kerusso316
New member
This is my son Joe's research paper.The assignment is to blog the paper and ask the community for feedback.
Breading the
Amphinprion Percula: An Overview
While standing in the water, breast high, admiring this splendid sea anemone, I noticed a very pretty little fish which hovered in the water close by, and nearly over the anemone. This fish was six inches long, the head bright orange, and the body vertically banded with broad rings of opaque white and orange alternatively, three bands of each. this is how Dr. Cuthbert Collingwood described the anemone fish in his book: Rambles Of A Naturalist On The Shores And Waters Of The China Sea in 1868, page 151 the clown and its remarkable living arrangement with the anemone has fascinated people for over one hundred years.
For years the world wide population of clown fish has been decimated by habitat reduction global pollution and collection for the aquarium industry. Breeding the Percula in captivity is not only enjoyable and easy .It also lowers collection efforts, which maintains higher natural clown fish populations on reefs.
The Amphinprion Percula was originally described by Joseph Lacepede in 1802. “It is bright orange with three white bars, the middle with forward dash projecting bulge the bars are often border with black that varies and with darkness its maximum length is about 80 mm. It is found in northern Queensland and Melanesia, (new guinea, new Britain, new Ireland, Solomon island, and Vanuatu). Amphinprion Percula is always found in three host anemone species H. crispa, H. magnifica and S. gigantea.â€Â
Keeping the A. Percula in an aquarium is the first step in successfully breeding this fish. A minimum aquarium of ten gallons is required, however a larger tank volume creates more stable conditions. The tank needs good biologic filtration to handle fish waste productions. The tank also needs a constant temperature, therefore a good heater is recommend. Adequate lighting with a timer will give the fish a daylight and nighttime cycle. A nesting site can be created using a flat ceramic tile for a bottom and half a clay pot for the top.
The brood stock pair must be feed extremely well to induce spawning behavior. The feeding regimen will also insure healthily eggs. The fish must be feed until they stop eating at least once a day. They should also be feed three to four smaller meals a day. Their food should be high on protein, low in fat and high in vitamin content. Always remember variety will keep them interested in eating more and more. Clown fish are very particular about the size of food they eat. If it is to small they must work to hard for each particle, to big and they will not eat it. Experimentation is the best way to discover the largest particle size for the fish.
Courtship in the Percula is a ritual. A few days before spawning there is increase social interaction between the pair. The male, the smaller of the two, chases the female and cleans the nesting site. The male may also swim rapidity up and down, nipping at the females’ underbelly.
Spawning of the Percula will happen on average every twelve to thirteen days. Spawning normally occurs in the morning and last about one hour. The female will make several passes over the nesting site, depositing eggs. The male will follow her broadcasting his sperm. The number of eggs ranges from about a hundred to over one thousand.
Percula eggs are 3-4 mm. in length. The male will tend the eggs, keeping them clean, for eight or nine days. He chases other fish away from the nesting area. He also visits the nest frequently, fanning the eggs with his pectoral fins. He removes dead eggs and debris with his mouth. The female is occupied mainly with feeding during this time. Just before hatching, the silver eyes can be clearly see inside the eggs.
The eggs will hatch about an hour and a half after lights out on the eighth or ninth night.
The larval tank should be ten to twenty gallons in size. It should be filled with filtered water from the parents tank. A quality heater set at 80 degrees should be placed in larval tank. A fine too medium air stone should be securely anchored to the bottom. The ceramic tile with the eggs attached should be moved to the larval tank. The tile should be leaned against the tank sides so that the bubbles from the air stone strikes the tile then rolls up though the eggs. This keeps the eggs well aerated and helps them to hatch. Do not be tempted to check the nest with a light during the night. The light will cause the eggs not to hatch until the next light. The next morning the tank should be check for babies. If they have not hatched do not worry, it may happen the next night. If the eggs are white, chances are high they are dead.
To be successful from this point preparation is needed. There are two cultures needed, a phytoplankton culture and a rotifer culture. The phytoplankton culture should be nanochloropsis. This phytoplankton can be purchased from other hobbyist or online retailers. This phytoplankton has the highly unsaturated fatty acids that are essential to developing larval. A two liter soda bottle should be filled with freshly made salt water. This should be placed in a microwave, set on high, for eight minutes. This will sterilize the water. The starter culture of phytoplankton is then placed in the bottle after cooling. A water soluble fertilizer is then used. An air line is place in the bottle to keep this mixture from going stagnate. Depending on the amount of starter culture used ,it may take up to two weeks for this culture to become dark green. The Percula larva will not eat phytoplankton, but they will eat a rotifer that has eaten phytoplankton.
