help breeding clown fish

S

stuart_nash83

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Dec 31, 2005
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I am an experienced marine hobbyist already have a large very well establish marine tank (vision 460) but am now beginning to start up a small tank with the idea of maintaining and breeding clown fish (percula.) I have heard that it is best to add a piece of slat to the aquarium for the clowns to lay eggs but have today also discovered that you can use clay pots, what is best for a successful batch of new clowns?

I have also had mixed responses when asking whether or not the eggs must be removed from the aquarium once laid to prevent the parents from eating them. Some books and hobbyists have said that clowns will not eat their young while others disagree.

Again also what else can be kept in the tank with the clown fish? I heard it is good to keep a couple of hermit crabs, cleaner shrimp and snails to maintain the waste in the tank but am worried they may in time also eat the baby clowns and breeding will be unsuccessful. If you have any advice on breeding it would be much appreciated. I am planning to put in a small amount of living rock and live sand along with some corals such as polyps and a host anemone to keep the aquarium as natural and as pleasant as possible for the fish.
 
If you are serious about breeding the clowns, it would be best to keep the parents in a 15-20 gallon tank by themselves, with a flowerpot to spawn in. They like caves. They will also spawn in an aquarium with live rock, corals and so on, but will probably choose a surface that will be difficult to extract when the time comes.

Please skip the anemone. Although there are a few species that are reared in captivity, most are collected in the wild, and have rather rigid requirements for light and water conditions. The clowns will be perfectly happy to spawn without one.

The fry will not survive in a tank with their parents, corals, pumps, filters, or strong currents. Anyone who has suggested that the larvae can be reared with the parents does not have any idea of their life cycle. The young hatch at night, are planktonic, and need a bare tank by themselves with a gentle current generated by an airstone. You will also want to start rearing rotifers as a first food. Some say baby clowns will accept cyclopeez, but I have no experience with that.

Before going too far, have a look at Frank Hoff's "Conditioning, Spawning and Rearing of Fish with Emphasis on Marine Clownfish." Joyce Wilkerson's book is also supposed to be quite good. If you are willing to put the time and effort in, it can be quite satisfying.
 
check out "tomatoe oscellaris breeding" on reefcentral

I know it is spelled wrong, the title is spelled that way :cool:
 
could i put a flower pot in my larger tank with other fish for my clowns to lay in then move the pot to the smaller tank for the young to hatch? or will the eggs be eated by other fish, crabs etc in my large tank?

i have read on the reefcentral that you can add an anenome above the pot for protection of eggs is this true?
 
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