Baby True Perculas My First Fry Tank

[saltyjo]

Tonight thanks to the help of some fellow reefers, I have a clutch of about 50 or so True Percula babies.:celeb3::celeb3:
This is my very first attempt at raising the fry. I have been doing tons of research since Thanksgiving when my clownfish I have had since April of 2007 started to spawn on a regular basis (every 10 days like clockwork between 5 and 7 pm).
I never thought I would get to this point as my male clown realized only on the last clutch that he was supposed to care for the eggs, and not make a snack of them. I watched the uneaten half of the clutch last time develop and hatch into the display tank. I was not ready at all. So I began growing Nanochloropis and Rotifers to prepare my self for the hatch. My laundry room looks like some kind of crazy lab. I only hope I can get them through the next couple of days.
I intend to post pictures tomorow. Good nite little clowns.

 

[saltyjo]

Checking on my new babies, I have the lights that I have diffused with bubble wrap turned on. Added strained rotifers to to the larvae tank and watched for a while. If I didn't know before I know now why they call them clownfish. : ) They were striking at just about everything in the water to include each other on occasion. How funny. The water temp is a perfect 80 degrees and they seemed to be doing well. I did notice 2 losses. Part of the process I guess. I also observed a bunch of little shrimp like guys swimming backwards. They have dark eyes and pink middles. They are just a little smaller than the clownfish fry.

 

[saltyjo]

Not as many

Not as many

This is morning of day 2 and I have a few more losses than I had hoped. Since this is my first attempt I am taking good notes and expecting to lose alot. I have observed them "striking" at rots this morning so that is a good sign. I dont think I have the larvae tank green enough. Also about the losses, do I vaccum them out every day to keep the ammonia level down?

 

[dave540]

Good luck

 

[Sport507]

This is morning of day 2 and I have a few more losses than I had hoped. Since this is my first attempt I am taking good notes and expecting to lose alot. I have observed them "striking" at rots this morning so that is a good sign. I dont think I have the larvae tank green enough. Also about the losses, do I vaccum them out every day to keep the ammonia level down?

Yes it's best to remove the dead ones to keep the water quality up. Sounds like you are doing fine just keep plenty of rots in front of them and when you get past day 3 you shouldn't have many more loses.

Here is something I put together to remove dead fry.

 

[saltyjo]

Thank you I have a large syringe like that!!! Cool device.
~Jo

 

[Lukel]

What is your rotifer density in their nursury???

 

[saltyjo]

A few of the Percs Day 2

A few of the Percs Day 2

 

[saltyjo]

Luke I think my rotifer density is about 20-30 rots per ml. I did like you said and filled a testing vial with about a ml of tank water and counted (tried) the rots. I just dont think I have the water green enough with the algae water. It is very pale, all the fry tanks I have seen on here look as green as my algae cultures themselves.

 

[Lukel]

are the rotis swimming in the vile, or are they comotosed?
clowns won't eat comotosed rotis....

 

[Lukel]

i only had mine so it was a little green, All that does is keeps the rotis fed and stop them from turning to cysts....

 

[saltyjo]

No more losses since yesterday. I am down to 15 fry or so (first day was rough). I was a little nervous first off this morning when the light came on and they were all lying at the bottom of the tank. I thought I lost them all. A few seconds after the light was on they started to swim and eat! I gently vaccuumed the bottom of the tank and dripped 2 liters of DT water back in. Last look at 11:00 all babies doing fine! Oh yeah, Luke the rots are moving.

 

[Lukel]

That is good to hear!!!, And yes i know how you feel, the first time i witnessed all the fish sleeping on bottom in open water i panic'd!!!!

 

[saltyjo]

Day 4 and I am down to about 9 fry! I am a bit sad but I know this is trial and error. I really thought I had the info absorbed and I could do this. I did a little water change at lunch and let 2 liters from the parent tank drip back in. The only thing that looks wrong is i don't seem to have the fry tank green enough. One good note my clowns laid a really big clutch of eggs this afternoon. I will have another go at this process!