A rotifer is a single cell animal that is 20-80 microns in size .The rotifer culture should be five gallons or more. A starter culture can be bought from fellow hobbyist or online retailers. Depending on the amount of starter culture it may take up to two weeks for this culture to mature. A rotifer culture should have 15 to 20 rotifers per ml. Larval Percula’s will eat 1500 rotifers per day, so many are needed. Rotifers grow well in water that is loaded with phytoplankton. Rotifers should be fed twice a day. The amount of phytoplankton fed should be enough to cloud the water. The water should be clear by next feeding time.
The morning after the hatch the new Percula babies should be placed in an area with good and indirect Light. Their first feeding should be rotifers. The rotifer density in the tank should be kept at about ten rotifers per ml. These rotifers should get light feeding of phytoplankton wile in the larval tank. The rotifer/phytoplankton mix should be continued through the fish’s tenth day of life.
On day five a few drops of newly hatched brine ship should be fed. Brine shrimp eggs can be purchased online or from local retailers. They are hatched by placing them in a two liter pop bottle along with salt water. The mixture should then be aerated vigorously for 24 hours. The amount of brine shrimp fed should increase as the fish get larger. Feeding brine shrimp should continue until day twenty.
On day fifteen the fish will began accepting dry food. This should be fed sparingly, as to not pollute the tank water. The size of dry food should began at about hundred and fifty micros. The size of dry food should increase as the fish grow.
The larval tank temperate should be kept at 80 degrees the bottom of the tank should be kept clean by siphon. Replacing the siphoned water will keep the ammonia concentrations down. 20% water changes should began on day fifteen. On day twenty, a sponge filter should be placed in the tank. Bright metal halide lighting should be used for maximum black coloration. As the fish grow they will need more space, water, food and care.
Raising the Percula is a art form. There are hundreds of small things to do, and not to do. This is an overview. Raising these fish is one of the most difficult yet rewarding hobbies. With a little time, a lot of preparation and an incredible amount of luck, it can be done. I would like to thank Daphne G. Fautin and Gerald R. Allen for there book Anemone fishes. I would also like to thank Frank H. Hoff and Terry w. Snell for their book Phytoplankton Culture Manuel. I would also like to extent a sincerely “Thank You†to Mitchell D. May for several interviews and the tour of his hatchery,Booyah's Reef in Algonquin Illinois.
Joe Schultz
Breading the
Amphinprion Percula: An Overview
While standing in the water, breast high, admiring this splendid sea anemone, I noticed a very pretty little fish which hovered in the water close by, and nearly over the anemone. This fish was six inches long, the head bright orange, and the body vertically banded with broad rings of opaque white and orange alternatively, three bands of each. this is how Dr. Cuthbert Collingwood described the anemone fish in his book: Rambles Of A Naturalist On The Shores And Waters Of The China Sea in 1868, page 151 the clown and its remarkable living arrangement with the anemone has fascinated people for over one hundred years.
For years the world wide population of clown fish has been decimated by habitat reduction global pollution and collection for the aquarium industry. Breeding the Percula in captivity is not only enjoyable and easy .It also lowers collection efforts, which maintains higher natural clown fish populations on reefs.
The Amphinprion Percula was originally described by Joseph Lacepede in 1802. “It is bright orange with three white bars, the middle with forward dash projecting bulge the bars are often border with black that varies and with darkness its maximum length is about 80 mm. It is found in northern Queensland and Melanesia, (new guinea, new Britain, new Ireland, Solomon island, and Vanuatu). Amphinprion Percula is always found in three host anemone species H. crispa, H. magnifica and S. gigantea.â€Â
Keeping the A. Percula in an aquarium is the first step in successfully breeding this fish. A minimum aquarium of ten gallons is required, however a larger tank volume creates more stable conditions. The tank needs good biologic filtration to handle fish waste productions. The tank also needs a constant temperature, therefore a good heater is recommend. Adequate lighting with a timer will give the fish a daylight and nighttime cycle. A nesting site can be created using a flat ceramic tile for a bottom and half a clay pot for the top.
The brood stock pair must be feed extremely well to induce spawning behavior. The feeding regimen will also insure healthily eggs. The fish must be feed until they stop eating at least once a day. They should also be feed three to four smaller meals a day. Their food should be high on protein, low in fat and high in vitamin content. Always remember variety will keep them interested in eating more and more. Clown fish are very particular about the size of food they eat. If it is to small they must work to hard for each particle, to big and they will not eat it. Experimentation is the best way to discover the largest particle size for the fish.
