Diet recommendations

[mr9iron]

A few months ago I purchase a pair of Semi Snowflake clowns that are my pride and joy. These are without a doubt my favorite fish over the years due to their personalities and looks. My hope is to enrich their diet so that they will eventually spawn. They are bonded and my female is growing and they show the typical pre-spawn behavior by rock cleaning and so forth. I currently feed them 3-4 times daily with Cyclopeze flakes, Formula 1 pellets and Reef Crack, which is a mixture of all of the meaty sea foods, algae and vitamins. I would like to give them more of a variety of foods that are nutritious. So, if you have a spawning pair what are you feeding them and how often.

 

[mr9iron]

Here is a quick picture of my kids. Quality is not the greatest as it was from my phone.

 

[davocean]

You have a pretty good mixture going there already.
Mine mainly get mysis and spectrum pellets, pellets being their fav, and my picasso/snowcasso pair spawn every two weeks like clockwork.
I've heard of people adding very rich in protein foods like prawn eggs or fish roe to help speed up the spawning thing, but if yours are cleaning up an area, my guess is it won't be long already.

 

[mr9iron]

You have a pretty good mixture going there already.
Mine mainly get mysis and spectrum pellets, pellets being their fav, and my picasso/snowcasso pair spawn every two weeks like clockwork.
I've heard of people adding very rich in protein foods like prawn eggs or fish roe to help speed up the spawning thing, but if yours are cleaning up an area, my guess is it won't be long already.

daveocean, thanks for the response. I forgot to mention I do feed them frozen mysis shrimp but they have never show any interest in them. I may try the spectru pellets and see if I can find some prawn eggs as well. I was considering balck worms and hatching some brine shrimp as well. They have been "cleaning" for a while and just figured this was a pre-spawn behavior or just instinct. I have also noticed that they have become super aggressive lately. I don't know if it has to do with them having an anemone that hosts them or if they are preparing to spawn. Every time I stick my hands in the tank the male continually attacks me. The female will nip on occasion but the male is mean one.

 

[mr9iron]

Wow, I just read my last response. I guess I should do a better job proofreading things. Lol!

 

[davocean]

They do normally become more aggressive when they take a host, and even more so when they begin to spawn, so it could be soon.
Mine did start cleaning an area maybe a couple/few months before I spotted eggs, but they may have even spawned before I spotted eggs, as they were in a less visible area.
I normally shy from culturing live foods since in the past it made some of my fish very finicky, and then I felt stuck on continuing that habit, so just be aware of that.
If it were me, I would just continue doing what you are doing, they will spawn.

 

[mr9iron]

daveocean, I never thought of them becoming finicky so I may hold off on that. I will just continue my regimen and see what happens. I hope to eventually rear the young, not for profit but more for the experience. My youngest son really enjoys the tank and I think it would be fun for the both of us.