Attempting to breed clownfish - log

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My clownfish just laid their 3rd batch of eggs. After following many peoples advice I was able to place a tile in the tank and they took to it immediatly. Here is a pic of the new eggs.

dsc_2886_edit_230.jpg


I had started a phyto culture last week and it appears to have crashed. It has gotten lighter the last two days and now looks kind of yellow. I'm going to have to figure out what went wrong.

I had bought the phyto from the LFS. It came in a small water bottle for $6.99. I aslo bought the fertalizer which is based on the f/2 formula. I had a 1.7 litre clear orange juice container that I had rinsed out and let dry. I poured the phyto from the water container into the orange juice container. I then added my pre mixed RO/DI saltwater @ 1.019. I then added 19 drops of the fertalizer using the tools provided as per the instructions. I placed the airline in the bottle and started to bubble the mix. I had it bubbleing pretty fast but the bubbles were not collecting at the top like a skimmer. I placed the bottle in front of 2 20W flourecent tubes that I had from an old hood. The lights were on a 16 hour timer.

Anyway if you see something I messed up let me know.

I picked up the Clownfish last night and read to about page 100. I have not read anything from the breeding section yet but am looking forward to it.

Things I have to grow the fish out.

1 brine shrimp hatchery
2 10 gallon tanks
1 20 gallon tank
1 50w heater
1 air pump
1 4 way air valve
1 aqua clear 200 (don't know if this will be useful)
A euro-reef RS135 skimmer (got a great deal on it but have not bought the bigger tank for it yet).
I have a couple of maxi-jets lying around to use as needed.

If I can get the fry to grow I will buy more tanks as required. I don't want to put to much money out until I'm sure it's somthing I can and am willing to do.

I ordered the live rotifers from the LFS and have to pick them up on Wednesday. I will have to buy some phyto to feed them until I can get my culture going.

Any words of wisdom or suggestions would be great. I will probably have to let this batch go as I will probably not be ready. But atleast I know they like the tile I placed in the tank.

Thanks

FB
 
Sounds like your getting a good start. As for your phyto, did it get nice a dark looking before it yellowed? Based on the time frame, I think it peaked and started dieing back. Usually it only takes a week from inoculation to a culture being ready for harvest. At this point you really need to harvest regularly to keep the culture in the exponential growth phase. Depending on how far gone it is, and what phyto it is, you might be able to renew that culture by putting a couple of ounces into a fresh bottle of medium.
 
Congrats on the spawn and on them taking to a tile:)

I had the same trouble with the nanochloropsis culture that I bought in bulk. I had better luck with a culture disk:

https://3kserver7.com/~frank/secure/agora.cgi?cart_id=2064269.8007*lO1yz8&product=LIVE_CULTURES

Several people have mentioned too, that it's a whole lot easier and less mess to just use the algae paste, so that is what my main food source for my rotifer culture is.

Also, be sure and check out the links on the stickied thread at the top of this forum.
 
What are you refering to when you talk about algae paste.

Out of curiosity how much phyto do the rotifers go through. I was thinking of buying phyto until I can get a culture going to keep the rotifers to atleast try to raise this batch.

What do you guys recommend a batch rotifer culture or the continuous. The book recommends the batch to start.

Thanks

FB
 
Thanks for the links.

If I am successful I was thinking about getting 6 30 gallon tanks and connecting them all together in seiries. The last tank would have some sand and live rock in half and then my RS135 in the other half. The water would then be pumped back to the first tank. This way each tanks water would keep being recycled the live rock and sand would process nutrients and the skimmer would pull out everything else. Now that I'm typing this I guess it would be exactly like most fish stores. I imagine this would be a good system to grow them out to size in.

FB
 
I am breeding Ocellaris also, with descent success. I have aboutut 45 in a rearing, 3 to 5 weeks old, and about 200 in the larvae tank.

I feed my rotifers a concentrted microalgae from Reed mariculture (Great success with all of their products. I got my rotifer starter culture from them, as well s my brine eggs). It comes in 6 and 16 oz. bottles. It will stay alive for two months in the fridge. My rotifers are doing great (so far) in a 5 gal. bucket with an airstone.

Good luck!
 
My eggs are a couple days away from hatching now. I have had no luck with my phyto culture but my rotifer culture seems to be doing well. My wife was able to bring a microscope home from work this weekend so I was able to take a look at what was going on. I don't think I have enough to raise this batch but I sure am going to try. I have started a second batch of rotifers on Saturday, hopefully this batch will be more than ready for the next batch in about 3 weeks. I am just buying phyto to feed the rotifers until I can get a viable phyto culture. I plan on co-culturing my rotifers in the larvae tank hopefully my rotifers keep growing as my clowns eat them up and this can get me through to the brine shrimp stage.

