I'm getting a mated pair of clowns for free

[prosper]

hi, I just got into the reef keeping hobby, (set up my first tank 2 weeks ago) and I'm 15 so I'm still living with my parents of course... well I guess my mom told her friend I had a saltwater fish tank, and she said, "so do I, but I'm sick of taking care of it would your son want it?" turns out its been up for 2 years and it has a mated pair of clowns. now this got me thinking... I see ads on craigslist for 125 gallon tanks, with nothing else for like 100 bucks, so why don't I just buy one, build a stand with a bunch of scrap wood someone gave us when I was gonna build a tree house and then divide it up into like 8 sections and breed a bunch of clowns, would this work?,

thanks,

prosper

 

[Mr. Eel]

Breeding clowns or any other fish is a large endeavor and is daunting task to even veteran aquarists, some never success at all and it isnt even a very good money making scheme. For a beginner like yourself it will be extremely difficult and first I would suggest trying to take care of fish that Liveaquaria ranks as difficult before even trying to breed fish and gain general knowledge of the hobby by being in for at least a year.

As for your set up you want many different tanks if the clowns can see each other they will attempt to tear each other apart especially mated pairs who are very territorial. I would suggest a few 30 gal tanks one per a pain with an anemone for each pair of clowns (first try taking care of anenomes it is harder that one might think) Also if moved mated pairs can stop breeding so you want to keep them in the tank you got them in if they are mated.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/

Best place to buy fish ^

 

[ClownMan727]

Sure give it a try. I would find someone local breeding clown fish and go and see what they are doing. Ask questions and tell them what you are planning. The people on this site for the most part are clueless but will offer advice anyway.

 

[ichthyogeek]

I'd suggest looking into Witterich's Breeder's Guide to Marine Fishes for more information on breeding themselves. As for the actual process:

For the fry, you'll want a growout tank that's separate from the parent tank because you'll need to add rotifers and baby brine shrimp multiple times a day and do water changes frequently. You can put the post-metamorphosis juveniles (the ones that look like clownfish) back into the DIVIDED tank to minimize all the care needed once you get up and running. You'll also want to start on rotifer and microalgae (Nannochloropsis and Isochrysis) cultures a few weeks before you start actively trying to raise the larvae, as well as be well versed on brine shrimp hatching and buy a ton of brine shrimp eggs as well.

I'd strongly suggest reading the book, looking into what you can reasonably afford and discuss it with your parents. For some reason, they tend to frown upon strange bubbling green, brown, and orange concoctions and live food. Also, as a 15 year old, make sure that you don't let this take over your life...I mean it could get you into an Ivy League...but at the same time make sure your grades go up (so you can buy even more fish with the larger paycheck later on in life lol).

What's your experience with fish so far? Freshwater? Saltwater? If this will be your first breeding attempt...I'd strongly suggest trying to get freshwater fish to breed first as they're a lot more forgiving than saltwater, plus there's more literature on them as well. As for the 125's, mind uploading a drawing of what you had in mind as for dividing the tank?

Oh also, ignore the anemone's, Witt recommends flower pots and slate bc the anemones are hard to keep, and you quite frankly don't need them. Additionally, a 20 High aquarium can suit your needs for the breeding pair just fine. Again, read Witterich's text and ask questions!

ClownMan277, excuse you. Mind PM'ing me and tell me why you think the people on this site are mostly clueless?

 

[carrots]

Getting clowns to breed and raising fry are two different things. Last time I did it with one pair I needed about 6 small tanks going at once. Between raising rotos, shrimp, algae, baby grow outs, It ended up costing me much more $ and time than it was worth. Truly a labor of love. If your new to the hobby try to keep it simple and small. 30 gallon is a great starter size and would work well with clowns. You can enjoy their spawning antics every two months and their fry will feed your corals. By the way, supporting a 125 gallon on a stand you build out of old tree fort wood....not a good idea Best of luck and welcome to the hobby.

 

[mrhighline]

Getting clowns to breed and raising fry are two different things. Last time I did it with one pair I needed about 6 small tanks going at once. Between raising rotos, shrimp, algae, baby grow outs, It ended up costing me much more $ and time than it was worth. Truly a labor of love. If your new to the hobby try to keep it simple and small. 30 gallon is a great starter size and would work well with clowns. You can enjoy their spawning antics every two months and their fry will feed your corals. By the way, supporting a 125 gallon on a stand you build out of old tree fort wood....not a good idea Best of luck and welcome to the hobby.

This ... I have 2 pairs that spawn on the regular, It's just too time consuming for me to raise the fry.

 

[hbrochs]

A mated pair does not mean they are actively laying eggs. What type of clownfish are they?
Try googling "Pickle's Clownfish Breeding Thread" it's posted on another forum and I'm not allowed to provide the link. Read his entire thread twice. If it still sounds like fun, then give it a try. The way I look at it those fry will all die without your intervention, and if you fail there will be another opportunity every two weeks.
Where are you located?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sk8r]

In all kindness, anytime you think you are going to breed most anything for money, be it horses, cats, dogs, or fish, you're going to spend more than you make, as a small operation, and be left with a handful you have to work to find homes for, free. It is not a money-making proposition and you'd be lucky to find a store to take them. OTOH, it's a fascinating process and you could get a great deal out of it of a non-material sort.

 

[ericauch]

the 125 idea will work I use 55 gallons in 2 sections when I breed. Be sure you section off the flow if you plan on putting the fry into the tanks.
Also as stated above sometimes it takes mated pairs over a year to start laying. however I've been able to get mated pairs who have never laid to lay in less than a month. So you might get lucky and you might not. If they start laying pm me I can help you get from fry to fish if that's what u want to do. Ive been breeding clowns for over 10 years.

 

[D-Nak]

Breeding clownfish is easy. Getting them to look like their wild counterparts is hard. If you take this on as a passion project and you have a goal of breeding "perfect" clowns, then you're already a step ahead of many other breeders. In other words, breed for quality and not quantity.

I'm a father of a 15YO. When she asks me for permission to do something, I ask her to write a proposal and present it to her mother and I. We then talk about it. If you're going to ask for money, include that in your proposal, outlining how you plan to spend it (You'll need about $500 start up capital to buy equipment and supplies). The better the proposal, the more likely your parents will approve, as it will show how committed you are to the project.

If your do parents approve, I say give it a shot. Just know that it's time consuming and not very forgiving, so as others have recommended, do a lot of research to make sure it's something that you really want to do. As a 15YO, you've got the energy to be successful.

Post questions when you think of them. There are actually some of us here who aren't clueless and know what we're talking about.