Breeding True Percs

Everything I have read / heard says that the female needs to be at least 1.5 years old not specifically true percs. I have 2 pairs of true percs that are spawning and both females are at least 2 years old. Males can be as young as 6 months old.
 
OK, thanks.
I don't know how old mine are, but they are still small. If I had to guess I would say maybe 6-8 months old. The female is about an inch and the male is about 3/4".
I guess I have some waiting to do.
 
My true percs did not start spawning-laying eggs until they were 2 years old for both the female and male. I bought them at the same time.
 
PS....
Trying to raise their fry has been a very serious challenge for me.. I have had only one successful batch to make it and I was able to sell them. They have been spawning since 2012.
Maybe's it's just me don't know if others have a difficult time with True Percs are not. But I have heard that the Ocellaris are easier to raise (fry) then true percs.
 
My plan is, when they do spawn I intend to put a divider in the tank to spearate the adults from the eggs. This divider will have a small hole drilled in it for a small powerhead to blow fresh oxygenated water from the return into the section with the eggs, the divider will also have a 3-4" diamter hole cut in it to allow water to leave the section with the eggs. The 3-4" hole will be cover by a filter pad that will allow water to escape, but not the fry.

Sound like a good plan?
 
Not a good plan. The parents tend to the egs by getting rid of the bad eggs. Then when the fry hatch they have to be in a tank with only a small heater and bubble wands no power heads in there with them. Plus they eat special food called rotifers and you have tend to them as well.
 
We have live one! Let me explain density of rotifers. Regardless of the size of the vessel you keep the fry in, the density has to be high across the volume of the vessel. Raising clownfish in a parent tank is NOT going to work. Don't try it.
 
Which part of "they will be separated" do you not understand?
I am going to put a DIVIDER in the tank - 2/3 for the adults - 1/3 for the fry.
 
you need to keep the ammount of rotifers in the tank high enough so that a newly hatched clown can see one within a body length, do you know how many rotifers that will take to fill a 55 gal? the rotifets will most likely fit through that filter pad and not stay where you want them.

I understand you said you will have it seperated but the fry will get cought in the filter pad that you have covering the 3-4" hole and basically die, they will find every nook and cranny they can. also the small hole you will use to blow fresh water into the divider better be very small as fry are about 2-3mm long.

all in all it is a bad idea to try and raise the fry in the parent tank when all you need is a 10 gal tank, air pump, small heater, and bubble wand to raise clowns.
 
It will be 1/3 of the 55 and it has a 6-8" DSB. (very fine sand)
The 3-4" hole will not have much flow going through it. The pump that will be pushing water into the chamber with the fry will be very small.

I intend to try my method. I will let you know how it goes.
It will be a while since the pair are still juveniles.


Keep your words soft and tender because tomorrow you may have to eat them. ~Author Unknown
 
Thank you.
I have plenty of time to work out the details.:wave:

The issue the above posts are raising is that you need to have rotifers densely populated for the fry to eat. Dividing the tank would protect the fry from being eaten by the parents, but since the water will not be divided it will not help with feeding them. This means for your fry to successfully eat the entire 55g of water will need to be densely populated with rotifers. At that size you're talking 10's of million rotifers needed every day to keep the density up, until about 8 days post hatch. That would be a massive culture assuming you use 20% of the culture each day for feeding.
 
but since the water will not be divided it will not help with feeding them.

The water will be divided. There will be a sheet of acrylic with a 1/2" (or smaller) hole for a small power head to keep fresh oxygenated water in the chamber with the fry. The intake of the powerhead will be on the parent's side so there will be no danger posed to the fry from the powerhead.
For water to escape the chamber with the fry there will be one (or more if needed) 3-4" holes cut in the acrylic that will be covered with filter pads to keep the fry from escaping. This way there will only be approx. 10 gallons in the chamber where the fry will be.
Make any sense now?
 
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