Mixing clownfish eggs/larva?

[tjp]

I have 2 nests of clownfish eggs, 1 Ocellaris and 1 Cinnamon in different tanks on clay pots.
The Cinnamon are in a 15g tank with the temp at 78-81f and the Ocellaris are in my 120g reef tank with the temp at 78-80f.
The Cinnamon laid eggs on 11-29-08(last Saturday)
The Ocellaris laid eggs on 11-30-08(last Sunday)
They both look like they will hatch soon.

Can I hatch/raise them both in the same 10g or 20g tank to save on rotifers, BBS and Phyto?
And to make it easier in the long run hopping they will keep the same cycles?
I can separate them later after I see witch are what.

Thanks
Terry

 

[JHemdal]

Terry,

While I've not actually tried that, I do know that more than temperature, you need to be concerned with having the salinity be exactly the same between the two brood tanks and the one rearing tank. I've lost a surprising number of larva through what I had thought was a very small change in salinity.

To be perfectly honest, if your clowns are breeding on a good schedule, why not go for the batch of cinnamons and then try for the ocellaris at some future time? Will you truly save on rotifers and Phyto? I mean, 200 larval clowns need X amount of food and 400 need 2X.....

Jay

 

[tjp]

I mix my freash salt up in a 55g drum for water changes and keep up in top offs.
the 15g tank is 1 tank out of 6 tanks on one system total water is 110-120g +/- liverock.
I sometime also reuse water from my reef tank to my brood tank system.
I'm thinking the water is really close to the same.
I'm thinking why not give it a try, if it don't work it set me back 2 weeks.

 

[rkelman]

It won't hurt to try. Although separating 1000 clowns later might be a problem lol. My biggest concern would be the Cinnamon's may beat up the Ocellaris while they are still too young to move to another tank.