Xth attempt raising clownfish
- Thread starter Kathy55g
- Start date
I am pretty sure my troubles are temperature related. I went downstairs this morning and they were at 70F. It seems I plugged the extension cord for the lights to a timer 2 nights ago, and neglected to see that the heater was plugged in to the extension cord too. So when the lights went out, the heater did too. Another half dead today. Down to about 25 larvae.
Now we can test the hypothesis, if more are dead tomorrow morning.
Stupid...but I am picking up more eggs next Sunday. Life does indeed go on.
Now we can test the hypothesis, if more are dead tomorrow morning.
Stupid...but I am picking up more eggs next Sunday. Life does indeed go on.
jnowell
New member
Kathy, how many times have you seen the word "stupid" in my posts over the last week, there must be something in the air 
Good luck with the last few, and more importantly, the next set.
I forgot to say "May the force be with you", sorry, it was all my fault. Your Fish-Jedi senses would have alerted you to the heater. I'll do better next time.
Good luck with the last few, and more importantly, the next set.I forgot to say "May the force be with you", sorry, it was all my fault. Your Fish-Jedi senses would have alerted you to the heater. I'll do better next time.
Metamorphosis! Headbands everywhere. I think I have 35 swimmers. Only one skinny dead one this morning.
It is amazing. The larvae, when they were spending the night in the cold, were skinny and lethargic in the morning. As well as half dead.
Now that they have 80F constantly, they wake up not as skinny and plenty energetic. I wonder if they eat in the dark. Doesn't make sense that they should. Or perhaps they burn off the food trying to stay alive when it's cold.
Anyway, I think we are going to do well from here on out.
Cheers,
Kathy
It is amazing. The larvae, when they were spending the night in the cold, were skinny and lethargic in the morning. As well as half dead.
Now that they have 80F constantly, they wake up not as skinny and plenty energetic. I wonder if they eat in the dark. Doesn't make sense that they should. Or perhaps they burn off the food trying to stay alive when it's cold.
Anyway, I think we are going to do well from here on out.
Cheers,
Kathy
so I think I have at least 25. Maybe 35....
All have headbands now, and all are turning orange, and couple had the second band forming.
Also, most are no longer swimming in the middle, but are sucking silicone or the ammonia alert badge or the sponge filter (on very low)
They are eating flake and NHBS, and I am quitting on the rotifers now, although there are still lots in the tank. The sponge filter will eventually take care of them.
I set them up with an automatic feeder today. No easy feat since the feeder does not fit over the rim of these old Oceanic tanks. I had to rig up a false rim to screw the feeder to and clamp that to the tank.
And the big news is that I have eggs this evening that are due to hatch tonight...I will not peek, I will not peek, I will not peek.
I want to peek.
I am going to bed. I will look in the morning. Hope,hope,hope....
All have headbands now, and all are turning orange, and couple had the second band forming.
Also, most are no longer swimming in the middle, but are sucking silicone or the ammonia alert badge or the sponge filter (on very low)
They are eating flake and NHBS, and I am quitting on the rotifers now, although there are still lots in the tank. The sponge filter will eventually take care of them.
I set them up with an automatic feeder today. No easy feat since the feeder does not fit over the rim of these old Oceanic tanks. I had to rig up a false rim to screw the feeder to and clamp that to the tank.
And the big news is that I have eggs this evening that are due to hatch tonight...I will not peek, I will not peek, I will not peek.
I want to peek.
I am going to bed. I will look in the morning. Hope,hope,hope....
Came home to a lot of them on the aquarium floor. Not sure they are dead, perhaps just resting.
I put on a stronger light before I left for work, because they all seemed to be at the surface pointing up. Seemed to fix the problem. Now I wonder if it got too bright for them and they went to ground. I guess I'll see in the morning how many dead. I did remove about 14 this evening.... Although it was a good hatch, I don't recall having this happen before....I hope they are OK.
I put on a stronger light before I left for work, because they all seemed to be at the surface pointing up. Seemed to fix the problem. Now I wonder if it got too bright for them and they went to ground. I guess I'll see in the morning how many dead. I did remove about 14 this evening.... Although it was a good hatch, I don't recall having this happen before....I hope they are OK.
Mine don't look as fat as JNOWELL's....
However, I gave them a shake of the gound up freeze dried cyclopeeze through the organza filter. They did appear to dart for the cyclo dust. Sure looked like they were eating! They did not have an enhanced response to the rotifers I fed later. JNowell, how much time between when you gave the new hatch some flake and when you added rots?
Thanks,
K
However, I gave them a shake of the gound up freeze dried cyclopeeze through the organza filter. They did appear to dart for the cyclo dust. Sure looked like they were eating! They did not have an enhanced response to the rotifers I fed later. JNowell, how much time between when you gave the new hatch some flake and when you added rots?
Thanks,
K
NicoleC
New member
I'm not noticing an enhanced response to eating, either. They sure to swarm over the BBS, though. I did definately see some eating of flake food this morning from one of the clowns.
They have cleaned out the remaining rotifers and I am not giving them anymore. I took off the stuff I was using to cover all sides of the tank last night; they didn't seem to notice. I think I will start raising the water level and maybe I am ready for a sponge filter, although with only a couple of dozen I have no WQ issues.
