Black Ocellaris eggs died?

[Clowntown]

Our black occellaris pair laid eggs for the first time last Wed. When I thought they looked silver (last night) we took them out and moved them to a fry tank (same salinity, temp as main tank and used half main tank water to half new saltwater, blocked entire tank with cardboard). Never exposed to air and we transferred them soon after the lights went out. By morning two hatched and the rest look dead. The eggs are still on the pvc but it looks whitish and the eyes aren't silvery anymore. We didn't have the airstone fanning the eggs could this be the cause? We also might have had the hatch date wrong.. there seemed to be less eggs the morning before we moved them to the fry tank. Currently feeding the existing fry (only one seems to have hatched) rotifers that have been fed with phytofeast live.

Questions: What could cause the eggs to die overnight? Since its their first batch is it possible they weren't viable to begin with? Anyone have pictures of clownfish eggs on hatch night (I keep reading when I see silver eyes but ours had that from day 3-4, we moved when we saw a silver tint on the body)? Anyone use phytofeast for rotifers with good success in breeding ocellaris clowns? I have 3 gallons of rotifers in a 5 gallon bucket and it seems I need almost 40 drops to keep my water a light green/brown, phytofeast users is this similar to what you're using?

Thanks! Would also love to know if someone in the Bay Area has rotifers in case I screw that part up somehow!

 

[billsreef]

Not having the airstone fanning the eggs is likely the major culprit.

 

[D-Nak]

Let the parents get used to taking care of the eggs -- give them at least 4-5 clutches. This will ensure that the female lays tighter and the male can fertilize them. Also, use the next few cluthes to gauge when the the eggs will hatch in subsequent batches. This will ensure that you're removing the eggs at the last possible moment. The male's job is the keep the eggs clean and free of bacteria and other contaminants that may harm the eggs.

My suggestion for the first batch that you plan to keep is to let the babies hatch in the tank. Turn off all pumps on hatch night and keep the room completely dark. You can then take a small flashlight or LED to attract the babies to the surface of the water where you can manually remove them and transfer them to the fry tank. I like this approach because it ensures that the eggs don't die (eggs that turn white are dead BTW) and that you're collecting the stongest babies. You'll want to cull any that are having trouble swimming or are swimming in continuous circles.

My rotifer food of choice is RGComplete. It's got a pH buffer as well as an ammonia neutralizer. It's more expensive, but also takes a lot of the guesswork out of taking care of the rotifer culture. You'll use approximately 11mL per day for a 5 gallon bucket.

I assume you're talking about SF Bay Area. If so, I have rotifers and can provide you with more if your culture crashes. However, I'm only holding a small amount right now because I only have one pair that's spawning at the moment.