Clownfish eggs disappeared!

[coraltastic]

My clown laid eggs 9 days ago they were looking good. They were silver and u could see the eye 2 days ago. I had been checking every night since for fry. I woke this morning all eggs were there before lights on. Looked again after lights on and all eggs r gone, but no fry. I wonder did the clowns eat them because they wasn't going to hatch. If anyone has any info or solutions please help.

 

[ernieq]

Did you turn off filter? Fry hatch typically 1 to 2 hours after lights out. I have found that total darkness is more conducive to hatching. Maybe they hatched after you checked. Once they hatch, they are fair game for anyone. Typically at night, everybody is asleep, so they most likely were eaten in early morning or got processed by your filter.

 

[coraltastic]

Thanks that is what I thought. The clowns r in my frag tank. I put a plexi devider in the tank and separated them from the other fish an corals when I found the eggs. The overflow is on the other side of the devider and doesnt have any holes at the top so nothing cant get over the top to go over the overflow. there is a few slits in the middle for the water to transfer over to the othe side, the bottom and sides arnt sealed eather so the water flows around them as well. I only have a small powerhead in that section of the tank so I don't think it is too Much water flow. The only coral on that side is a small Hollywood stunner chalice and a Rbta that the clown host and had laid the eggs underneath of. Does anyone know how many day it will be before they lay another batch of eggs? Could someone show me a pic of what the eggs look like right before they r subpost to hatch? I am going to put a peice of tile around the area where they lay the eggs at, so i can take them out the afternoon before they hatch. Well maybe it was good that I lost this batch, I just got my rotifer culture started yesterday. I should be more prepared for the next batch.

 

[ernieq]

In my thread I am documenting my experiences. This is a picture of one of my batches the day of the hatch.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20737524&postcount=100

 

[coraltastic]

I check last night at lights out and to my surprise fry everywhere. I setup my fry tank and sucked them out. Woke this morning everything looks ok but my Rotifers culture water isn't that green color u want not clear though. How do keep the water green while I am at work and asleep?

 

[coraltastic]

I just took a video of what I think is clown fish fry can y'all verify? Also how long do I leave a light on for the fry? http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B26I922VunU

 

[coraltastic]

Bump

 

[ernieq]

Can't really tell by the video. I have some close up shots of my clown fry at birth. You an compare them with those. The last page has some photos of my 1 day olds. I keep light for the first 24 hours so they learn to hunt while they still have their yolk sack. Then normal day night cycle. The rotifer culture will turn clear, that is how you know your Rotifers are eating. You could drip phyto during the time you are not there. It is important not to over feed the Rotifers as you end up choking out oxygen. I feed my culture every 8 hours, tint the water green and 8 hours later it is clear and I feed. That has worked for me.

 

[coraltastic]

They look like urs but they seem smaller. Thanks for all ur help. Do u put the rotifer floss from reeds mariculture in ur culture or just use them to clean out ur buckets

 

[ernieq]

I use the floss in the culture bucket.

 

[coraltastic]

K thanks. Another ? Can I start a plankton culture from the rg complete I got from reeds or do I need to order something else to start with?

 

[ernieq]

RG Complete are dead cells. You need live pytho culture, but you can use RG complete to feed your rotifers. I also use it to tint the water in the fry tank to the tune of 7 drops per gallon.

 

[coraltastic]

Ya that is what I am using right now, but from the looks of my first couple of days I am going to be using a lot. Do u grow ur own or buy? What type u use and where did u get it? If u don't mind me asking.

 

[ernieq]

I use rg complete for everything (tint water in larval tanks and feed Rotifers). In the larval tanks you don't need completely green water, just enough to tint it, in order to provide contrast to the larvae to find the rotifers. The Rotifers in the larval tank will clear it p, so you typically have to re-apply. The 8 oz bottle should be enough to raise a batch or two depending on size and time between batches.

 

[coraltastic]

What do I do In between batches so I don't have to reorder Rotifers.

 

[coraltastic]

Hay y'all I have about 200 eggs just laid. Got to watch it all. I will try to get a video next time.