1. Do you have an old account but can't access it?


    See Accessing your GIRS Account or Contact Us - We are here to help!

Baby Clowns in my tank - 1-2 mm

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Madjabjoe, Aug 5, 2008.

  1. Madjabjoe

    Madjabjoe Inactive User

    98
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0

    So I was doing a night check tonight happened apon about 25 1-2mm baby clown fry swimming all over the place. My clowns have only spaned twice that I know of. I was told that raising the fry is difficult so I just let me be. What are the chances that one makes it adult size. Anybody have any recommendation as what to don now. Maybe I just let well enough along and see how far they get. IDK
     
  2. Lee

    Lee Experienced Reefkeeper

    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    The chance of them making it to adult size in a ordinary display tank is about 1 in a billion. Travis (atticus) used to raise fry, I bet he would be happy to point you in the right direction on what to do next time they spawn. It's a lot of work and money to do, but it would be very interesting to see you take the leap.
     
  3. Phathead

    Phathead Well-Known ReefKeeper

    389
    Ratings:
    +1 / 0 / -0
    I have seen some people have some great luck with fry. The only reason they usaully never live is not enough food (Live Rotifer) or other tankmates eat them. The best way I have seen them being bred is set up another small tank with overflow or drilled and have your UV sterilizer return in the small tank then back in the sump.
     
  4. Travis

    Travis Well-Known ReefKeeper GIRS Member

    648
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    Fry will not make it to adult hood in a display tank. They require a planktonic bloom for the first week of life to survive. Your display tank would not support this. To raise fry you need a large stable source of live rotifers for the first week of life, a source of phytoplankton for the rotifers, then a source of fresh hatch baby brine for the next week (this is easier). I always advise learning to master rotifer care before ever attempting to raise a few fry. If you can master their food, you can raise clowns. If you get the rotifer culture running you will need to find a way to capture the fry on the night of hatch, they are then placed in a 5 gallon aquairum that had been filled with filtered parent tank water. Only thing allowed in the fry tank is a heater with the light covered in black tape and an airstone set on very low. Once the fry are collected rotifers need to be maintained at a level in the fry tank so that the fry never have to move more than a body length to reach a rotifer. Any wasted energy can result in weakend or dead fry. Daily detrius and dead loss removal is key. If you are good about keeping the tank clean you can avoid deadly water changes until after they metamorphasis into clowns. If you want to give it a try I suggest buying Joyce Wilkerson's Clownfishes book and a supply of instant algae from reed mariculture. It is not cheap to be successful, but proper planning and research can save you a ton of money and stress.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.