broodstock Q

[David M]

What % of your ocellaris pairs actually produce (well)? I'm guessing you have some good ones, some crappy breeders and some pairs that have never spawned. What I'm trying to figure is how many pairs I should plan to have if I want 3-4 consistent and reliable pairs. 4 good pairs would be 8 nests a month, probably all I could reasonably handle. If I could average 100 out of each nest that's 800/ month which is pretty much my target. So what do you think, I need 10-12 pair? 20? I have the room if I get rid of some "slackers".

 

[Dman]

Last year I had three pairs out of 15 spawning regularily. Heat wave at the beginning of the summer and an AC unit that didn't kick in one day and now I don't have any O's currently spawning. I would shoot for 6 pairs spawning, 'cause really, can you have enough O fry???? Even if there was a chance that you end up with way more fish than you could possibly sell, this is where the research starts.

 

[David M]

I guess for now I'm gonna just collect as many mature pairs as I can. I watch the local boards for the tank breakdowns and "quitting the hobby" posts and get some nice pairs that way. I have six now with only my oldest breeding, hopefully by summer at least one or two more will start up. I am starting to get concerned as my "money pair" is 6 years old now, I don't know how many good years they have left. I bought them as juvies in 2000 and they lived in my reef for about 4 years before I pulled them.

 

[Dman]

Outside of directly importing the occaissonal box from overseas, that's pretty much how I acquired most of my pairs. Must have been a good omen though, as two pairs laid yesterday.
As for how many years you can get out of a pair? I've read that they will keep in captivity for over 20 years, so if they're breeding that's pretty much the ultimate in healthy, so I would think that 15 years wouldn't be too much of a stretch.

 

[phender]

I had an ocellaris pair for 15 years. Once they started spawning, they went for about 10 years, with a few small breaks, before my stupidity caused their death.

 

[Luis A M]

Good point.I sometimes asked that but didn't get answers.People usually like to post about their spawning pairs,but don't tell how many lazy pairs share their fishroom.Others say that ocellaris are very easy to spawn,which they are far from being.I might be a lousy breeder but IME you need 10 good pairs to have one spawning.Another question is how much one should wait for a pair to spawn before giving up.

 

[Luis A M]

Good point.I sometimes asked that but didn't get answers.People usually like to post about their spawning pairs,but don't tell how many lazy pairs share their fishroom.Others say that ocellaris are very easy to spawn,which they are far from being.I might be a lousy breeder but IME you need 10 good pairs to have one spawning.Another question is how much one should wait for a pair to spawn before giving up.

 

[Kathy55g]

i have one pair of spawning fish that I waited 3 years to spawn....I am pitiful...

 

[David M]

Another question is how much one should wait for a pair to spawn before giving up.

Yes I have posed that one as well. I am about ready to give up on a huge and obviously mature pair of wsm's. They are taking up space and eating a LOT and they won't do squat. Smaller/ younger fish (especially oc's) I plan to give a few years but these guys are not a high priority anyway (maroons) and they are more than old enough IMO. They will go as I gather oc pairs and need the tank.

 

[Coraldynamics]

I have a pair of melanopus that I have had going on 3 years and they play at cleaning but never have done the deed. About gave up on them twice already...about to again.

I have three O pairs, 1 spawns very infrequent and then eats the nest. Another looks like they could start any day now. The third are still too young.

Also Allardi, akallopisos, and black ploymnus pairs that won't perform. Then I have a HUGE black polymnus that killed her mate and two other potentials....about given up on her as well.

 

[Luis A M]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7113751#post7113751 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kathy55g
i have one pair of spawning fish that I waited 3 years to spawn....I am pitiful...

Ocellaris?

 

[Kathy55g]

I think so. They are darker than my friend's adult spawning Ocellaris. Mine are dark orange, almost black between the white bands, darker at the dorsal and gradually lightening up towards orange on the ventral side. They are not as large as my friend's Oces. I have another friend who thinks they might be A. percula, but he is a coral guy, not a fish guy. The black outlines around the white bands is very thin.

Could they be A. percula?

 

[r00onmac]

its possible... a pic would make it easier to tell...or you can tell by looking at the eyes...

percula have black middle orange outline on their eye... the ocellaris has black on black so it looks like their eye is huge..

 

[Dman]

I had a WSM pair that I gave up on after three years, 6 weeks after moving them to someone elses' tank they spawned. Go figure.
O's and perc's I never give up on as most are breeders from other hobbiests, and then I still sometimes wait years for them to breed. But since they're the bread and butter of the operation, I move other pairs out first.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7114924#post7114924 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Coraldynamics
Then I have a HUGE black polymnus that killed her mate and two other potentials....about given up on her as well.

I'm not sure I've ever heard of them breeding in captivity?

 

[JHardman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7117754#post7117754 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dman
I'm not sure I've ever heard of them breeding in captivity?

Yep in the last 12 months, not only did a hobiest report a spawning, but I found out about a hatchery in the South Pacfic that has 1000's of juvi's in production.

 

[Siklid]

do you happen to know what hatchery that is ?

 

[JHardman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7118404#post7118404 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Siklid
do you happen to know what hatchery that is ?

Do a search on rareclownfish.com

 

[clownfish75]

I Think myself lucky if i get 50% spawning of the total held and im at about that level.

Although i have 3 WSM all breeding only have 3 prs, more than 50% black ocellaris breeding and about 30% of both ocellaris (oarange) and perc breeding.

Extra rarer species, i have 0 breeding of a few different sorts.

melanopus about 75% breeding

Christian

 

[Luis A M]

I was meaning ocellaris.I even have a former good producing pair that stopped spawning one year ago.
I think maroons,tomatos and clarkiis have a higher % of spawners,giving some time.

 

[CanesDave]

Does anyone have experience with red saddles and time to spawn? I have a pair that I acquired about a month ago and I was wondering what I have to look forward to. They were wild caught and about 3" each with only a slight size disparity. My oscellaris took about a year and now they are like clockwork.