 

[Lukel]

Day 4 and I am down to about 9 fry! I am a bit sad but I know this is trial and error. I really thought I had the info absorbed and I could do this. I did a little water change at lunch and let 2 liters from the parent tank drip back in. The only thing that looks wrong is i don't seem to have the fry tank green enough. One good note my clowns laid a really big clutch of eggs this afternoon. I will have another go at this process!

I am sorry for your loss... Keep in mind, it might not be anything you are doing (or not doing) Your parents might not have it down pat yet, and your Clutches might be weak to start with... Make sure momma is getting proper diet and such....

 

[Clownfishfan]

What are the parents getting fed and how much of it?

Also leave the lights one 24/7 and see if that changes anything. Supposedly since Rotifers/nanochloropsis is not very nutritious and the larva starve during the night.

 

[saltyjo]

Clownfishman,
I alternate, frozen table shrimp, brine, mysis, squid, beef heart marine one pellets and Omega One Marine Flake with garlic. They get San Francisco Bay Brand variety saltwater multi pack that also has spinich, red leaf lettuce, romaine, and spirulina in it. In their frozen food I add to it two drops of Kent Marine Garlic Extreme. They also get fed a bit of prawn roe and cyclopeeze twice a week, which I target fed my corals but my clowns think the turkey baster is a candy store handout for them. They also steal a bit of nori once in a while when I put it in for my tangs.
As far as how much they get fed usually 3 feedings a day. In the morning it is something fast like a pinch of pellet or flake, lunch is frozen foods thawed, rinsed, and garlic added (amounts to about a teaspoon or 1-2 cubes) and their third feeding is usually a tiny bit of pellet or flake.
I have had the parents since they were juveniles, I have had them for 5 years now, and just last fall they began to spawn. This clutch was their nineth and last night they laid their tenth and this one is big!
I will try the lights on tonight to see if I can keep the few little guys I have left.

 

[Clownfishfan]

Cool!
It all sounds good to me.

 

[Lukel]

Clownfishman,
I alternate, frozen table shrimp, brine, mysis, squid, beef heart marine one pellets and Omega One Marine Flake with garlic. They get San Francisco Bay Brand variety saltwater multi pack that also has spinich, red leaf lettuce, romaine, and spirulina in it. In their frozen food I add to it two drops of Kent Marine Garlic Extreme. They also get fed a bit of prawn roe and cyclopeeze twice a week, which I target fed my corals but my clowns think the turkey baster is a candy store handout for them. They also steal a bit of nori once in a while when I put it in for my tangs.
As far as how much they get fed usually 3 feedings a day. In the morning it is something fast like a pinch of pellet or flake, lunch is frozen foods thawed, rinsed, and garlic added (amounts to about a teaspoon or 1-2 cubes) and their third feeding is usually a tiny bit of pellet or flake.
I have had the parents since they were juveniles, I have had them for 5 years now, and just last fall they began to spawn. This clutch was their nineth and last night they laid their tenth and this one is big!
I will try the lights on tonight to see if I can keep the few little guys I have left.

Make sure no one tells my clowns what you feed.... they will jump in styrofome and male them selves to your house.....

 

[saltyjo]

After a partial water change at lunch time today, I vacuumed the bottom really well and dripped 2 more liters of parent tank water in to the fry tank. From the 6 remaining that were still alive this morning, all 6 are still alive tonight and seemed very busy hunting,they all seemed fatter than they have ever been. I watched for 20 minutes as I saw them all curl their tails to the side and hit rots. It is really cool to watch!
From this experience so far, I have learned how to cultivate nannochloropsis and rotifers. I learned how to "fish" for larvae on the night of the hatch. I have learned that fry are not the only things in the DT that are phototrophic. I have also learned that there are a lot of great folks out there with a lot of good advice.
With the advice that I recieved tonight....I am going to leave room lights on tonight to see how my last 6 little guys do in transition over night to day 6.