Clarks Clownfish - 2nd attempt

Yep, that's the one Kathy! OK Steph, now you are official, post away! ;)

Well, it's the end of day 5, and only one loss today. I actually saw several of them eating the dry food tonight, I added a little more this time just to see, because it was time to clean their tank anyways. This is crazy, eating dry food at day 5 before ever even seeing any artemia?!?

It's a good thing too, cause my rotifer culture was almost depleted tonight. I fed three "scoops" (after they missed their lunch) and two hours later, I could hardly find a rotifer. I held my 10X loupe up to the glass and watched, and saw maybe two per second! It was still two hours before lights out, so I fed three more scoops, and some more dry food. They had just about cleaned that out when I cleaned the tank. I added another scoop after the lights went out (but there weren't many in it), and put quite a bit of phyto in there, so maybe they'll get a chance to re-populate a bit before morning.

With this many fry, I can't keep up with only one ten gallon culture. My phyto is barely holding also, today I had to pull one that wasn't as green as I like, just so i had something to feed the rotifer culture. I also borrowed 3 - 20 oz. bottles of phyto from my freind here who is keeping a culture going to feed his reef, and as a back for me. I may have to double up on Phyto, and add another ten gallon rotifer culture before the next hatch...which should be next Wed. or Thursday.

I REALLY need to get my grow out system online, but am having a terrible time trying to drill tanks, can't afford the return pump, sand, salt, and everything else I need to get it ready. I may have to skip a hatch or two until my bank account can catch up! I'm thinking it will at least all pay off in the long run, and granted I did jump into it all pretty fast (I have a habit of that).
 
Day 8, and still very few losses. They are already eating dry foods, but I'm still adding BBS periodically for any that haven't figured it out yet.

Most are starting metamorphosis, I can see a few faint head bands starting to appear, and almost all of them are getting that fat, squatty looking shape. I tried to get a decent count, but they are just too active. My guess now is about 140, I hope metamorphosis is good to them.

I finally got the tank drilling down to an art, so maybe I can get the growout system online soon. I don't really want to think about maintaining a tank with over 100 post-metamorphosis babies in it.
 
congratulations! You have done it! Just terrific!
Congrats on the drilling thing, too. I am too chicken to drill. My 3 20 gallon tanks came with a hole and bulkhead fitting. My 2 10 gallon tanks, I am making PVC overflows for.

It has been an education.
 
An education ideed Kathy (I had some good teachers!)

I had a few dead floaters tonight, something I haven't seen yet. There were 4 of them floating, and none on the bottom. Is the floating thing indicative of something more sinister, or did I just miss them on the bottom and they eventually floated up?

Not many new head bands today either, the ones who started getting theirs are more pronounced, but I haven't spotted many new ones. Probably becasue they didn't all start eating dry foods at the same time. It's day 9, and there are still tons of 'em. I'm thinking about moving the sponge filter out of the older tank to the this tank, and giving the older guys one that has been cycling in my display. Is day 9 too early for a sponge?
 
I think the rule of thumb is that when you stop feeding rotifers, you can put in a sponge filter. The filter sucks out the rots and phyto. If your guys are eating flake and bbs, you can probably do this.

Ed says that sponge filters can be a problem. Mine did not improve the water quality when i added it early, so I took it out again. It is back now as I am too chicken to put the 14 day clowns on the system. I have to be sure the water is perfect and the overflow won't suck them in. Still tweeking things there.

They are in a 20 gallon, and there are not that many of them, so I am OK, I think.
 
Hmm, well, I generally tend to go with what Ed says. I haven't seen much change in the water chemistry (slight drop in ammonia), but the water clarity has certainly improved on the older tank. The fry tank is a little cloudy and green-ish even with good water changes, so I thought a sponge might help out a bit.

I lost one of my 6 older ones to aggression, he was getting picked on pretty good before I went ot bed, and was dead in the morning, I looked him over and he had several missing scales, and his fins were torn up. So I only have 5 in a ten gallon with a hang on and a sponge, and some live rock, and some cheato, and caulerpa. I might be taking the filtration thing too seriously :D

I may just add the newer sponge to the new tank for a day or so to clear up the water, and then remove it. Ed needs to write a book! Speaking of Ed, I think I may have miss quoted him on another thread about getting them off BBS as soon as possible. I've looked everywhere and can't find that comment, it may have been someone else. Sorry Ed if that wasn't you.
 
