Clownfish Spawn

[kobelka]

I am excited to say that my picasso true perc clownfish have started to lay eggs. I have had them for 2+ years. They have laid 4 nests in the last little while. The egg #s are getting better and they appear to be fertilized as I can see eyes after a few days. I am going to continue watching for another month or 2 and then I will try and raise some to see how many will come out as picassos. Should be interesting.
Dave

[BlueWorldAquatic]

Congrats...

Unfortunately unless you specifically have the right conditions in your tank (rotifers), survival rate will be small.

If everything goes well, on the 8th day from spawn they should hatch when the lights go out.

Ken - BWA

[Sunee]

Good luck, hope you get some to hatch so you can try raising them! My pair of clowns has laid eggs quite a few times and the longest any of the eggs has lasted is about 3 or 4 days. Maybe the little guy just isn't fertile!!

[BlueWorldAquatic]

The trick is to pull out the eggs, over days the male will protect them any way he can from Preditors.

Best way to do this is put a clay pot near their spawning spot, this gives him an easier place to protect, and gives you an easy way to remove the eggs on hatch night.

If the eggs don't get fertilized they will all go white overnight

Ken - BWA

[kobelka]

Thanks Ken. They are laying in a clay pot.
Thanks Sunee.
About 2 years ago my normal ocellaris clowns started laying eggs. I tried raising fry on 3 batches. The first I had 50 or so, the second 50-100, the 3rd about 300 successful fry were raised and sold. They were for practice waiting for my newly aquired 1" baby picassos to spawn. Now the wait is over. I understand the true percs are a bit tougher to raise than the false percs but "I think I can"! I will be interested to see what the ratio of offspring who turn out normal, to having some extra white, to being nearly all white, will be?

[kobelka]

Since everyone likes to see pictures. Here are a few of the parents.
Right side of mom


mom and dad


Pardon the dirty glass.
Dave

[kobelka]

Hey Ken at BWA,
Are you raising clowns on a regular basis? I seem to remember reading here about one little one that you had named? Just wondered if you are still doing it.
Dave

[kobelka]

Hello again,
I ended up moving the tank that this pair were in and they quit spawning for the last 8 or 9 months. They finally spawned again last week. I knew that hey would quit but had no idea it would take that long to start spawning again. Unfortunately they ate the first batch of eggs after 3 days. Hopefully they will quit that. They werent eating them when they were laying last year. I have a rotifer culture started so I am ready to try to raise the next spawn.