Courtship in the Percula is a ritual. A few days before spawning there is increase social interaction between the pair. The male, the smaller of the two, chases the female and cleans the nesting site. The male may also swim rapidity up and down, nipping at the females’ underbelly.
Spawning of the Percula will happen on average every twelve to thirteen days. Spawning normally occurs in the morning and last about one hour. The female will make several passes over the nesting site, depositing eggs. The male will follow her broadcasting his sperm. The number of eggs ranges from about a hundred to over one thousand.
Percula eggs are 3-4 mm. in length. The male will tend the eggs, keeping them clean, for eight or nine days. He chases other fish away from the nesting area. He also visits the nest frequently, fanning the eggs with his pectoral fins. He removes dead eggs and debris with his mouth. The female is occupied mainly with feeding during this time. Just before hatching, the silver eyes can be clearly see inside the eggs.
The eggs will hatch about an hour and a half after lights out on the eighth or ninth night.
The larval tank should be ten to twenty gallons in size. It should be filled with filtered water from the parents tank. A quality heater set at 80 degrees should be placed in larval tank. A fine too medium air stone should be securely anchored to the bottom. The ceramic tile with the eggs attached should be moved to the larval tank. The tile should be leaned against the tank sides so that the bubbles from the air stone strikes the tile then rolls up though the eggs. This keeps the eggs well aerated and helps them to hatch. Do not be tempted to check the nest with a light during the night. The light will cause the eggs not to hatch until the next light. The next morning the tank should be check for babies. If they have not hatched do not worry, it may happen the next night. If the eggs are white, chances are high they are dead.
To be successful from this point preparation is needed. There are two cultures needed, a phytoplankton culture and a rotifer culture. The phytoplankton culture should be nanochloropsis. This phytoplankton can be purchased from other hobbyist or online retailers. This phytoplankton has the highly unsaturated fatty acids that are essential to developing larval. A two liter soda bottle should be filled with freshly made salt water. This should be placed in a microwave, set on high, for eight minutes. This will sterilize the water. The starter culture of phytoplankton is then placed in the bottle after cooling. A water soluble fertilizer is then used. An air line is place in the bottle to keep this mixture from going stagnate. Depending on the amount of starter culture used ,it may take up to two weeks for this culture to become dark green. The Percula larva will not eat phytoplankton, but they will eat a rotifer that has eaten phytoplankton.
A rotifer is a single cell animal that is 20-80 microns in size .The rotifer culture should be five gallons or more. A starter culture can be bought from fellow hobbyist or online retailers. Depending on the amount of starter culture it may take up to two weeks for this culture to mature. A rotifer culture should have 15 to 20 rotifers per ml. Larval Percula’s will eat 1500 rotifers per day, so many are needed. Rotifers grow well in water that is loaded with phytoplankton. Rotifers should be fed twice a day. The amount of phytoplankton fed should be enough to cloud the water. The water should be clear by next feeding time.
The morning after the hatch the new Percula babies should be placed in an area with good and indirect Light. Their first feeding should be rotifers. The rotifer density in the tank should be kept at about ten rotifers per ml. These rotifers should get light feeding of phytoplankton wile in the larval tank. The rotifer/phytoplankton mix should be continued through the fish’s tenth day of life.
On day five a few drops of newly hatched brine ship should be fed. Brine shrimp eggs can be purchased online or from local retailers. They are hatched by placing them in a two liter pop bottle along with salt water. The mixture should then be aerated vigorously for 24 hours. The amount of brine shrimp fed should increase as the fish get larger. Feeding brine shrimp should continue until day twenty.
On day fifteen the fish will began accepting dry food. This should be fed sparingly, as to not pollute the tank water. The size of dry food should began at about hundred and fifty micros. The size of dry food should increase as the fish grow.
The larval tank temperate should be kept at 80 degrees the bottom of the tank should be kept clean by siphon. Replacing the siphoned water will keep the ammonia concentrations down. 20% water changes should began on day fifteen. On day twenty, a sponge filter should be placed in the tank. Bright metal halide lighting should be used for maximum black coloration. As the fish grow they will need more space, water, food and care.
Raising the Percula is a art form. There are hundreds of small things to do, and not to do. This is an overview. Raising these fish is one of the most difficult yet rewarding hobbies. With a little time, a lot of preparation and an incredible amount of luck, it can be done. I would like to thank Daphne G. Fautin and Gerald R. Allen for there book Anemone fishes. I would also like to thank Frank H. Hoff and Terry w. Snell for their book Phytoplankton Culture Manuel. I would also like to extent a sincerely “Thank You†to Mitchell D. May for several interviews and the tour of his hatchery,Booyah's Reef in Algonquin Illinois.
Joe Schultz