News Flash - Stupid Gene Spotted at MY HOUSE!

Got home last night, probably 80% had headbands, everybody ate really well, still close to 100 larvae passing through metamorphosis with ease. Then, the aquarium keeper (me) decided he needed to intevene....IDIOT!

The water was a little cloudy, so I put a hang-on filter on the tank. I found that if you prop the lift tube up a bit, it will run at a slow trickle. I really just wanted to give it a few hours of carbon to clarify the water. Well, I forgot about it, and throughout the night, the lift tube slipped back down into full blast position, and ran that way all night.

I bet there were 50+ babies stuck in the foam pre-filter when I got up this morning :( Still quite a few alive, but it seems like less than half what I had happy and healthy last night. When will I learn to leave well enough alone....

I guess the only bright spot is that I should have a new hatch tonight.
 
Ugh, that's gotta hurt.

It might not be a bad idea to keep some extra timers around for these little extras.

In response to my deep faith in Murphy's Law, I know that the roll of masking tape quickly ended up living by the fish tank, for quickly strapping down drips, tubes, electrical cords, etc.
 
Oh...I am so sorry. That was not the stupid gene. That was the absent minded gene. Certainly has been at my house lately.

I gave up on timers. I tend to not hear them. The best thing for me is an idea from Martin Moe. I hang a sign around my neck:
Water is running, or some such thing. Cannot go out of the house or to bed without noticing that. And my family knows to remind me, too.
 
Nicole, that extra timer you speak of was laying on the shelf above, about 6" away! :rolleyes: I never really had that much faith in Murphy's law...until now! I keep going back to your "benign neglect" post. Maybe I'll make a flow chart, something like:

Are the fish alive?

Yes - DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING

NO - figure out what you touched, and don't touch it next time!
 
Maybe I'll make a flow chart, something like:

Are the fish alive?

Yes - DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING

NO - figure out what you touched, and don't touch it next time! [/B]


That is hilarious! :D Got a chuckle out of me. Sorry to hear about the losses, but just think about how you are working on raising these guys that otherwise would all die in your main tank. You will be helping to reduce the wild collection of clarks clowns and that is a great goal!

Brian
 
Glad you got a kick out of it brian, I went by James' tonight to steal some more phyto, and he was making me a larger version of my flow chart. I may change my sig to that, but the current one rings pretty true also.

I guess the increased flow last night tired my little guys out pretty bad. More casualties this evening, and a few that didn't seem to have the energy to eat. I've probably still got 30 or 40 that are pretty much finished with meta, but I am extremely disappointed. Hopefully i'll get a good hatch tonight to make me happy again :rolleyes:
 
Well, good news, I had a great hatch tonight. About the same numbers as last time (200 or so) and they look healthy and active again. We shall see what the morning holds!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6598972#post6598972 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnowell
Well, good news, I had a great hatch tonight. About the same numbers as last time (200 or so) and they look healthy and active again. We shall see what the morning holds!


Thats Great!!!! goodluck.


also would it be ok if i made your flowchart my sig? (that tooooo funny)



thanks
Dave
 
Jason,

Hmm, looks like things where swimming there. I believe that we all make mistakes from time to time and know that when the clowns start to lay for me, i am bound to do some worse things.

Some one beat me to the pep me up comment, but they are right. The more we minimize the take from the wild the better our hobby has of surviving. Now we need Cites and the rest to give credit for aquacultured marines.


Good luck with the next hatch.

Steve
 
Thanks Kathy, and Dave, sure, someone should use that as a sig so I can see it more often ;)

Steve, so glad you are posting again, I trust you had a good trip, and all your Cardinals are doing well?

Looks like I got 20 through meta from the second hatch (even with my forgetful gene), all look good and are getting their second stripes. The 3rd hatch had some pretty significant die-offs on night one and two, but only one casualty that I could see this morning. Probably well over 50 of them left, and I couldn't find any that weren't eating well. With any luck, I'll get the whole system running this weekend which should increase my chances with the post-meta babies. One empty tank left, so the enxt hatch will fill my current system. I guess I'll see how I'm doing at that point, and decide if I want to build enough shelving to add the needed tanks. I think my mind is already made up though ;)
 
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