clown litter

Discussion in 'Breeding Tropical Fish' started by zjpeter, May 28, 2010.

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  1. zjpeter

    zjpeter Ritteri Anemone

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    i was trying to film an update video of my tank yesterday but my female clown was beating the crap out of my 6line and i couldn't figure out why. lo and behold, last night my clowns laid eggs. i know i should do my own research but i'm off to work in about ten minutes and i'm leaving town for the weekend at 3 this afternoon. i was hoping some of you knowledgeable reefers could save me some time.

    how long after laying do the eggs hatch?

    i can't remove the eggs where they are, i have to let them hatch in the DT. do i just siphon them out or try to net them?

    do they have special water parameter needs?

    i plan on buying food and not cultivating my own. what do they eat? rotifiiers, oyster eggs? will they eat cyclops?

    what helpful tips can you give me?

    i have a greedy 6line wrasse. are my worries in vain, should i accept that they are going to become wrasse food?
     
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  3. horkn

    horkn Giant Squid

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    That's cool Joe!

    I do have to say that raising clowns, and most marine fish, is a lot of work.

    You will pretty much need to devote a lot of time. 3-5 feedings a day, make your own rotifer cultures, and a lot of other work.

    The treasurer of our club raised successfully over 200 fry and they are basically ready to go to new homes now. He is only keeping a few for himself.

    Here is his picture slide show
    Picasa Web Albums - Rick - clownfish Jan...

    Look at the date, Jan 23, and these are ready to go to homes in early June. Granted, they stopped needing rotifers to eat a while ago, but it is a lot of work.
     
  4. sostoudt

    sostoudt Giant Squid

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    I may be wrong but I think they hatch around a week later.
    They eat live rotifiers for the first few days many times a day, then then when big enough they eat brine shrimp. rotifiers will only sustain them for so long.

    They should be in a special tank with airpump powered sponge filters. In your tank they probably will be sucked into filters, eaten, or crash you tank with heavy feedings need to raise them. They most likely will be eaten. If your serious about raising them siphon them out to another tank.
     
  5. zjpeter

    zjpeter Ritteri Anemone

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    thanks for the quick help guys. i've also been doing a bit of research online and i'm beginning to think that my wrasse is just going to eat very well in a week.... not cruel, just a realist. it's the circle of life you know

    i was just excited to see little eggs in the tank.
     
  6. schackmel

    schackmel Giant Squid

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    yeah unfortunately your other fish and corals are going to be fed well.

    It is very cool to see eggs though....usually a sign of a great tank! My mantis layed an egg sac and I knew they were not fertile, but it was very exciting to see and watch the whole procress!
     
  7. T-BASS

    T-BASS Astrea Snail

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    My clowns lay eggs every 3-4 months. One of these days I'm gonna try to raise them, just to busy these days. I always feel bad especailly for the little male cause of all the work he does with the eggs:cry:
     
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  9. Seano Hermano

    Seano Hermano Giant Squid

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    That would be so cool! :):):) Did he have any special equipment, aside from the sponge filter & air pump?
     
  10. sostoudt

    sostoudt Giant Squid

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    If they are in a breeding setup with plenty of food and privacy they are supposed to do it bi monthly I think.
     
  11. Seano Hermano

    Seano Hermano Giant Squid

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    When my 55 is up & matured I would love to raise fry. That would be interesting and a great learning experience.
     
  12. greysoul

    greysoul Stylophora

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    mine lay eggs every 14-15 days. They take about 7-8 days to hatch.

    Their chance of survival in anything but a special tank for rearing fry is as close to 0% as you can get without being 0.

    Still, it's fun to watch, and free food for the rest of the tank.