First batch of eggs purple, second are orange/gold

[CTaylor]

Hi,
My oscelaris laid their second batch of eggs today. Just 9 days after laying their first batch (which hatched/disappeared 2 days ago). The first batch were very dark/almost purple. They developed what looked to be eyes after 3 days, then disappeared during 6th night. During the nest, the female grew fatter and fatter to the point she was like a blimp yesterday and especially today, like rediculously huge. I saw them in the end of laying their eggs at 1 pm today. They are all a beautiful gold color. There could be 1000, certainly more than 500.

*why was one batch purple, this one gold? I'm sure this one is fertile and healthy.. but why did the purple ones seem to develop at all? They totally were gone that 7th morning/6th night.

*Is it normal for them to lay a full large? batch of eggs just 2 days after 'hatching' of the first?

Thanks!
Video of nest laying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2alYcjhg0c

 

[Apercula]

It sounds like you didnt find the first batch immediately. I dont remember the timing exactly, but the eggs are orange/gold the first day or two, then darken, then develop eyes just before hatching.

older, dark eggs, he is looking at them


mid spawn, orange eggs

 

[Apercula]

Oh, and yes, it is not unusual for them to lay soon after a previous spawn hatches.

 

[Apercula]

Three older threads I found very helpful when I was planning to raise fry

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1607482

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1333809&highlight=my+black+ocellaris+are+spawning

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1401023&highlight=my+breeding+attempt

 

[OrionN]

They get darker as the embryo develop. Right before they hatch, you can see the eye of the babies in the eggs.

 

[CTaylor]

Off subject... My pair have been very consistent, laying a new nest 2 days after the last one hatched. I still have never seen a baby yet, even when I think they are hatching. Has be 1000 eggs per nest. They lay in midday.

 

[phender]

Babies hatch about 1-2 hours after your lights go out. The babies are very small and don't swim very well. By the time the lights go on in the morning they will all have been swept into your overflow or eaten by your corals or other animals in your tank. Even if there were still some alive in your tank, they are small and transparent and almost impossible to see when the lights come on.
If you want to see them, you can turn your lights off a little early the night you expect them to hatch and make sure all the room lights are out as well. After about an hour, turn off all your pumps, powerheads/wavemakers too. After another hour shine a flashlight into the water from the top of your tank. If you timed the hatching correctly, you will see hundreds of tiny slivers of glass swim up into the beam of your flashlight. Trying to raise them is a whole different story, so if you are interested in that, do a search here or on google. Its easier than it used to be, but is still very time consuming and takes some practice to get it right. Shortcuts are not your friend when raising baby clowns.

 

[CTaylor]

Thanks phender!

 

[davocean]

I agree it sounds like you saw the first eggs after they had been there for a bit already going by your timing, usually it's about every 2 weeks they spawn.
I have never tried Phender's trick but I will soon.
I just finally ordered and received Joyce Wilkerson's book on clownfish yesterday, which covers breeding pretty well, a good book to have and read if you are thinking of raising fry.