Clownfish bout to lay eggs, now what?

[reddog170]

The is not my clowns first time laying. I did not know anything about what to do the first time they layed eggs so needless to say all was lost, kinda. This time I have been working feverishly on getting things ready. I have a ten gallon tank for the fry to go in. I have got rotifers going. I am even thinking about putting a camera to record the hatching.
But a few questions i have are this. How long exactly do the need to stay in darkness? How long before I start feeding them? Do they need a lower SG? Me and te rest of my family are quite looking forward to this and i want to get it right. I understand that the first time I do not have a high chance of real success but I want to make a go of it. There is someone around the house 24/7 so the tanks can be watched at all times. I have ordered some books but with all this holiday shipping going on it is slowing things down. Any info would be great. Thank you, Shaun

 

[blueshroom55]

The eggs should hatch within two hours of darkness. Once you have the fry in the 10-gal, they should be in dim light 24hrs/day for the first few days at least. Make sure the 10 gal has greenwater and maintain the rotifers in the tank at 10 - 15/ml (yes, I actually count mine). That's a lot of rotifers, so you will probably start with less water and add more over the first few days. Good luck.

 

[blueshroom55]

Regarding the sg, I use water siphoned from the main tank to reduce stress on the fry. They are very, very fragile. No water changes for the first week.