Breed Clownfish | Saltwater Fish

[alanna]

Sorry about your female I have used some antibiotic that the fish eats for my puffer before when he had major eye problems and he could not even see to eat he could just feel it when I touched his mouth. I don't know if you could trick her into eating some with her other food. Maybe soak it in it. I sure hope you can catch her. Some antibiotic will not hurt plants, but I would read the info. 1st. how about when you bother her nest doesn't she come after you. Maybe use a net around the nest and when she goes to nip it scoop her up. Good luck!

[davek0819]

Oh it was fun, I needed to rearrange my rocks anyway. I had to pick up another heater so I gave it a full day to bring the temp to that of the main tank. I caught her tuesday night, I used a tablet and half of maracyn 2. I kept the light off during the day on wednesday and put it on for about 4 hours at night. She's breathing a little heavy, but otherwise swimming around. I've been soaking mysis in selco but so far she hasn't eaten, still stressed I guess. One eye reduced about half so we'll see this evening. A bunch of unfertilized eggs on the bottom of her tank, that I'll have to siphon out later.

[alanna]

Poor girl she is having a bad time How is she doing now?

[davek0819]

All went well with the hospital tank. After about 3 days the pop eye disappeared and she started to eat. I ran through the 5 day course of treatment to be on the safe side and did a 1 gallon water change days 2,3, and 50 percent water change day 6 after medication. Yesterday I slowly increased the salinity. I put her back into the main tank this evening and so far all is well.

Interesting notes: After she was removed the was a calm about the tank. During feeding time the male was relax and never bothered the hawkfish. Prior to that he would rather starve than let the hawk get any. When the female returned the male greeted her and immediately went back to the spot where they lay their eggs and started preparing it. She inspected and and started to give him grief, as to say what have you been doing since i've been gone. Except for coming out to eat the poor guy has been cleaning the house all night. He did go back to chasing the hawk again at meal time.

[alanna]

Thats funny! I've read the male will turn into a female and then the next fish will do the males job. Maybe he was trying to fatten up to be the female But she came home and he was all to happy to stay a male. Well, so far I have only grown 1 bottle of plankton. Another attempted this week failed this week. I may try again next week. But I have new fry coming Sat. so I'll need to use the rest of the plankton for the rotifers for them. I'll order some more rotifer diet today.

[davek0819]

Well not much luck with the second tank. After I lost a bunch when I did the water change, (I think I figured out what I did wrong - I increased the salinity because it was to go into the main tank, when I used it for the fry tank it through the parameters off), I continuly lost a few fish in this tank every day. I was down to about 10 fish and decided to relocate them to the 20 gallon tank with the larger clowns. A few things I figured I did wrong, the fry would hang in the corner of the tank next to the 20 gallon all day. I think the light in the 20 might have been drawing them to this spot, I think I also stopped feeding the rotifers to soon, by throwing off the water every water change after that when I tried to compensate I would lose a few fish, lastly I think I needed to add a sponge filter to the tank.

The first batch is still going strong, about 50-60 clowns that seem to be doing very well. I think they're at around day 60. They've been eating frozen cyclops, flake, the food from brineshrimpdirect and I'm still adding brine shrimp for the smaller clowns from the later hatches.

The female has recovered nicely from the hospital tank and has paired up again with the male. So far no eggs laid, but that was to be expected. I figured if/when they do get back on a regular schedule I'll start up the cultures again.

Sorry to hear about your cultures, I think the delivery time had alot to do with it. I'm curious to see if these frozen ones I saved will start up. I took down and sterilized the hospital tank and second fry tank, for the moment I kind of like being down to two tanks, counting the main tank, and only hatching brine shrimp.

[alanna]

We learn as we go and then some I think is just luck. It is fun to try.

[davek0819]

mostly luck I think, but I figured it's best to post the good with the bad so others can learn from my mistakes...

Not much has changed, the fry tank is doing very well. Since I combined both tanks I haven't lost a fish. They range from a little over a 1/2 inch to some still about an 1/8". Their diet consists of about a week old brine shrimp, 300 micron food in the am, and cyclopeze and the 300 micron food in the pm. I alternate the cyclop with reef plankton frozen, and 300 micron with reg flake every so often to mix up their diet and get them eating all kinds of food. I do a 1 gallon water change every week.

So far since the female returned from the Hospital tank they have not laid any eggs. I figure I took them out of their routine and modified the rocks enough (when I was catchng her) to throw them off. But hopefully soon.

[davek0819]

I came home to find the clowns spawning at there usually spot. I checked my note book and like clock work it's been exactly 6 weeks since they last eggs, 4 weeks since the female had eggs release in the QT tank. (the cycle was missed two weeks ago).

I decided to try my luck again and find out if the freezing of the rotifers and phytoplankton worked. Both were thawed last night, so we'll see.

The grow out tank is doing well, pushing day 90 I think on the first batch, I think most will be large enough to sell by Christmas.

[davek0819]

A follow up regarding trying to bring the frozen phytoplankton back... it didn't work. The phyto in the bottles actually started to get lighter.

I'm still not sure about the rotifers. I've been adding frozen phyto to the bucket, after thawing, for feeding. I figured I'll add what i have in the freezer to see what happens.

I might try the co-culture route with the eggs due to hatch on Wednesday to see what happens.

I'll be ordering the cultures to start from scratch on culturing after I'm able to sell most of the current clowns.