Egg eating clownfish?

[Bigjohn]

I have a pair of percula clowns (tank raised) and they have laid 3 or 4 batches of eggs. Another batch is fixing to be laid in the next few days. The problem I am having is that they are apparently eating the eggs little by little as the week goes by.

I have read that they sometimes will do this until about the 3rd or 4th batch and then quit. I have a 4" flower pot in the 37 gallon tank that is used for their home and egg laying.

Should I remove the eggs immediately after they are fertilized?

Or should I be patient and wait a bit longer?

Thanks for any help. I have been so busy raising baby seahorses that I have not had my full attention on the clowns. I do have lots of green water and rotifers 'ready to go'.

[Carlos]

You sure that the clowns are eating the eggs and not something else during the night hours?

Also, when poor nutrition, the eggs fall off with time. Try providing clowns with a more varied and vitamin rich foods and see what happens.

Carlos

[eco-tropic]

Bigjohn,

I would go with the patience route!! I've seen many new pairs take 6 to 8 attempts to get it right. It is best to leave the nest in the males care until the night before hatch. Although it can be removed directly after fertilization you could reduce hatch numbers and over all larval quality. You may also want to try saturation feeding every day. Thaw some Formula One and bust it up into little pieces. Feed your clowns piece by piece until they refuse to eat any more food. In the event your clowns are snacking on the nest this should put a stop to it. Good luck!