Clown fish breeding beginner
- Thread starter Pearfish
- Start date
ichthyogeek
New member
1) Buy a 20 gallon, a protein skimmer, a piece of slate, and a reliable salt mix.
2)After cycling the tank, add two ocellaris clowns, as small as possible.
3) Feed your broodstock with quality foods multiple times a day, featuring such seafoods as squid (very high lipid content=lots of energy for making eggs), shrimp (chitin in the shells keeps eggs from breaking, etc.), and blackworms.
4) Keep water quality as high as possible, conducting multiple water changes per week to keep nitrates as low as possible.
5) Put the clowns on an automated lighting cycle to get their circadian rhythms stable.
6)Monitor the pair for pair bonding,in order to make sure that they actually become male/female.
For further reading, Wittenrich's Complete Illustrated Breeder's Guide is pretty useful.
Fry care is different based on if you wish to collect the slate, or the larvae as they hatch
2)After cycling the tank, add two ocellaris clowns, as small as possible.
3) Feed your broodstock with quality foods multiple times a day, featuring such seafoods as squid (very high lipid content=lots of energy for making eggs), shrimp (chitin in the shells keeps eggs from breaking, etc.), and blackworms.
4) Keep water quality as high as possible, conducting multiple water changes per week to keep nitrates as low as possible.
5) Put the clowns on an automated lighting cycle to get their circadian rhythms stable.
6)Monitor the pair for pair bonding,in order to make sure that they actually become male/female.
For further reading, Wittenrich's Complete Illustrated Breeder's Guide is pretty useful.
Fry care is different based on if you wish to collect the slate, or the larvae as they hatch
No filter? Can you recommend a skimmer for this setup
Last edited:
ichthyogeek
New member
Oops, I forgot about that. I'm used to running only a skimmer and filter sock combo on my tank, relying on live rock and macroalgae for extra nutrient export.
Umm...I'm just gonna refer you back to that book in the previous post. Some people use bioball reactors, others use sand filters, it really depends. Frankly, I'd just hook up a sump to your 20, and use it to house a skimmer, a macroalgae refugium, and a return. The skimmer takes up quite a bit of macromolecules (lipids and proteins), and the macroalgae takes up phosphates, nitrates, etc. This is my amateur opinion of course...
As for skimmers, I can't really help you there either...I'm using a Coralife 65 Super skimmer on my reef tank, but there might be better options out there as well...
Umm...I'm just gonna refer you back to that book in the previous post. Some people use bioball reactors, others use sand filters, it really depends. Frankly, I'd just hook up a sump to your 20, and use it to house a skimmer, a macroalgae refugium, and a return. The skimmer takes up quite a bit of macromolecules (lipids and proteins), and the macroalgae takes up phosphates, nitrates, etc. This is my amateur opinion of course...
As for skimmers, I can't really help you there either...I'm using a Coralife 65 Super skimmer on my reef tank, but there might be better options out there as well...
ichthyogeek
New member
Technically no, as the clowns might use the live rock as a spawning site. Sand would just trap waste, which is why most serious breeders like to keep their tanks bare bottom. Again, Wittenrich's book, or any other book detailing clownfish breeding would be appropriate for you to peruse before you start. I think you'd find a lot of the answers to your questions in such books.
Ginger bay
New member
Actually, even a 10gal is big enough if just one pair. 20gal long partitioned into 3rds can house 3 pairs.
I agree on the fflower pot. Not sure why clowns like them so much. it's like safe haven.
I agree on the fflower pot. Not sure why clowns like them so much. it's like safe haven.
ThRoewer
New member
I now found out that Banggai Cardinals like the pots too. I tossed the surviving female of my Banggai pair into the tank with my percula pair 4 and she kicked them out of their pot and took it for herself.
As for the size, ocellaris and percula need about a square foot of real-estate. If they have an anemone you will have them seldom leave it. Now, my experience is with only wild pairs, tank bred that never have seen an anemone may act differently.
As for the size, ocellaris and percula need about a square foot of real-estate. If they have an anemone you will have them seldom leave it. Now, my experience is with only wild pairs, tank bred that never have seen an anemone may act differently.
Some of you might have seen my other forum about the pair. I have a quick question. Can i bump up my alk to 10 and mag to 600 to get rid of cycling diatoms?
I think things otherwise are looking good
Ph 8.1 ish
Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite 0ppm
28.3°C (83°F)
16 hr photoperiod
Salinity 1.023 Trying to get down to 1.019
Feeding 4-6 times a day (LRS fish frenzy, brine shrimp, new life spectrum pellets, omega one flakes, SA hatchery pellets) use selcon.
I think things otherwise are looking good
Ph 8.1 ish
Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite 0ppm
28.3°C (83°F)
16 hr photoperiod
Salinity 1.023 Trying to get down to 1.019
Feeding 4-6 times a day (LRS fish frenzy, brine shrimp, new life spectrum pellets, omega one flakes, SA hatchery pellets) use selcon.
hotelbravo
Active member
not to sure about your question but i would change the food up a bit and add finely chopped squid and oyster in there to give them better nutrition.
hotelbravo
Active member
cyclop is also a good food but i havent had much luck getting my clowns to eat that. i fed cyclop for a few weeks when i tried housing some evansi anthias.
ReefSmarts
New member
There is a really good guide for beginners if you google Pickles Guide to Breeding Clownfish. I was pointed in that direction and it was really informative. There is also a book which is labeled as the breeders bible for the most part. It's written by Joyce Wilkerson called Clownfishes.
For the fry you need a rotifier culture and as the grow you should switch to TDO. The best place to order all this stuff is at APBreed
For the fry you need a rotifier culture and as the grow you should switch to TDO. The best place to order all this stuff is at APBreed
