Breed Clownfish | Saltwater Fish

[Shask]

Hello guys!
Anybody can help me?

Why has my clownfhish eggs die before the birth? All the parameters of the water are perfect!!!
I put in a tile angle where the female lays the eggs and the male fertilizes and cares. It is the second spawning and the male eats all the eggs before the 7 days.
Sorry my english!!!!!!!

[davek0819]

I did a search on another site and pasted info below. Not sure if it helps, it's a forum where you can ask questions the answers they are providing are <within the arrowheads>. It looks like it could be normal if this is the first time they are spawning. Maybe the eggs weren't properly fertilized. The answer below seems to be wait and give them more time to get it right...good luck


Clownfish eating eggs 7/19/10
Hi,
I have a pair of false percula clownfish that I noticed one afternoon were laying eggs on a rock beside their anemone. But just as the female would lay an egg on the rock, the male would eat the egg off the rock within seconds. Occasionally the female would also eat an egg or two after she laid them. I did an extensive search on your website and was surprised not to find an explanation of this behavior (since I can usually find everything else). Is this behavior unusual?
<A little unusual. If they are a newly spawning pair however, it would be much more acceptable.>
My tank is 40 gal. with lots of live rock, corals, snails, and small starfish. The pair of clownish are the only two fish in the tank with a large rose anemone. The tank has been established for a year and a half, and I've had the clownfish for a little over a year. They both have been eating well, and prior to laying the eggs the female had been eating much more than usual of course. I feed them everyday with flake/pellet foods as well as frozen formula one occasionally. The female is about 2.5" long and the male is about 1.75" long.
<A wonderful home for them. Perfect conditions for spawning.>
They both had been cleaning that area of the rock for the past couple days. While they were spawning (and eating the eggs), the male was displaying similar behavior (fertilizing, I believe) by rubbing his underside against the rock after the female did.
So are they eating the eggs because maybe its they're first time? Maybe because it was during the day? Maybe they were overly obsessed with cleaning the rock? I don't think I should intervene at all. I would love for them to have babies. Any thoughts?
<Often it takes a few tries for clownfish to get down the rhythm of spawning. Usually much longer before large productive nests are formed. I wouldn't worry at all. Keep us updated on their progress. Feeding more couldn't hurt, especially if you plan to raise any babies. I say that hesitantly though. Wouldn't want to throw off the balance of food input and tank maintenance. It sounds like you have a pretty stable setup there.>
Thanks.
<Hope this helps, Scott T.>

[Shask]

Hello, Davek!

Thanks for the comment!
I'll wait a few more spawns. The female is spawning every 10 days.

[UNIXMan]

This is related to the parents' diet. Make sure you feed them well, and that you give them good flakes with Spirulina as well as a variety of frozen foods: clams, squid, shrimp, etc. It is especially important to give them food that is high in astaxanthin. This includes beef heart and cyclops, but don't give them beef more than once a week. Also never hurts to add some vitamins to the water (Selcon or SeaChem Reef Plus). You can soak the frozen food with it, but that's a pain in the neck.

You should get good results starting with the second spawn after you start this.

[David]

Im at spawn 5 150 eggs made it.. they eggs arnt fertile,, the ones they dont eat are good. Do they turn black after 4 days,all mine that do are good,and they will get better at it. that was the case for me

[UNIXMan]

Hi David-

Yes, they turn black as they develop, about day 3-4, depending on the species and the temperature, and they start to turn white almost immediately after they die. As time goes by, the breeding pair gets better at caring for the eggs. I'm not a biologist, but I think they eventually figure it out. I suppose it's the same as us -- we get better with practice. Also, if you took any of my suggestions about improving their diet, the quality of the eggs increased. This means they are better able to survive. Once the parents figure it out, they're really good with "prenatal" care. I have watched mine clean the nest, and it is amazing to see the male charge the egg patch and pick off a single egg that is dead. Somehow, they know there's something wrong with it. If you have better eggs to start with, and they are taking better care, you'll have greater success. You'll also notice a better survival rate with the fry. I used to think it was because I learned something every time. This is not the case; it's because of what happens before they hatch. It is more important than their first 2 weeks after they hatch, in my experience.

Good luck taking care of your little ones. Be prepared to lose a good number. It is not unusual to lose up to 50% of them in the next few weeks, but after about 20 days you shouldn't lose them anymore, unless they are sick or picked on (gotta watch for that). Don't be afraid to feed them different things but do remember two things that many people seem to forget: 1- They have small mouths and need small food. 2- They don't understand that they can eat until they literally burst, especially when you start them on flaked food. I feed mine a mix of 3 flakes, crushed pellets, crumbled krill, and fry food that I mix up myself twice a day, plus something frozen. You have to resist the urge to feed them more (they will beg) because you can easily allow them to eat themselves to death. It's not until they get much older -- like a year old -- that they understand when it's time to stop.

Hope you have a good run!