Eating Eggs

[pr12]

My clowns keep eating thier eggs, but every time I pull pot they lay them in the eggs turn white (bacterial infection?) and never hatch. The last time I got 4 larva, out of a clutch of 300 or so eggs. Is there any way to keep the parents from eating the eggs? They've laid about 8 times so far, pulled the pot 3 times, and this latest time the parents ate the eggs all by day 3. Any idea's?

 

[dirtStar]

You need good circulation and airflow over the eggs.

Normally the parents will clean them and take care of it.

Maybe try taking out the pot, and replacing it with one that looks the same.

If the parents are eating the eggs by day 3 in the tank, then possible you need more flow there too.
Also check your water to make sure it is ok.

 

[flamron]

I'm not actually trying to breed my clowns, but they do lay eggs on a pretty regular basis. FWIW, mine ate their eggs for probably three months when they laid them. Finally they "figured" it out and now they consistently hatch.

It may be that they just need more practice doing their thing.

 

[Scma]

I wouldn't bother pulling the eggs if you have to pull them so early. Even pulling them a day before they hatch can be very tricky.

The parents eating the eggs indicates to me that they may not be healthy. Try enhancing the diet of the parents and feeding multiple times a day. If all else fails, give them more time to learn what they're doing

 

[pr12]

You need good circulation and airflow over the eggs.

Normally the parents will clean them and take care of it.

Maybe try taking out the pot, and replacing it with one that looks the same.

If the parents are eating the eggs by day 3 in the tank, then possible you need more flow there too.
Also check your water to make sure it is ok.

Usually they take very good care of them, up till hatch night when they will eat their eggs (except for this last time). At least I'm assuming they eat them, I'm away at work and when I get home the eggs r gone. By more flow do you mean in the tank itself or to point a powehead into the pot itself? Nitrates are at 5.

I wouldn't bother pulling the eggs if you have to pull them so early. Even pulling them a day before they hatch can be very tricky.

The parents eating the eggs indicates to me that they may not be healthy. Try enhancing the diet of the parents and feeding multiple times a day. If all else fails, give them more time to learn what they're doing

I feed 3-5x a day, a combination of marine cuisine, ocean nutrition 2 frozen and pellets, a home frozen mixture, ocean nutrion 1 pellets, and rods food when I can get it, plus I use Selco and Selcon. This last time I was away so they only got fed 2x a day just pellets, maybe this contributed to them eating them earlier?

The parents I bought from a lady breaking down her tank who had them for 6 yrs, they'd been laying in a reef tank steadily but she didnt raise them and I'm not sure if they ate them there too.

 

[dirtStar]

More flow in the tank overall. But if the parents are consantly fannign and cleaning them,
then it should be fine.

My first batch, they hatched in the morning.
I missed it. My son was watching it, and I saw the last few.

It is possible that they are hatching when u are not there.

 

[Shane Hoffman]

You have to be home the night they hatch. What I do is figure out within a night or or 2 of wehn they should hatch. You have to commit to being there on all possible hatch nights. On both possible days shutdown all filtration 5 minutes before lights out. 45 minutes later shine a flash light and inspect for fry.....you may only see a few at first but hold the light there for 5 minutes and you will see hundreds.... If you dont shut down your filtration the fry will al be gone withing 30 minutes.......If the eggs are white they are dead.

 

[dirtStar]

My clowns keep eating thier eggs, but every time I pull pot they lay them in the eggs turn white (bacterial infection?) and never hatch. The last time I got 4 larva, out of a clutch of 300 or so eggs. Is there any way to keep the parents from eating the eggs? They've laid about 8 times so far, pulled the pot 3 times, and this latest time the parents ate the eggs all by day 3. Any idea's?

After re-reading your post again and again...

Try to let a batch or two go.
Keep the pot in there, and get another pot that is the same to put in the same spot when you remove the pot with eggs.

If you skip a batch or two and ignore it, maybe they will let the eggs go all 8 days.

Also, adjust your flow a bit to make sure the eggs arent going bad and the parents are eating them because of it.

Try and experiment.

Just dont rearange any rock work.

 

[pr12]

More flow in the tank overall. But if the parents are consantly fannign and cleaning them,
then it should be fine.

My first batch, they hatched in the morning.
I missed it. My son was watching it, and I saw the last few.

It is possible that they are hatching when u are not there.

I'm wondering if this could be what happens, the eggs tend to dissappear on the 8th day, sometime between 10 and 6. I get home a few hours before lights out, and the eggs are gone. Could it be possible that they keep hatching out while its light out?

I wont be messing with the next few batches, my rotifer cultures crashed so I'll experiment with flow and see if that helps at all.

 

[dirtStar]

Anything is possible.

If they are ready to hatch and there is ambient light in the room, the
hatch could be delayed and then they could hatch at anytime.

 

[Scma]

I agree. Some are much more tolerant of lighting than others.

Perhaps you should consider rigging up a larval catcher and leaving it on the tank 24/7 and see what you catch. They're very simple to make and work extremely well. You may be surprised what else is breeding in your tank :spin1:

 

[pr12]

Thanks for all the help everyone, sadly my breeding is on hold for a bit due to a tank crash that I lost all my inhabitants in. Hopefully I can get things back together and back in the game soon!

 

[Shane Hoffman]

Thanks for all the help everyone, sadly my breeding is on hold for a bit due to a tank crash that I lost all my inhabitants in. Hopefully I can get things back together and back in the game soon!

Wow, sorry to hear that. Are you referring to your display tank or the tank that had your clownfish larvae in it when saying your tank crashed?

 

[pr12]

Wow, sorry to hear that. Are you referring to your display tank or the tank that had your clownfish larvae in it when saying your tank crashed?

It was my display, I got home to my anemone stuck in my filter and my fish dead or dying. I'm guessing the anemone decided to go for a walk past the powerhead and got blown into the filter uptake.