Clown babies (frost-bars)

[davocean]

Day4: I’m hooked.... everything is running smooth. The quantity of fry remaining is around the same number as day 1 with one known casualty. The fry are larger than day one and resemble tiny shrimp. They are more cognizant & have more control over movement, obviously hunting rotifers. Introducing TDO into the diet. Next milestone will be metamorphosis (expecting it to be day 9) so far so good. Really curious to see how many are in there.

Using reedmariculture (aka reefnutrition) products & process.
Helpful site (references reef nutrition TDO)
https://www.ocellarisclownfish.com/raising-clownfish/

Process notes:
1. Lighting- 24hr a day. iPhone flashlight (24” above) appears to be the right amount. (Off when ambient light fits bill) enough light to keep them hunting but not too much- too bright keeps them fixated towards the light and they stop eating. Intend to switch to ambient lighting after day 5.
2. Daily siphon just the bottom of the tank delicately (x-sm siphon tube). check waste water for rogues- cup them to put back. Use rotifer rich waste water in DT. Corals love it! Drip replace saltwater 3drops per second. Try to siphon out less than 10%
3. Keep the fry tank green using same density logic as rotifer culture but using omega green. It is a higher concentration than rgcomplete so add .5ml at a time mixed with tank water. Important: mix the phyto with small amount of tank water before adding. (2x daily has been the sweet spot for consistency)
4. Monitor rotifer density and add more as needed. Even if rotifers density is fine add 2x daily at minimum to keep things fresh (3qt rotifer water sieved). Rotifers appear to be multiplying in the fry tank, they are loving that green water.

Very cool to see, and thanks for that link!
I really gotta do this myself one day w/ my picasso's
Keep us updated and best of luck!

[NoobReefer671]

Pretty awesome combo. Would love to see the patterns on this when they get more definite.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[dizzyjay]

Sadly I was unable to save any from the last clutch- user error but on a positive note mom looks to have eggs again. This time I have the clowns isolated in their own 10g suite complete with nems & clay tile amenities.

[dizzyjay]

After the previous failed attempt, I isolated the clown pair in a 10g still plumbed on the larger system. 4mos of waiting the result is now a new attempt with better preliminary success! On the evening they hatched I isolated the tank and turned off all the flow I had a Vossen trap & siphon on hand. The majority I caught were by siphon- not sure if I positioned the Vossen incorrectly but I had so much success with a siphon that it will be my preferred method. It was rapid fire for a bit... they pop up and I would get them or they would dash away. They are exactly like tadpoles at this stage and can dart quickly. The siphoning pulled a bunch of water out of the parent tank so it was a game of pumping in water from the reef and siphoning out as little as possible- I had to switch up to a 10g for volume purposes (which meant some lucky tadpoles were siphoned 2x that night). It is now day 2; I can’t get a clear count because the green tint to the water but it is upwards of 50 survivors

Big thanks to Mel. The rotifer handoff was “clutch”~

[[G]h0s'][']

Aww, thanks, DJ. Gotta payback all your good will for me as well. Awesome to hear about the new clutch. Cant wait to see their development pics 😀

[dshillen]

Good Luck with your clownfish rearing. I have a breeding setup that consist of (6) 10 gallon tanks and a 50 gallon sump. Currently have 3 pairs of clownfish no eggs yet but they are all at or near the 2 year old mark so I feel it should happen soon.

[dizzyjay]

Day 7- these lil guys are set for metamorphosis; they get bigger and bigger by the day- pretty cool to see their full fluorescent bellies swimming around. Because of the green tint I don’t have a solid number on the clutch size but it’s over 75. Most if not all are going for the TDO! Parents already started the next batch 😬

[dizzyjay]

Day 14. Been a fun week watching these little guys go thru metamorphosis. Not only are they getting more and more color daily but also personality; I’m starting to be able to identify individuals. They moved to a “grow out” tank today maybe a little earlier than I would have liked but the next batch of fry is probably coming tonight & I need to sterilize things. I should have counted them during the move… darn, next time. So far I’ve only had 1 casualty that I’m aware of

[[G]h0s'][']

Very nice, I can see them coloring up there. The journey continues 😃

[cboltsd]

Thats pretty cool Dj, great job man!

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

[dizzyjay]

Thats pretty cool Dj, great job man!

.
Thanks Clint. Appreciate that- especially knowing you’re not a clown guy; these lil guys could change your mind

[dizzyjay]

Last night batch 2 finally hatched (there is already a 3rd set from these horn-dogs). I won’t belabor the detail but let’s just say a watched pot never boils. I’ve tweaked my strategy a bit to slow the flow into the tank, shutting down the internal flow, literally cutting all the light, going to bed & setting the alarm for 30min (yep- I can nod off that quick)- returning after it being pitch black for a bit seems to be the best way to coerce the larvae into the water column for siphoning. I was able to retrieve many more this time around.

[Ryan@OB]

Sweet!

[FreshSaltH2o]

Put me down for one when your re-homeing

[[G]h0s'][']

You’ve been busy, DJ lol. Congrats on the new batches