long term project for me. More of an "I F**KING LOVE CLOWNFISH lets turn the hobby up a notch!". I am looking to challenge myself. Maybe if my fish get lucky... I will too. :razz:

ovaprim?

huh?

hormone injections to induce spawning ::mrgreen:

Thanks for the humor, but can future posts try stay serious please. Font want to contest the thread.

Keep the breeding systems separate.

As alot of companies have found out eggs can get fertilized from males in a completely different tank. Even if they are different species.

Really? In different tanks? How??

They won't share filtration or anything.


Oh yea, how you feel about donating to a breeding program. I hear you have a nice specimen. Lol.

Technically speaking... I now have two pair of OC.

SA Vivid Fancy OCs and straight up OC from an unknown source.

I'll post pics of both... You won't believe the color difference until you see them.

Yes even in different tanks. The males semen will stay in the water and as it passes through all the tanks there is a chance it will fertilize receptive eggs.

This ofcourse only works with tanks sharing the same sump thats why I said you need to keep them seperate.

Id be happy to donate my fish if you donate $400 to my wallet.

Yes I won't go sump. I want to be able to shut off the filters and run sponge if necessary. Separately in case of eggs or fry.


I wish. I'll start small. Work my way up to designers if I get good results.

Unique bugger for sure, but way outta my price range. Good luck.

Ok. Lining up next clown already. Lol.

My buddy has an onyx perc. No mate.

I'm going to buy her and try pair her with another standard perc.

Not prepared to pick her up yet.

Thought crossed my mind... Maybe I'm better to stick with OCs for species continuity.

Then if the day comes in my lifetime... I can selectively breed between them.

Unless of course they will actually interbreed as things say on the net.

It is my build. I can talk to who ever I like. :twised:

Keeping track of things I need to know.

At least he is only talking to himself...not the fishes. So maybe a little sanity remains somewhere. :wink:

This is a great project! I admire your ambition. I'm looking forward to following along to see the results.

Thanks!

I am hoping through trial (and not so much error) that something positive will come of this... Some day.

:)

Yea. Uh. Yea. Not talking to the fish...uhhhhh. :P

Not to worry, it only starts to get hairy when you make multiple accounts and start taking to yourself :lol:.

Subscribed, always been interested in the subject but I've never had any luck!

Toughest part is to get them spawning.

A lot of books and websites are dedicated to clownfish spawning. But you have to read between the lines, as no "expert" will share everything.

We have accomplished various techniques to enhancing spawing, diet, and grow out. One thing we have found, there is not 1 sure fire way to do it. I can attest to that as I followed a known working technique for my darwins, but had to change a few things before pre-hatch (took a year to figure it out) to get them to survice the first 48 hours.

I would recommend getting phyto and rotifer culters going at all times. Doesn't hurt using them to feed your corals anyways.

You need to master those cultures, and the counts need to be good enough long before you have eggs show up.

Don't know why, but some have problems to get the numbers high enough sustain the fry.

First official pair

http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...11FCE340A0.jpg

Going to pick up my tank today from Jeff out in SP.

I built a new stand too. It's 90% finished and will be done this weekend
I hope. And running tank. Lol.

I need a couple things yet. Aqua clear 30s x2. Heaters x2. A piece of black acrylic.

Anyhow. Pics later today.

Don't pay for any AC 30's, I can help you out.

Tank acquired. As are the AC30s.

Thanks Jeff! You are a good guy!

Levi,

I forgot to tell you, the Onyx I got from you started spawning already

I'm getting a big female onyx from Bignose. I might need a male for her shortly.

Here is the new tank.

And stand. I built it in about 3hrs. Needs paint and done. Divider will be cut and installed.

Might just use clear acrylic as I already have it. Anyone think clowns seeing other clowns is a bad idea? Should I go black divider?


http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...1C930F71CB.jpg

Great to hear!!

Paint day. Painted the stand and decided to paint the tank back blue. I prefer not seeing the back side of my tank. Looks messy.

http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...F416DE52EF.jpg

Looking great Patrick! I'm no clown expert but I think a black divider would be better. They will be fighting at the acrylic divider all day instead of cranking up the Barry White and getting down! Lol

Yea I agree. Was thinking about that. Might be stressful. Especially seeing the female Onyx I'm getting is a good size. And rumored to be a tad aggressive. She might not like her neighbors.

Painted


http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...E32F29B08C.jpg


Just update on pair number one. Looking good.

http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...11FCE340A0.jpg

Looks like fun. Good luck in your quest for baby clowns

The acrylic has landed. $15 for my piece at Sabic. Will install it later.

http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/u...820B83D6C2.jpg

keep in mind that plastic will expand significantly more than glass when heated, so if that plastic baffle is tight it will likely buckle once the water is heated.

There is about 1/8" gap on each side.