Question on feedings

Falcao

New member
I have a pair of clown fish that have laid about 10 to 12 batches. I have never seem the eggs hatch. I have them in the display tank with everything running. I am assuming that the skimmer power heads have gotten to them when the hatch. I am think of taken the eggs old or use a tile to collect the eggs and putting in a separate tank. I have notice that everyone is using rotifers for the fray, I was wondering if has to be a live or can you use the frozen type? any help will be appreciate
 
The fry hatch at night. As you can tell, they won't survive in an aquarium. They get sucked into pumps, in the skimmer, eaten by some corals or fish, etc. I think I remember hearing about a few people having limited success with 100% Otohime feedings, but I can't remember if it was with clownfish. I don't think the dead rotifers will do much. They will just sink and probably pollute the water. Live ones are really needed.
 
thanks NirvanaFan. Do you think it is possible to turn off the pumps and stuff and try to collect them for the display tank when they hatch. transferring the Laval to the new tank?
 
Yeah, lot's of people collect from a display tank. You can shut down the pumps and shine a small light on the surface and collect them with a cup when they swim up to the light. Another option is a larvae snagger. Do a search and you can see many different designs that collect the larvae for you throughout the night and you just transfer them in the morning.
 
thanks cdipasquale, I think that is what I am going to try to do.
do they hatch with lights off in the 8th day, or is it when they want to during the night
 
Generally, most clownfish will hatch within a couple hours of lights out on the 8th day in a 80* tank. But you will have to learn when yours will hatch, it should be the same for every hatch. I have had them hatch anywhere between 7 and 9 days, can be even longer in a colder tank. I have also had a few clutches hatch out during the day so anything is possible. You can turn the lights out early, night of the hatch to start the hatching sooner too.
 
The fry hatch at night. As you can tell, they won't survive in an aquarium. They get sucked into pumps, in the skimmer, eaten by some corals or fish, etc. I think I remember hearing about a few people having limited success with 100% Otohime feedings, but I can't remember if it was with clownfish. I don't think the dead rotifers will do much. They will just sink and probably pollute the water. Live ones are really needed.

The success with 100% Oto or TDO is very low, single digit %'s IIRC.

Frozen and dead rotifers aren't really a substitute for live when talking about marine fish hobbyists would be producing. Some food fish you can keep the culture boiling to the point you can keep dead rotifers in suspension enough the fish will eat them. Clowns aren't that forgiving I am afraid :(
 
Thanks, I should have tonight or tomorrow another batch hatching. I might have to start keeping the rotifers to try to get some clown fish.
 
They hatched on Friday night about two hours into lights off. I have to see if I start some rotifer cultures for the next batch
 
My clowns laid there eggs in a conch shell, when I tried hatching my clowns I would take the shell out of the tank and transfer it to my hatching tank. But the longest they lived was 3 days.
 
RJ, what were you feeding them. From what I have been able to understand you need live food( rotifer) to be successful. Also control the light in the beginning several days.
 
3 days is when their yolk sacs run dry. Most people lose their brood because they don't keep enough of a concentration of rotifers with the babies
 
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