Six years

[SalinFL]

So after six years, my Saddleback clowns have put down a baby patch - on a rock, right in the middle of three rbtas. Me, I'm in awe, but clueless as to what I should do to assist baby survival (if anything). Mom & dad are the only two fish in a 40gal. Will these soon-to-be little guys survive or will they become cleanup crew or rbta snacks?

Thanks in advance for the advice, much appreciated.



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[Gyaradoite]

The parents will eat the babies if you don't remove the clutch. If you're planning on raising them I'd suggest moving the babies into a 10 gallon (low light) where they will have enough room to swim but not enough that the food is to dispersed. at this stage, they will wait for the food to come to them, so they will need to be fed (live) copepods. It's useful to have a culture of them on hand, you'll also have to have phytoplankton in order to feed the copepods. After a while, they will go through metamorphosis, once that has occurred, I like to feed "TDO chromoboost". After they've developed their markings you can sell them, if that's your thing.

Hope this helped, have a nice day!

 

[shred5]

Well you will either have to catch the larvae after hatch and usually right after lights out and move them to a larval tank
.
You can remove the eggs right before hatch into a separate larval tank.

Your first food will be rotifers and as they grow you switch to BBS.

You will have to do some research because there is allot of info on this and would take hours to write up... Research and ask specific questions.

You wont be ready for this first batch.

 

[SalinFL]

Thanks so much for all the info.

Yeah (@shred5) I'm definitely not on top of this, this go around. Totally unexpected, but now I know what to look for regarding their behavior beforehand. Wondering though how these new little ones survive even in the wild if their parents take on more of a predator role than a parental one.





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[shred5]

Thanks so much for all the info.

Yeah (@shred5) I'm definitely not on top of this, this go around. Totally unexpected, but now I know what to look for regarding their behavior beforehand. Wondering though how these new little ones survive even in the wild if their parents take on more of a predator role than a parental one.





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They hatch at night and follow the light into the plankton soup. Most fish larva will drift out to sea, hard to believe they make it back to the reefs.
Very few actually make it to adult hood.


Find a copy of Clownfishes: A Guide to Their Captive Care, Breeding & Natural History by Joyce D. Wilkerson

It is still the bible.

 

[SalinFL]

I'll definitely get a copy. Thanks for that info, much appreciated.



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