My Ocellaris breeding thread

Not since my male went skydiving. I've since paired up my female but it will be a while before they get busy. I'm thinking at least another year as the male reaches maturity. I have moved two out of the growout into my frag grow out tank. They have flared gills and are kind of smaller than the others (I know I should have culled them, but I don't have the heart to do so) and are now hosting a bubbletip anemone that I put in a while back (which in fact has since split). When I get home tonight I will post some updated pictures. One of the clowns I sold to a local dealer, that I convinced to have it put inside his display tank with another ocellaris that he had, is doing really well and they have paired up.

My new house is almost done with all the remodeling, so pretty soon I will setup the plumbing in the fish room and setup my saltwater holding tanks to prepare to move my aquariums. When I'm done, NO MORE BUCKETS during cleaning and maintenance, my back just can't deal with it, so everything will be plumbed in and out.
 
This is a good sample of what the rest look like. Most of the fish in this photo are just under 2 inches. The bigger ones are 2 1/2 inches.
 
Hi Ernieq
I have a question for you.
I'm breeding a pair of ocerlaris and maroon (female). The male has been doing the twitching, kissing and sniffing alot and also the female digs a big cave underneath the rock (she did a massgive construction job by using her tail to blow the sand and her mouth to move bigger pieces of shells/sand).
Male is about 2+ inches and female is about 2.5 inches. Both were bought from petco 6 months ago. Do you think they re mature and ready to lay eggs soon?
As you said previously, my pair seems still young. Any idea how long does it take from the stage where they do digging sand and cleaning rock surface till laying eggs?

Thanks
 
Here is a picture
 

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I hear you on the culling. I have three that ended up with flared gills. My friend said I need to flush them because I can't sell them or even give them away because it would put a bad mark on me. I moved my breeding pair last fall into their own tank and the batches have been small up untill about a month in half one batch turned white about three days after being laid and the male has been eatting the eggs so by the time hatch night comes around there are like only 10 eggs left if even that. So now I picked up a young male at least I hope it is a male he is in QT right now till next weekend and the breeding male is getting the boot.
 
Hi Ernieq
I have a question for you.
I'm breeding a pair of ocerlaris and maroon (female). The male has been doing the twitching, kissing and sniffing alot and also the female digs a big cave underneath the rock (she did a massgive construction job by using her tail to blow the sand and her mouth to move bigger pieces of shells/sand).
Male is about 2+ inches and female is about 2.5 inches. Both were bought from petco 6 months ago. Do you think they re mature and ready to lay eggs soon?
As you said previously, my pair seems still young. Any idea how long does it take from the stage where they do digging sand and cleaning rock surface till laying eggs?

Thanks

I am not too familiar with maroon/ocelaris hybrids, but I think for a maroon, a 2.5 inch female seems kind of small. Most of the matures females I have seen are over 3 inches, she may not be ready yet. You can also easily tell when the female is gravid (full of eggs), she gets HUGE.
 
I hear you on the culling. I have three that ended up with flared gills. My friend said I need to flush them because I can't sell them or even give them away because it would put a bad mark on me. I moved my breeding pair last fall into their own tank and the batches have been small up untill about a month in half one batch turned white about three days after being laid and the male has been eatting the eggs so by the time hatch night comes around there are like only 10 eggs left if even that. So now I picked up a young male at least I hope it is a male he is in QT right now till next weekend and the breeding male is getting the boot.



That's why I'm "using" mine to for decorative purposes on my frag tanks. I don't expect to ever sell them or give them away.
 
I am not too familiar with maroon/ocelaris hybrids, but I think for a maroon, a 2.5 inch female seems kind of small. Most of the matures females I have seen are over 3 inches, she may not be ready yet. You can also easily tell when the female is gravid (full of eggs), she gets HUGE.

Many thanks for your insights. I will keep taking good care of them and hope the Mom will lay eggs soon...
:)
 
I hear various theories about it. It is not contagious, it is just a deformity. I was told by more than one breeder that it is a result of low oxygen levels during and shortly after meta. I've also heard that overcrowding can cause it, although in my case, the number of fish with flared gills has been constant since just after meta when you can sort of tell which ones will have it. Right now, I have the two in the frag tank and about 10 or 12 in the main grow out tank. My last batch did not have any flared gills and had 1 misbar. I had like 3 airstones running full blast all the time. The misbar is the one fish I look for everyday to see how he is growing, and so far, he is about on-par with the rest. The ones with flared gills are the ones that have not grown as fast as the normal ones, so it is definitely inhibiting their growth rate, though I do have smaller specimens that are of the same age, have normal gills, and they are smaller. But in general, the bigger ones all have normal gills.
 
congress with all work. I just start and have question. When you separate fry after hatch to new tank.
What is your temp. in main tank and what is temp. in fry tank?
Do you increas temp. in fry?
If yes how much?

In my situation I'm killing most of 250-300 fry in first 2-3 days. I survived only 8 babes. Today is day 23.
 
Hi Ernieq
I feel like I am starting all over again since it has been awhile since my last batch I was actually able to collect and raise.
I am a little confused with what you have down for after hatching…

You have down - 24 hours of light after hatch, thereafter about 9 hours lights out 15 hours with light.

I thought you are supposed to leave the fry tank uncovered for the first 24 hours then cover with those sheets of paper is this not correct?
Because you have noted that: “you use a flourescent 15 watt T8 then use three sheets of paper to diffuse the light for the first 2 days. Then you remove 1 layer for the next 4 days, and you leave 1 layer until they are post meta.” So this is kind of where I get lost at.
How many days after fry hatch would the 9 hours lights out and 15 hours lights on take place?


Please help straighten me out...
 
The first 24 hours of light need to be difused with the paper or the fry will swim to the bottom of the tank and do head stands till they die. Then after the 1st 24 hours leave the paper the same but switch to 15 hours of light and 9 hours of darkness, remove 1 layer of paper every 4 days.
 
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