Amphiprion percula "Onxy" (Onyx Percula Clown) Breeding Log!
- Thread starter mwp
- Start date
mwp
In Memoriam
Didn't collect the hatch 'cause I had no place for them...my 2 10 gallon larval tanks are FULL! 
I offered them up to Joe L. if he wanted to raise them (we have different "clients") but from his experience, there tends to be a lot of culls in Perculas, hence not worth the effort to rear them commercially, at least for his operation.
Matt
I offered them up to Joe L. if he wanted to raise them (we have different "clients") but from his experience, there tends to be a lot of culls in Perculas, hence not worth the effort to rear them commercially, at least for his operation.Matt
mwp
In Memoriam
Carl, I forgot about that, I should take you up on that down the line, granted I have 100+ babies running around here now..that's plenty to play with for the moment. Down the line (after Feb) I have another interested party who wants to buy 'em small and grow 'em out....that'll be VERY SWEET as long as we can agree on a fair price!
Matt
Matt
mwp
In Memoriam
How about a quick update on Batch VIII! They are now 15 days old (if I've done the math right). I tried to get some good pictures, below is the best one. I counted 54 baby clowns just in the picture...my guestimate on my total population is somewhere in the neighborhood of 75-100. Definitely improving. I threw a clump of Red Gracilaria into their tank on Friday or Saturday...can't hurt to help control wastes etc..
Some other random tidbits, Batch VI is now 40 days old. Yesterday, at 39 days of age, the first 2 babies from my pair were sold to fellow fish breeders and have gone off to new homes. Specifically, I randomly caught the LARGEST baby, the only one that had black pelvic fins, and a random medium sized baby. I'm definitely curious to hear how they fare. Also, early this evening, Batch VI (and the gobies) got a 5 gallon water change, dosed with Reef Plus and Reef Iodide, just an FYI. I'm really wondering when the 2nd stripes are gonna show up. FWIW, I'm starting to think there's more to coloration / stripe development than just diet and water quality - it truly seems that lighting quality and intensity may play a role...
FWIW,
Matt
Some other random tidbits, Batch VI is now 40 days old. Yesterday, at 39 days of age, the first 2 babies from my pair were sold to fellow fish breeders and have gone off to new homes. Specifically, I randomly caught the LARGEST baby, the only one that had black pelvic fins, and a random medium sized baby. I'm definitely curious to hear how they fare. Also, early this evening, Batch VI (and the gobies) got a 5 gallon water change, dosed with Reef Plus and Reef Iodide, just an FYI. I'm really wondering when the 2nd stripes are gonna show up. FWIW, I'm starting to think there's more to coloration / stripe development than just diet and water quality - it truly seems that lighting quality and intensity may play a role...
FWIW,
Matt
mwp
In Memoriam
I'm leaning towards water quality for striping but also lighting. Batch III popped stripes up pretty darn quick...they were in the breeder net in the 24 gallon cube with 72 watts of daylight / actinic over them. BAtch VI is now approaching the same age, had only ONE fish with Black Pelvic fins, no hints of 2nd stripes showing on ANY of the babies and some of the largest are the same size as Batch III now, and they're lit with only a 15 watt flourescent over their 10 gallon tank. And then I look at the amount of black that Batch I had developed and compare to Batch III at the same age...one group had blank flanks, one did not. And then I look at the dramatic change on the 'mature' "Halfblack" Ocellaris I brought over from Joe and threw under 150 watts of 10k HQI and in 7 weeks they're almost entirely jet black?
I'm REALLY seriously starting to "feel" that there's a connection between light quality and/or quantity and general coloration development. I'm not in a position at the moment to scientifically evaluate this growing hunch, but I AM in a position where I may be getting some REALLY BRIGHT LIGHTING for both my larval 10 gallons (maybe 2nd strips, maybe with 50/50 PC bulbs in them?) We're getting really close to that time when we will lose 45% of our income, so if I'm gonna make that purchase, I'm gonna have to do it soon
FWIW,
Matt
I'm REALLY seriously starting to "feel" that there's a connection between light quality and/or quantity and general coloration development. I'm not in a position at the moment to scientifically evaluate this growing hunch, but I AM in a position where I may be getting some REALLY BRIGHT LIGHTING for both my larval 10 gallons (maybe 2nd strips, maybe with 50/50 PC bulbs in them?) We're getting really close to that time when we will lose 45% of our income, so if I'm gonna make that purchase, I'm gonna have to do it soon
FWIW,
Matt
Consider Joe's fish. He had a whole nest of these guys turn black under his lighting. Yours are two that did not.
I do not think it is lighting that made the difference. I think it was developmental age. JMO
Our larvae do not all grow at the same speed and do not mature at the same time. Your two may be genetically inclined to develop later, or may not have been aggressive enough to compete for food with the others at a critical color making time in their development. You have no idea if light played any role in the color development there since you did not have a control group of half blacks under low light. But it can't be environmental if most of Joe's hatch turned black at his place.
