What do clownfish eggs look like?

[BrettDS]

So I have a pair of clownfish in my 220 that live in a BTA. This morning my 10 year old called me over to tell me that the clownfish had eggs. I told him that I didn't think they had had eggs, but I went over to look at what he was talking about and I have no idea what they are. They tiny little round dark things on the underside of a rock right next to their anemone. They seem to be attached to the rock with something clean and kind of wave around a little in the current. Both of the clownfish seem to spend a lot of time next to these things and putting their mouths on them. Is it possible that they are clownfish eggs?

I've attached the best pictures I could get.

Here are the clownfish and their anemone. The potential eggs are toward the right next to the male clownfish.

Here's a couple close ups of what I'm talking about:

 

[ca1ore]

They're orange intitially (like sushi roe), and they turn darker as the babies develop with a silver tip where the eyes are. Almost certainly what you see in the photos.

 

[thedasher]

Yes they're are eggs, in a few days you should start seeing the silver eyes in the eggs

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[Apercula]

Yes, those are about half way from spawn to hatch.

Mid spawn picture, eggs are bright orange when new. The male will spend the most time caring for them.

 

[ThRoewer]

They're orange intitially (like sushi roe), and they turn darker as the babies develop with a silver tip where the eyes are. Almost certainly what you see in the photos.

Orange is only true if you define clownfish as ocellaris and percula.

In general the color of freshly laid Anemonefish eggs should be the base body color of the parents (the mother actually).

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[BrettDS]

Orange is only true if you define clownfish as ocellaris and percula.

In general the color of freshly laid Anemonefish eggs should be the base body color of the parents (the mother actually).

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Interesting. The mother was sold to me as half of a pair of true percs, but her body is almost all black. The male of that pair died and the new male was sold as a hybrid half perc /half ocellaris. I was told that he would have a darker body as he gets older as well, so I guess that explains the darker eggs.

Is there any hope of any of them surviving? I'm afraid that the other fish in there will likely just eat the babies. Anything I can do to protect them?

 

[ca1ore]

I've had my clown pairs lay eggs hundreds of times, not a single survivor. Getting eaten is certainly a risk, but the lack of appropriate food is the principal cause of no survival I'd imagine.

 

[BrettDS]

Yeah, I've spent a little while doing some research on raising clownfish and it looks like it's certainly possible with some effort, but they won't just survive in the tank. I may consider trying to start some phyto and rotifier cultures going and see if I can raise some from the next batch, but we'll see. I think the kids might like seeing that.

 

[Maritimer]

In perculas, the black edges of the stripes tend to expand as the fish age, until much of the body can be black.

Most of the newly laid clownfish eggs I've seen (mostly ocellaris) have looked just like the ones in "Finding Nemo" - but they do darken with age, then silver with the eyes of the baby fish inside. If you want to try rearing some, some folks have had luck with putting a shell or other removable object in the area where the clowns are laying, in hopes that they'll lay on the shell. If they do, the eggs can be removed to a separate nursery tank.

~Bruce