Spawn why don't you...

[nightOwl]

Hi all,
I am hoping to get some help here. I will start off by saying I know patience is a virtue. Now that that is out of the way...I have a pair of clown fish and ever since about Oct they have been bothering my Candy Cane coral. Lately I have noticed that they have become really protective of the base around the coral. The male is constantly knocking hermits off of the rock either with his nose or body shots. Its kinda fun to watch. The female the last few days really seems to be getting fatter. I can not tell if that is from being apregnant or the amount of food they have been getting. I have been feeding multiple times a day now since i suspect mommy is with child .Yesterday I thought I saw a little black thing sticking out of her. Before the lights went off last night they were both doing a lot of work around the area. When the lights went out I came back down stairs to check but the female had gone back to the corner they use to sleep in before they started the mating behavior. The male however now sleeps under the coral and is constantly guarding it. So I have a few questions for those that have had their clowns spawn before.

1.How long does it take for them the female to lay the eggs?
2.For those that had have them spawn does your tank have moonlights?
3.Is is possible that my hermits are eating all the eggs before morning? Some mornings I come downstairs and there are over 6 hermits in the area the clowns were “cleaning” the night before.
4. I read they will spawn about every 12 -18 days after the first time is this true?

Thanks,

Henry

 

[TomRep]

1) For the first spawn, it could take any amount of time until the fish are at the right age and they are happy with their living conditions. 2) no 3) As far as I know clowns won't spawn with the lights off. Most will spawn just before the lights go off. So, I doubt the hermits are eating them at night if you didn't see the eggs before the lights went off. However, hermits can eat the eggs, but the male will probably fend them off to protect the nest. 3) yes, this is true. My GSM's laid every 14 days on the nose.
Hope this helps!
Tom

 

[nightOwl]

Thanks Tom,
I was thinking they needed more privacy so I have been turning the lights off a little early each night. I will adjust my lighting schedule and try to get some moonlights in the tank soon. The last few nights they have been going crazy with activity about 30 mins or so before the lights go out. I just switched lighing about two months ago and it is completely dark in the basement at night. I am hoping they lay them soon I want to be a proud parent and then once I know the cycle try to raise a few fry.

Thanks,

Henry

 

[TomRep]

Good luck to you. Keep us informed!
Tom

 

[nightOwl]

Months later they finally spawned...

Months later they finally spawned...

Ok so my clowns finally spawned tonight. I was sitting watching TV and eating my dinner when I noticed the female acting really strange. I looked over and she had laid some eggs . This was around 9:30 PM EST. There were only about 20 eggs or so I was a little worried. I started taking pictures and I was so happy. Later around 10:30 I noticed the eggs were disappearing. The clowns were doing what looked like eating them or making them come unattached. This is their first time producing eggs and as you can see from the post this has been a long time coming.

Is this normal behavior for them to eat/detach the eggs on the first time?
Also is it normal to have so few eggs? From pictures I have seen the fish have loads of eggs.

Thanks,

Henry

 

[Slakker]

Yep, it's pretty common for the first clutch to be small and for them to eliminate it. Give them some time to get a little practice in, they'll figure it out, and by the time they do maybe you'll be ready/willing to raise the fry

CONGRATS!

 

[nightOwl]

Hey Tyler,
That's good to know. I figured it may have been bad first time parents...lol. I'm excited though and looking forward to the next batch of eggs. As soon as I noticed they were eggs I ran upstairs and got my book on "Clownfish and Anemones". I had the breeding part bookmarked and I did not see anything about them eating them so I paniced...lol. Its good to know I have something else to look for in about 14-18 days or so .

Thanks,

Henry