damsels wont stop spawning

blueyota · #1 01-30-2009, 06:05 AM

hello every one i was just wondering what I should do or if iI should do anything ?... I have two blue yellowtail damsels that wont stop spawning this is only the third batch but each batch is lager then the last...and now im starting to see tiny little fish in all the holes in the rock i have a 140g tank with two clowns and the damsels with around 100lbs of live rock ...I dont want a tank full of damsels ...what should i do ......thanks

Keri · #2 01-30-2009, 06:44 AM

Oh, wow, that's pretty cool! Are you sure they are tiny fish and not amphipods in the rocks tho? I would love to see pics!! If they are indeed breeding you should trade the fry in to the LFS, every captive-bred fish saves many wildcaught ones!!

hockey nut · #3 01-30-2009, 07:19 AM

I Like Keri's idea best. But you could always buy another fish to eat those babies. I'm not trying to be cruel just throughing out an idea.

awa1979 · #4 01-30-2009, 08:18 AM

If they are breeding probably the only way to stop it, is to remove one of them.

But if you could raise them and take to local stores it would be a good thing.

blueyota · #5 01-30-2009, 04:39 PM

ok then i guess i will try to raise a bunch of baby fish....and i am sure they tinny fish in the rock they just appeared in the last few days after the last spawn ...thanks for the input i will add pics over the weekend ...oh is it hard to raise baby fish ? what all do i need too do.....thanks again

justinl · #6 01-30-2009, 04:55 PM

two things i see wrong with this picture: a) you don't mention eggs. all damselfish (clowns are damsels too) are egg layers. b) damselfish larvae are planktonic. that is, they spend some time in the water column before settling down and staying near the rockwork... at this time they are very easy to kill and would more than likely just be fish food. they would not hatch out of eggs and go live in the rocks right away.

are you sure these aren't invertebrates like amphipods? or copepods? mysis even?

blueyota · #7 01-30-2009, 04:59 PM

wow!! they are really busy ....the third batch of fry hatched last night and i just caught the female laying more eggs (thought she looked a little fat) hahaha ......will these little guys survive or should i get a fish that will eat them...what fish will eat the fry....they hatch every seven or eight days...so i got another week to figure this out.... thanks for reading !!!