Anyway here is a pick of my rotifer. (I posted this in my other forum

dsc_2888_edit_212.jpg
 
Well the eggs were ready to put into the breeding tank. I removed about 3 gallons of water from the main tank where the eggs were into my 10 gallon tank. I setup the bubbler, heater, ammonia indicator and my thermometer. The breeding tank is a 78.9 about .5 lower than the main tank. I set the thermometer earlier this week and it was running between 79.6 and 80.1. I am hoping it will raise the temp just a little more. I added the rotifers and some green water. My second batch of rotifers has been started I am realy hoping it will be producing enough to keep up but I really don't think it will be ready. I moved the eggs into the breeding tank on the tile and placed it near the bubbler so that they were gently but constantly swaying with the water movement.

Anyway we will see if it happens tonight or tomorrow night. I had to keep the main tank lights on an extra 2 hours to move them.

Wish me LUCK I am really gunna need it.

FB

Oh I also started another bottle of phyto. Lets hope this one takes. I have enough concentrated phyto to last a week feeding rotifers and if I need more I can buy some.
 
Well they did not hatch last night and I lost at least 25% off the eggs, I'm guessing because I didn't have enough bubbles on them. Lesson learned. I moved to have more bubbles and am hoping they will be good when I get home.
 
Well I have about 100 larvae in the breeding tank they seem to be swimming around very well. Many of them seem to be doing the lurching. I hope they are finding food. This is my first attempt so if there is anything important I should know about the first couple of days, tips, tricks anything please let me know. I have to leave for work at around 9:00 and won't be home until 6:00. I hope they have enough food to last that long. Will they be eating rotifers today or are they only living of the yolk sac.

Thanks

FB
 
My ocellaris just laid ~40 eggs for the first time on Saturday or Sunday (I think). On Monday and Tuesday the eggs appeared orange and now they're purple. I set up a breeder tank, but I still need to get the microalgae and rotifer cultures started (hopefully today). This looks to be a learning experience for both of us.

Jim
 
Well the start of day 2 has gone well. I've had a small number of deaths on the bottom of the tank. I have siphoned the bottom three times so far. About 3 litres in total. They are swimming actively which probably means there is no food in the tank. The last batch of rotifers I bought were completly dead. I have to go pic up two bags tonight. Hopefully these will be in better shape.

The ones that are alive do have silver stomachs which I believe means they are eating. (Can anyone confirm this)

Anyway hopefully I can get enough rots in tonight to keep them happy.

I started a brine shrimp last night just in case, althought the death rate on brine at this point maybe higher than doing nothing.

FB
 
I can't say that I have much faith in this group. I just can't see them getting enough to eat. If any survive the night I may try the brine shrimp in the morning if they are ready.

The pair should be laying another batch in the next couple of days. I have started a rotifer culture with actual live rotifers in it so hopefully this one will take off. This should put me in a position to have enough rotifers for the next batch.

FB
 
The ones that were not dead, died shortly after the lights came on. I don't see any moving now. 48 hour mark. They obviously never got any/enough food. I have a bucket of rotifers going and I took a couple of samples of my breeding tank water and there are rotifers in there. Should I just leave the tank and use it as a rotifer culture.

I new batch should be ready within 10 days or so. I'm hoping I am more than ready for them.

FB
 
I would clean it out for good luck and reset it up with a good inoculation of green water and rots in preparation for the next batch.
 
There was a new batch of eggs on the tile when I got home yesterday. So by next weekend I should have another batch.
 
I've now got two good rotifer cutlures started. Right now they are about 15/ml. I have lots of concentrated phyto available and also received a phyto culture disk which I shall attempt soon. I think I will be much more prepared for the next batch.

Thanks for everyones help so far.

FB
 
thank you for sharing your experience. I've recently put some effort into breeding Ocellaris Clowns in my 29Gal., but my French Angle disturbs them I think but it's a nice little set up, I made a little cove/cave with a piece of 1/2 inch flat live rock, they seem to have become teritorial of it but no eggs again I think the french angle has a lot to do with it. After reading your post (again thanks) I may not be even close to being prepared. I have other tanks (4 10Gal., 1 75Gal. and can probably get my hands on more if needed) for the rearing process but the feeding process appears to be more complex than anticipated, copuld you possibly give me a little better explanation of rotifers? Are they the first step in the feeding process? Again thanks and hey good luck this week I will be following your progress, hoping to make my first batch when and if it happens a little more sucessfull
 
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