Question for Atticus or another experienced clownfish breeder

J

jdreefer

Member
I have a couple of questions that I am hoping someone with experience could answer. From what I have read, it appears Atticus has quite a bit of experience on the subject. I don't know if there are any other locals out there.

I have read that lots of people use "tile" beside the clown's host to try to entice their clowns to lay the eggs on the tile. Does it matter what type of tile I put in there? Is there good tile and bad tile? Can I just put any old tile in there? Do I have to put the tile in the exact spot that they are currently laying eggs or will they eventually move to the tile if it is close?

Thanks in advance.
 
Sorry, forgot to finish my thoughts here before posting...

From the pictures I have seen on here, it looks like people are just using little 2"x 2" or 4"x4" shower tiles and putting the back side up? Is it that simple? I just want to make sure I am not missing something or gonna kill the tank.
 
That is pretty much it, it is best if you can get un glazed tiles.

If you have an egg laying pair in your reef tank it may be easier to set up a seperate 20g tank for just them. It would be easier to remove the eggs when hatching time comes.

Get the book from Joyce Wilkerson, it is the clownfish breeders bible. There is also alot of good information at MOFIB.com.

GL
 
Yeah, I have the book but never been to MOFIB.com. Thanks for the link. From just a quick glance, there is some amazing info on that site. I would have never guessed that people are raising Madarins :eek2:

I don't have the time right now to start raising them anyway but would like all of them to start laying on tiles in case I ever get interested. I am assuming that it is going to take a while to "convince" them to lay on the tile.

In one of my tanks, I am planning on redoing the rockwork which will probably send them into a period of protest again so this would be a good time to add the tile.
 
Actually what works really well is clam or oyster shells. Then you dont have an ugly looking tile in your take & they are still easy to remove.
 
Unglazed tiles (aka Terracotta tiles) are best. If you are redoing rockwork definatly use that time to introduce the tile. It would also be a good time to just pull the pair to a 20 gallon or similar sized breeder tank as Craig suggested. Clam shells are nice, but tiles are uniform and less likely to throw the pair when switched out.
 
Thanks for the help fellas.

I actually have 3 pairs laying eggs, so it is not as easy as moving one pair to a new tank. I don't necessarily want to start raising clownfish. I just want to have the opportunity to more easily do it should I decide to try my hand with a batch or two sometime.

Thanks again.
 
With the pairs that are laying, just set the tile over their nest spot after the next hatch. If you ever get bored with them just let me know... :D
 
Well, the last of my pairs is finally laying eggs. :D I never got the tile down in time, but they probably wouldn't be that upset if I snuck one in now. This is their first effort. Please excuse the dirty glass and crappy picture taking.

First the parents:
IMG_3615.jpg


Fuzzy picture of the eggs:
IMG_0014.jpg


And just for fun, an old picture of them with a LTA that has long since met its maker. I had forgotten how much I really like that anemone:
IMG_1277.jpg
 
Holy crap, NICE clowns!!! I didn't know there was a pair like those in Iowa. Where did you pick them up at?
 
If you aren't going to raise the spawn from those clowns, you should really let someone else do it. Those are beautiful, and should be reproduced! Beautiful!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14205754#post14205754 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Atticus
Holy crap, NICE clowns!!! I didn't know there was a pair like those in Iowa. Where did you pick them up at?
Click to expand...

Adam ordered them in for me. He actually has several Picassos in stock right now that are going to turn out pretty nice (not as nice as mine:D ) but nobody appears to realize what they are going to turn into and is scared away by the price.
 
Thanks for the compliments fellas.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14205784#post14205784 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by iaJim
If you aren't going to raise the spawn from those clowns, you should really let someone else do it. Those are beautiful, and should be reproduced! Beautiful!
Click to expand...

Are you offering?

In all seriousness though, I would not be opposed to letting someone have the eggs from these guys once I get them laying on a tile and figure out their schedule. Their form isn't perfect but based on the discussions I have had it is probably more due to how they were raised than genetics. Based on when I got them, they should be F1s from the original ORA parents so I wouldn't think inbreeding would be a problem yet.
 
If you lived closer I would have loved to take a shot at a few nests.

The eggs look great btw. Good coloration and definatly one of their first nests. It will be much neater and have 2-3 times as many eggs after the next couple hatches.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14206396#post14206396 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jdreefer
Thanks for the compliments fellas.



Are you offering?

Click to expand...

I wish I had the skills to do it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Neptune DDR diy question for AWC
Replies
3
Views
507
Reefing102
Reefing102
R
Clownfish in a small tank
Replies
13
Views
1K
Reefing102
Reefing102
J
Clownfish pairing
Replies
8
Views
677
Dr. Reef
Dr. Reef
J
Clownfish pairing
Replies
0
Views
259
Jringo101st
J
P
Can I get another fish?
Replies
3
Views
747
griss
griss
Back
Top