They have cleaned out the remaining rotifers and I am not giving them anymore. I took off the stuff I was using to cover all sides of the tank last night; they didn't seem to notice. I think I will start raising the water level and maybe I am ready for a sponge filter, although with only a couple of dozen I have no WQ issues.
jnowell
New member
Hmm, I was certain everyone's would act the same. Mine really bacame noticeable about day 3-4. I usually added the powdered food, and then the rots right after (probably 1 minute or less while they were still searching frantically for the source of the smell). When I really noticed it, was after rinsing the rotifers, I literally poured the rots out of the collector into the tank, it was only 7-8 drops, but it probably contained 300 rotifers. These all stayed together in the flow for quite some time. If I add food first, they swarm to the rotifer ball and eat like crazy. If I do not, they just wait until a rot happens to drift by, and eat it then.
I also visually saw them eating dry food on day 5, which is pretty early if I'm not mistaken? I only fed BBS for 3 days, in addition to dry food. If you can believe this, there are probably 15-20 brine shrimp that are maturing in there with them, so they didn't even eat all of the BBS. When I switched to dry food only, morning of day 8, I lost about 10 over the next few days, it's now day 10 and all is well. I have well over 100 left, with probably 20% showing headbands.
I don't have enough experience to know if the metamorphosis timing is right or not, but I know their activity level and survival rate is WAY up for day 10, especially when compared to my previous two hatches. Maybe I'm just caring for them better, and looking for reasons why they aren't all dead
I also visually saw them eating dry food on day 5, which is pretty early if I'm not mistaken? I only fed BBS for 3 days, in addition to dry food. If you can believe this, there are probably 15-20 brine shrimp that are maturing in there with them, so they didn't even eat all of the BBS. When I switched to dry food only, morning of day 8, I lost about 10 over the next few days, it's now day 10 and all is well. I have well over 100 left, with probably 20% showing headbands.
I don't have enough experience to know if the metamorphosis timing is right or not, but I know their activity level and survival rate is WAY up for day 10, especially when compared to my previous two hatches. Maybe I'm just caring for them better, and looking for reasons why they aren't all dead
I am sure they were "hunting" the cyclopeeze this morning. They were making quick darting movements at it. But it was maybe a half hour before I gave them more rotifers.
This evening I tried again. This time they reacted to the cyclopeeze, but not as dramatically as before. I poured in some freshly enriched rots a minute after, and they hunted as normal.
But I am not sure there is not something wrong with this hatch. With 75 dead yesterday and 25 more dead this evening, and only a couple of the larvae have any stomach at all.
The survivors are hunting normally and in the middle of the tank. They make the j curve and dart at their prey. Rotifers are disappearing from the tank, but the larvae do not seem any bigger than when they hatched and they are so skinny. I thought they would have tummies by now.
Hmmm. any ideas out there?
This evening I tried again. This time they reacted to the cyclopeeze, but not as dramatically as before. I poured in some freshly enriched rots a minute after, and they hunted as normal.
But I am not sure there is not something wrong with this hatch. With 75 dead yesterday and 25 more dead this evening, and only a couple of the larvae have any stomach at all.
The survivors are hunting normally and in the middle of the tank. They make the j curve and dart at their prey. Rotifers are disappearing from the tank, but the larvae do not seem any bigger than when they hatched and they are so skinny. I thought they would have tummies by now.
Hmmm. any ideas out there?
mako56
Premium Member
Wow that's awesome jnowell. This isn't great for you Kathy but it is for me learning so much. I had eggs laid on Saturday so I am so fired up to actually going to have rots this time I will stay up all night if I have to to catch the fry. No luck at all with the tile I took it out they are to stubborn anyway. Thanks so much all of you for your help.
jnowell
New member
I know that feeling Kathy, remember my second hatch? I feel like I've treated the current set worse, and still have tons...I find myself constantly confused.
Maybe mine are just pigs, or spastic. Their energy level is like none I've ever seen. And their tank is two degrees colder than my first set. Sure was hoping I'd stumbled onto something magic, but I guess not.
I had about 10 dead when I got home from work today, not a terrible loss, most were in the process of changing shape, so I guess it was more metamorphosis losses. I think I should have stuck with BBS longer, I'll do that next time. New ones may hatch tomorrow night, one more after that and I'll be out of tanks.
Good luck.
Maybe mine are just pigs, or spastic. Their energy level is like none I've ever seen. And their tank is two degrees colder than my first set. Sure was hoping I'd stumbled onto something magic, but I guess not.
I had about 10 dead when I got home from work today, not a terrible loss, most were in the process of changing shape, so I guess it was more metamorphosis losses. I think I should have stuck with BBS longer, I'll do that next time. New ones may hatch tomorrow night, one more after that and I'll be out of tanks.
Good luck.
Something is wrong with this batch. They do not have full tummys, and it is the morning of the third day. 12 dead this morning. They are active and swimming, but nothing in the stomach. Sesame seed eyes, with no tummy bulge. No peanut shapes. By now they should have mastered the rotifer hunt.
I think it was the Chemi-clean....
I think it was the Chemi-clean....
