Saddle Back fry

[d4a2n0k]

Hi All,

Ive had a pair of Saddle Back Clowns for about 8 months now. A few months ago, I thought the Male was turning Female because the fish were barking at each other and biting each others mouths and spinning. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1125905 I kept an eye on them and they both seemed ok so I left them together.

In the past few weeks I noticed the Female had dug a hole in the sand under a piece of rock and was sitting there all day and would only come out to feed. The rock is situated right up against the glass and I cant get my Mag Float in there to clean the glass.

Tonight I took a flashlight and looked under the rock and to my surprise there were about 30-40 fry hanging out. They are about 1mm in size. Any guesses to how old they are? I obviously havent been feeding the tank what they need but have a feeling they have been there a while judging by their size. They look to have some white on them but again, I cant see clearly.

How large are they when they hatch? What do I do with them? I really had no plans in breeding them and there are other fish in the tank but I dont want the fry to die either.

I have an SLR camera with a Macro lens but dont know if Ill be able to get a clear shot as the glass has algae and coralline as I havent been able to get the Mag Float in there. The lights are off now so will try to snap some pics tomorrow.

Thanks for any help.

 

[d4a2n0k]

Actually, looking at them again they are bigger than the above stated 1mm.

 

[texreefer]

Well, i'm lost,, i don't know a whole lot about Saddle backs but clownfish in general i do,, this is contrary to many assumptions.. the fry normally would not just "hang out" they would make a made dash for the surface as soon as they hatched,, if the female is hanging out there as well she would most likely eat them,, and ,depending on how old they are, they most likely would starve to death very soon. 1mm is VERY small,, my occellaris larvae were 2-3mm the night of the spawn

 

[phender]

I have a feeling, since you haven't been able to clean that spot, that the things you saw were small shrimp or copepods.
Like texreefer said, the situation just doesn't fit the profile of how clownfish larvae and adults act. Clowns don't guard their babies after they hatch and males do most of the tending of the nest.

 

[d4a2n0k]

Hmm, I will see if I can get a better view tomorrow. The clowns arent guarding right now but they have been hanging in that spot a lot recently.

Whatever it is, they are swimming around but the glass is really dirty so it doesnt sound like it to me either now. I know absolutely nothing about breeding them, as you can tell so thanks for the explanation of what usually happens after hatching.

Thanks for the help and I will update if they are actually Clowns but it doesnt sound like it now.