Mated Clowns laid eggs....Now what?

[BC564]

Ok...so I come home last night and I'm checking out the tank. I noticed some rust looking stuff on the base of my Torch Coral. The clowns host in it.

First reaction when I realized what it was ...was total excitement and thought cool.....but then I started thinking.... these poor little guys are going to be fish food.....What do I do with all these eggs?

Fish are friends, not food.


oh....yes the daughter named them Marlin and Coral.

[untamed]

Don't name the eggs! They won't make it. It takes a lot of specialized efforts to raise fry to adulthood. A typical aquarium just doesn't supply the specialized foods and protection they'll need.

[BC564]

no...the parents are Marlin and Coral.....Finding Nemo...a kid thing...

I just didnt know if I should do anything with the eggs or just leave em

[BC564]

So I shouldnt do anything....just leave them alone?

[jslaney]

I think that in a system with other fish in it they will probably all be goners. If you want to raise the fry, you are better off starting another tank specifically for that purpose. It will probably require removing the coral they are on and doing a lot of reading as to how to feed the babies.

Good luck.

[rzadun]

The clown fish will look after the eggs till they are ready to hatch. They will be more agressive on the last day. The eggs hatch at nite a couple of hours after lites out. In the morning they are souchi for the other inhabitants unless you catch them using a glass and flashlite when they hatch. you need the same water in a tank and millions of rotifers to feed them. I have tried several times but only kept the fry alive for two weeks. Hatching usually takes five or six days. The fries eyes get very brite on the last day before hatching

[Doug]

You could take them out just before they hatch. The parents will work them over with their mouth up until then or when out, keep slightly agitated with an airstone.

We tried a few batches. Used tank water and exchanged it daily with new tank water. Water movement was airstones and a heater was used. Never raised any to adult but some hatched. One of my friends batches was doing good until the dog was in the fishroom and unplugged the tank.

Mine breed on a regular basis but have not tried it with these. Although I notice my lawnmower appreciates me leaving them until the fry hatch. I would like to try again but dont have a separate system to hatch them in.

Some good reading on the topic is available. I have read some of the titles here, then best seems to be by Joyce Wilkerson, {not sure of the last name. Someone else correct me}.

[BC564]

ok...I guess I'll be taking clownfish 101.....see If I can pull this off.....makes you wonder how they make it in real life.....there isnt a plastic cube you can hang on the main tank with super fine holes so you have the same water and some flow but safe from the other fish?

Thanks for all the help...if there is any more suggestions I would love to hear them.....

[ed99]

Clownfishes by Joyce Wilkerson has all the info on how to hatch and raise the clownfish fry. It does not look easy. The toughest part seems to be growing the food for the fry (first rotifers and then baby brine) while putting the fry in a separate tank. I have accepted the fact that my fish get some extra feeding every couple of weeks!