Jump to content

breeding maroon clowns


skipperawe

Recommended Posts

My mated pair of maroon clowns were recently moved to a larger tank and have started breeding, they did this 3 days ago for the first time. the eggs unfortunately died, but i am given to understand that is normal? Anyway, im seriously considering trying to rear the fry when my clowns get it right.

 

this is what the eggs looked like on hatch day

CK7c2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You will need to take the eggs out right after they lay them to have a chance; at least from my understanding.

 

i was under the impression that the two common ways of getting the fry were pulling the eggs out the day the eyes become visible and syphoning the fry out of the mother tank when they hatch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The easiest method is to place a piece of tile in the tank at the place where they place their eggs. Then before they hatch all you have to do is remove the tile.

 

Since this is their first time they may not have eggs regularly yet, keep an eye on the spot and see if they do it again, it will typically be every 2-4 weeks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i was under the impression that the two common ways of getting the fry were pulling the eggs out the day the eyes become visible and syphoning the fry out of the mother tank when they hatch.

 

That is correct that both methods can be done. You have a higher concentration with the egg pull method. To pull the fry out after hatching shine a flash light into the top of the tank and the fry will swim to the light making them easier to suck out. There are also bubble traps that work great for that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any ideas on what you might do with all the offspring when they start getting older and more territorial? My sense is that the commercial demand for maroon clowns bred by a hobbyist is not too high.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I read the clownfish book from Joyce D. Wilkerson, it says that there is another method. You can wait untill the eggs hatch and at night put a flashlight on the surface. The light will attract the larvae and you can use like a plastic cup to transfer them from the tank to the hatchery.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any ideas on what you might do with all the offspring when they start getting older and more territorial? My sense is that the commercial demand for maroon clowns bred by a hobbyist is not too high.

Just speaking for myself here, I would do it for the challange and not for any profit. I like the idea that I would be helping to keep wild caught clowns from being sold.

 

I'm sure there are people in the club that would take the clowns and raise them to a larger size as that has been done in the past.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just speaking for myself here, I would do it for the challange and not for any profit. I like the idea that I would be helping to keep wild caught clowns from being sold.

 

I'm sure there are people in the club that would take the clowns and raise them to a larger size as that has been done in the past.

 

I agree with you that marine fish breeding is fascinating and rewarding for it's own sake. My point was simply that a hobbyist breeder could quickly find himself with a hundred juvenile clownfish of one of the more aggressive clown species, and they could become a problem. They will be hard to sell or even give away in those quantities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

i have been observing my clowns behavior, and i believe they are about to spawn again. They spend much more tim together in a small area that the male clown constantly picks at. i also see what appears to be an ovipositor on the female. yay!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my fish have indeed spawned, but they have done so in a near impossible place to see, so no pics :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats Glenn! It's fun to watch them spawn and then watch as they raise the eggs to the hatching point. One thing to consider is that if you do introduce a tile in there, there's a chance that this will turn them off of spawning for a bit. It's also not unusual for them to eat the first few batches of eggs themselves. Eventually, they will spawn and the eggs will go through an entire cycle and hatch and then if you really want, you can siphon out the babies (I would actually just scoop them as I used a low key bubbler before to harvest some frye and when I bubbled them into a mesh container they all got stuck halfway in and halfway out, kind of like a gill net - very sad to see.

 

If you are going to try and raise them, it's important to have all of your ducks in a row prior to starting. Touch base with some of the breeders on here or over on MOFIB (?). If you keep your water and tank conditions good and feed them plenty of food I'm sure they'll continue to lay for you with regularity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

so how do u get them to start spawing....we have a pair of persulas and I have never seen them spawn or anything near wanting too

Link to comment
Share on other sites

to spawn and get good eggs, feed lots with high quality foods.

 

if you do the lights out method, all pumps have to be off in the tank. They will hatch 30-60 min after lights out. Collect, and turn everything on again. Tiles are easier.

 

you need to start the rotifer cultures and BBS up before considering raising the fry.

 

 

try it, it's fun! you will have to heed the advice about having too many clowns of an aggressive species. You will have to give them away if you get to many. You should be able to set up your cultures and equip for <$120, and hope to sell enough clowns to cover that. But don't expect to make $$, just have fun an learn a lot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Mr. Lin! I was wondering when I'd hear from you.

 

My maroon's eggs died 3 days after laid. they then laid another clutch 2 days later. I've never heard of spawning so rapidly.

 

Eventually i do hope to raise the fry, but for now im just observing.

 

Im also going to put a tile where theyve been spawning in the hopes theyll lay on it. unfortunately its not a very good spot IMO. low water flow compared to the rest of the tank.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Mr. Lin! I was wondering when I'd hear from you.

 

My maroon's eggs died 3 days after laid. they then laid another clutch 2 days later. I've never heard of spawning so rapidly.

 

Eventually i do hope to raise the fry, but for now im just observing.

 

Im also going to put a tile where theyve been spawning in the hopes theyll lay on it. unfortunately its not a very good spot IMO. low water flow compared to the rest of the tank.

 

 

Keep an eye on the eggs. The embryos develop a silver color the day before hatching, this is the reflection of their eyes. That keeps you from staying up nights unnecessarily. Maroons take a while to reach maturity, and gold stripe maroons take even longer. There isn't a lot of demand for maroons, so I second the notion that you would have to give them away but it is lots of fun to rear them anyway. You could always get some ocellaris or perculas, they are a lot more popular.

 

If you can get a copy, see Joyce Wilkerson's book on clownfish, it is pretty detailed. Frank Hoff also wrote one 10-15 years ago which is much more detailed but it is also tedious reading. Although the guy was an aquaculture pioneer and smart scientist, a writer he was not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

thanks brewski, but im not sure thats going to happen. certainly not anytime soon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately if you get a big batch through you will have satisfied the market for a hundred miles in every direction for a few months. There will be plenty of local homes for the babies but then nobody will buy a maroon for the next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

news! my maroons successfully hatched their eggs for the first time last night. i didn't collect them, but its nice to know that they're doing their part. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...