I have been reading/researching/ and getting ready to do clownfish breeding and have not found a clear answer of why breeders wait for their new pairs to lay a few nests before they start collecting the eggs. Does anyone know why it's suggested to wait a few nest before you start collecting? Are their potential health issues?
Thanks Lou
There are multiple reasons.
1. You need to learn when hatch night will be. Your tank has unique temperature fluctuations that will result in a unique incubation period. You can't really capture or transfer eggs until you know for a fact when hatch night will be. Incubation can last 7-13 days and that number can change over time until all other variables become more consistent. The best way to do this is to just observe the nest daily and record on which morning the nest vanished over night. Do not turn off your pumps for 5 hours every night on days 7-13 hoping to capture a spawn. It will alter the incubation period.
2. Your new brood stock are learning their roles. They are learning by trial and error how to lay the nest, how to remove bad eggs and how to incubate it consistently. They get better over time.
3. Your new brood stock are undergoing physical changes. The eggs themselves will become more viable and numerous over time. This is witnessed by every single breeder. You'll start with 20-50 eggs and 5 batches later you will have 200-500 eggs. The fry are visibly stronger/thicker in later batches and the survival rates clearly indicate healthier offspring.
There is also one other major game-changing variable to consider... you.
You have absolutely no idea what you are doing. All the reading and studying in the world will not prepare you for this experience. Breeding clowns is more of an art than a science. You will kill fry with salinity, PH, ammonia, lighting, transfer damage, over feeding... it's going to happen. That being said, I'm not against you attempting some collections early on just so you can get the ball rolling on your total losses.
You asked for data. These are my personal results from when I first started breeding and collected every clutch, including the first:
Batch 1: 0 fish
Batch 2: 4 fish
Batch 3: 0 fish
Batch 4: 0 fish
Batch 5: 0 fish
Batch 6: 0 fish
Batch 7: 50-60 fish
Batch 8: 75-100 fish
The upward trend is a result of the brood stock and myself learning how to work together. Again, nothing is stopping you from collecting the first batch. But the fry will be more viable and in significantly greater numbers if you wait a few batches. Not to mention you will know when hatch night will be saving you a lot of time.
