any tips on how to get better hatch rate of true perc eggs after egg transfer

[gmneil]

i finally got my clowns to lay eggs on the tiles this time, so last night i moved the tile into the fry tank with parent tank water, eggs never touched air. i put a air stone to gently move the eggs but couldnt get all of them, (maybe next time i will try an air stick) any way i lost 75% of the eggs by the morning, i didnt loose that many when i took the time to scoop them out of the display the previous batch..

am i doing something wrong?

does anyone have any tips tricks photos videos on how to do this correctly so i have better rates in the future?

 

[SSprince]

I think they are supposed stay in the main tank till the 8th day? I'm no breeder, but I'm sure I read it here somewhere...........There's a member here that is very successful at breeding clowns, do a search.. Sorry I'm not more help....

 

[SSprince]

Here's some good reading, I found it in about 15 seconds..........(without doing a search!)

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2209136

 

[gmneil]

i did alot of reading already and i have been given advice in the past, my clowns breed thursday night adn the following friday they hatch and every time they hatch over 2 nights. i am asking for any tips that more experienced people may have picked up along the way as everything i have read and seen hasnt produced good results for me so far.

i moved my eggs at lights out the night they were supposed to hatch i just want to perfect the method.

 

[nuccadoc]

gmneil, I don't consider my self an expert by any means when it comes to raising true percs but I am getting good results. So this is my current procedure.

My clowns are in a 34 gal Solana and I let the eggs hatch in the tank. I have no other fish in the tank. I have a ten gal tank with an airstone and heater right next to the tank and I remove them with a tea strainer. I don't believe the interaction with air is the problem but how gentle you are with the eggs. My success rate is about 75%. I had one batch where I ran out of ten gal tanks and had to use a bucket and my wife was very aggressive with the strainer and we lost all them all.

I feed with live rotifers immediately and continue doing so for at least three weeks. I then ween them onto Otohime B1. These I purchase from Reedmariculture.com.

I have a 50 gal container in my garage with fresh saltwater to help with all the water changes I perform which is every two to three days at roughly 50%, sometimes more.

I know my procedure may not be ideal but I have healthy fish and a lot of them.

 

[gmneil]

the tea strainer might be a good idea, my clowns are in my 125 display and i have some other fish that usually eat the babies as soon as they hatch, its like they hang around and wait for them to hatch, this is why i wanted to try moving the tile. my eggs also hatch over 2 nights wich makes things even harder lol.

i appreciate the info and i would love more. maybe with every ones different experiences i can find something that will work for me in this situation.

 

[nuccadoc]

Yeah I think the size of your tank with the other inhabitants is making thing harder for you. Having a dedicated tank for the pair is a definite plus. In fact I can't keep anything else with them. Also the small size of the tank helps tremendously. Good luck!

 

[gmneil]

I am afraid to take them out of the tank as well because i dont want them to stop laying eggs. So i have to make this work somehow .

 

[nuccadoc]

What about transferring them when she's not laying eggs? She will go dormant for a few months and then start back up again. Just a thought.

 

[gmneil]

I dont want to interrupt them as i have had them for years and they just started laying.

I think i am going to experiment with different ways to get good flow over the eggs. Eventually i should find something that works.

 

[gmneil]

I know for cardinals some people dip the eggs to prevent fungus anyone ever have any luck with doing that with the clown eggs?

 

[reefstew]

It all comes down to aerating the eggs. If you want to get a lot then transfer the eggs to another tank. I use new sea water not from the breeder system. Their is a fine line on not enough air & too much air. If the eggs are white the next day then not enought air or the air was to far from the eggs. If they hatch & a lot are dead the next morning then to much air. 1 more thing, you should only need rotifers for 8 days & start otohime A on day 5.
Good Luck.

 

[gmneil]

just seen ho my lfs who breeds slowns airates their eggs so i am going to try with a bubble sick and suction cups on the bottom of the tank. i think i have a better understanding of it now, next hatch ill try it and see if it works if it does i will post pictures.