I do not think it is lighting that made the difference. I think it was developmental age. JMO
Our larvae do not all grow at the same speed and do not mature at the same time. Your two may be genetically inclined to develop later, or may not have been aggressive enough to compete for food with the others at a critical color making time in their development. You have no idea if light played any role in the color development there since you did not have a control group of half blacks under low light. But it can't be environmental if most of Joe's hatch turned black at his place.
mwp
In Memoriam
Kathy, you raise a good point, it's not like Joe had a whole bactch or every batch of Black Ocellaris develop into "halfblacks". I definitely don't have a rebuttle for that fact. It doesn't shake my "gut feeling" though, although you do raise a good point about "developmental age", i.e. the halfblacks, once receiving their own private tank, easily and quickly went from juveniles to "male and female", aka they "matured".
Matt
Matt
mwp
In Memoriam
More Updates!
Batch VI is now 41.5 days old and the first 2nd stripe showed up today! WHOO HOO! Still planning on tossing an additional light on this tank. I may not be keeping track of EVERY water change here in the log, but they did get 30% today, plus a dosing of Reef Plus and Reef Iodide.
Batch VIII - 16.5 days old or so, ammonia has once again started rearing it's ugly head, pushing the ammonia alert badge from the "Safe" level to the "alert" level. They got probably a 30% water change today as well, along with the dosing of Reef Plus and Reef Iodide.
Both groups are getting OTO, Cyclopeze, Cyclops, crushed up Formula 1 pellets, and selcon enriched live Baby Brine Shrimp. Additionally, the larger babies got some Ocean Nutrition "Pygmy Angel" diet last night (leftover from feeding the parental tank), and probably 50% of them are now capable of taking down frozen adult brine shrimp.
I'm focusing for the time being on simply keeping the bellies full almost all the time (they're all totally skinny every morning!) and doing my best to maintain good water quality (I want GOOD stripes and no snubbed noses!)
FWIW,
Matt
Batch VI is now 41.5 days old and the first 2nd stripe showed up today! WHOO HOO! Still planning on tossing an additional light on this tank. I may not be keeping track of EVERY water change here in the log, but they did get 30% today, plus a dosing of Reef Plus and Reef Iodide.
Batch VIII - 16.5 days old or so, ammonia has once again started rearing it's ugly head, pushing the ammonia alert badge from the "Safe" level to the "alert" level. They got probably a 30% water change today as well, along with the dosing of Reef Plus and Reef Iodide.
Both groups are getting OTO, Cyclopeze, Cyclops, crushed up Formula 1 pellets, and selcon enriched live Baby Brine Shrimp. Additionally, the larger babies got some Ocean Nutrition "Pygmy Angel" diet last night (leftover from feeding the parental tank), and probably 50% of them are now capable of taking down frozen adult brine shrimp.
I'm focusing for the time being on simply keeping the bellies full almost all the time (they're all totally skinny every morning!) and doing my best to maintain good water quality (I want GOOD stripes and no snubbed noses!)
FWIW,
Matt
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
I just finished Hoff's book and that IS where it's from. He also attributes mis-barring to water quality, too.
Matt, it's something I may have missed along the way, but can you go over your thoughts on green water/rotifer/copepod culture for larvae? How do you set it up? How long does it take to get it ready for the larvae? Where do you get your copepods?
Thanks!
Matt, it's something I may have missed along the way, but can you go over your thoughts on green water/rotifer/copepod culture for larvae? How do you set it up? How long does it take to get it ready for the larvae? Where do you get your copepods?
Thanks!
mwp
In Memoriam
Andy, here's a rundown on that "experimental" rotifer/3cope co-culture that I've been trying to establish in advance of actually placing larvae in an empty tank -> http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=994478 - I was really doing this more for Mandarins, Apogon leptacanthus, or the Greenbanded Gobies.
There's no way I can culture enough copepods in a standalone setting to feed them daily. So, the longer you can maintain it before larvae are due, the better....copepods aren't nearly as productive as rotifers...i.e. it can take a month or more for a copepod population to "bloom".
FWIW,
Matt
There's no way I can culture enough copepods in a standalone setting to feed them daily. So, the longer you can maintain it before larvae are due, the better....copepods aren't nearly as productive as rotifers...i.e. it can take a month or more for a copepod population to "bloom".
FWIW,
Matt
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
Thanks, Matt! I had no idea where in your body of work to look. 
mwp
In Memoriam
Batch VIII, 17.5 days old - Batch VIII has been evicted from their 10 gallon rearing tank due to my need for a quarantine location. Banished to a breeder net in the cardinalfish tank (which is only 24 gallons and already has 16 adult fish in it!), I counted 79.
Thankfully I just installed a Remora Protien Skimmer on the tank last week, and the babies at this point are still small. Not a SINGLE one had any kind of shock reaction to being netted out, and that includes a 1 degree temp drop. Just netted out of one, dumped into the other!
What does 79 2.5 week old Perculas look like in a breeder net?
FWIW,
Matt
Thankfully I just installed a Remora Protien Skimmer on the tank last week, and the babies at this point are still small. Not a SINGLE one had any kind of shock reaction to being netted out, and that includes a 1 degree temp drop. Just netted out of one, dumped into the other!
What does 79 2.5 week old Perculas look like in a breeder net?
FWIW,
Matt
