spawning behaviour?

[xxpipedreamxx]

Originally posted on rareclownfish.


Background~8/3/07

I bought a pair of black and white clowns last August that were very tiny (both under half an inch). They seemed to pair up and bond after being in a 29 gallon reef for a few months. Now they are inseparable and it is obvious that one is a female and one is a male (has been for several months). The male is very submissive towards the female and frequently does his "clown dance". They were moved to a 15 gallon tank to call their own with their RBTA (female in my avatar) Father's Day weekend.

Tank info~

-15 gallon glass tank
-maxi-jet 1200 pointed at backside of rock
-Whisper filter (pad changed daily)
-T-5 lighting (double bulb)
-RBTA fed every other day (silversides, krill, squid, ect)
-Clowns fed Formula One pellets and frozen food, frozen mysis, enriched brine, plankton, and cyclopeeze several times a day
-Temp 80 degrees F
-Lights on 12 hours a day
-4 gallon water change daily with heavy feeding (RO/DI water and Reef Crystals salt)

Question~

Starting last week, the clowns began furiously cleaning the only rock in the tank and stirring up the sand at the base of the rock. When I decided to take a closer look, I noticed that the female SEEMED to be laying eggs (never layed a single one). She was inside the nook where they had been cleaning and went through every motion of spawning with the male right behind her fertilizing bare rock. Is this normal for a pair that has never spawned?

~UPDATE~ 8/6/07
The clowns have been swishing and cleaning the sand. I also caught a video of the female clown biting the anemone until it completely withdrew itself. It literally looked like a red golfball she pestered it so much. I could have sworn that they would have spawned already, but alas no eggs.

 

[xxpipedreamxx]

Here are a few photos... Sorry for the specs in the water, it was right after a bit of a water change and some things were floating around still.

 

[xxpipedreamxx]

 

[xxpipedreamxx]

These are the lil guys when I bought them...

Now the female is about two inches in length and the male is an inch or so.

 

[Slakker]

IMO they're probably a bit too young yet to actually start spawning...but it's certainly a good sign that they're going through the motions.

If she keeps harassing the anemone, it might be best to separate them for a while.

 

[xxpipedreamxx]

So, a year and a half is too young? wow...

 

[ZooZ]

yea ive heard that black and white take longer then other clowns to start spawning. Mine are about 2 inches long, still got orange around its mouth and the male always does his dance but i doubt i'll be seeing eggs anytime soon.

 

[phender]

In my experiece and the that of several others, ocellaris females (especially the black ones) will need to be very large before they start spawning. Its not so much age as it is size. In most cases the female is going to need to be closer to 3" before she starts laying eggs.

 

[xxpipedreamxx]

Thank you very much for that bit of info. I guess only time will tell when they spawn then.

Is there any way to get her to grow any bigger without splitting the pair up? I know that if I separate them they will both turn into females.