Urchin nursery for clownfish?

[karimwassef]

In the wild, I see a lot of long spine sea urchins full of baby fish (and other things) on the reef. The babies use the spines as nurseries and the urchins don't care.

These are usually massive urchins - body the size of a softball - with 6-8" spines. Like this (it's not my pic, just grabbed it off google):

I've seen some pictures of using mock-ups to breed cardinalfish, but how about clownfish?

Has anyone looked at using them in captivity and in a reef? Would it be possible to spot feed heavy densities of phyto/zoo into the spines to keep the babies fed?

In a similar vein, I also see very thickly overgrown, thin branch, coral structures act like safety cages. These corals are swarming with babies I can't make out with my eyes. How about making an artificial coral structure to provide safety in a reef?

 

[ginpang]

It sounds like a good idea...
Few people with very large mature aquarium can keep a long spine urchin well fed .... Who has enough algae to keep more than a few happy?

Perhaps the artificial coral idea is an easier solution.

 

[karimwassef]

I feed nori to mine... I also feed them coralline (unintentionally).

One big guy should work

 

[kizanne]

My daughter made mine a fake one. They loved it. I have 4 black spined urchins in my main tank (125 g) but I have more algae and over feed more than most. They came on my live rock. Their spines are as long as the one you have in your hand but they are long.

 

[karimwassef]

Got a pic? Who hangs out in the spines?

 

[kizanne]

opps that previous post should have said spines are NOT as long as the ones you have there.

Karimwassef - here is a snap of my baby banggai's loving their fake urchin (epoxy and bamboo skewers). In my main tank nobody really uses the urchin spines but I don't have babies up there.

 

[kizanne]

They were in a 10 gallon but they stayed in their little protective urchin. Made target feeding a little easier.

 

[karimwassef]

So do you think it could work in a reef with a feeding tube into the urchin's spines?

 

[shifty51008]

I dont think baby clowns would stand a chance still in a reef, i doubt they will even use the urchin for cover let alone being able to feed them properly in a bigger tank.

 

[karimwassef]

Every time my clowns have spawned, the babies are all over the tank at night.

But they do come to the light when I shine a flashlight.

Maybe a submerged bright LED ball with long pointy spines to keep the other fish and nasties away... Add a feeding tube?

 

[ginpang]

It's a good hypothesis... Probably doesn't have to be that bright either. For sure you won't rear a hundred babies like that but you may be able to have a few offspring live.

Also , the adults might be attracted by the light as well in which case you are just pointing out where the "lunch" is. But it's worth a try.

 

[karimwassef]

What's a safe 'pin' material to use? Thinner than a wooden skewer, I mean.

Coffee stirrers?

 

[shifty51008]

Even with a feeding tube to feed rotifers they will get blown away or swim away faster than your fry can eat them. In the end youll probably end up foweling the water in the tank trying to fed them enough.

Any reason you cant setup a 10 gal fry tank?

 

[shifty51008]

Ive had good luck useing small zip ties when makeing fake urchins though.

 

[karimwassef]

My tank is 380gal and occupies a massive effort as it is. i don't have the bandwidth to set up another tank and maintain it.

At that scale, a gallon or phyto or rotifers will get consumed.

 

[shifty51008]

Clownfish have instink to go into an anemone within a certain timeframe before that they float around in the ocean currents eating plankton and what ever else is there. After that time they smell the anemone that they need. So without that smell i cant see what would cause the fry to stay in the fake urchin.

I give you props on trying to do it but to me it is not gonna work. In the ocean 1 out of a couple hundred thousand fry survive to breeding size, when confined to a box your chances will drop even more imo

 

[karimwassef]

Han Solo: "never tell me the odds!"

I've done a lot of things that shouldn't be doable. Most of the time it works because I work the problem from a strange or backwards angle.

If the clownfish need an anemone's scent, then maybe I need to rub my fake urchin against my RBTA's base or just let it linger there for a while to get the mucus all over it. There are a few areas of intentionally gentle flow in the tank and I can put it there.

 

[shifty51008]

Lol i like the han solo part. Heck if people dont ever try new things we would never get anywhere so i commend you on trying.

Unless your clowns are maroons then the sent of a bta isnt gonna do much though as it wouldnt be a natural host anemone for them.

As i said i do wish you luck though, gotta start somewhere.

 

[ginpang]

Han Solo: "never tell me the odds!"

I've done a lot of things that shouldn't be doable. Most of the time it works because I work the problem from a strange or backwards angle.

If the clownfish need an anemone's scent, then maybe I need to rub my fake urchin against my RBTA's base or just let it linger there for a while to get the mucus all over it. There are a few areas of intentionally gentle flow in the tank and I can put it there.

Lol I do things backwards also... [emoji12]
How about just a big ball of chaetomorpha ? It wouldn't be the prettiest thing to look at but probably would be nicer than a fake urchin with coffee stirrers spikes...[emoji23]

 

[karimwassef]

I have a sump full of chaeto and pods. None of the babies survive there either.