clown fish spawn

[KuanTi]

I have a pair of true percs that spawned a couple days ago last week. The eggs have hatched and i got some wigglers. I won't be trying to raise this batch as i was caught unprepared. I know there's a lot of text online on rearing clowns, but i was wondering if anyone here has had any personal experience doing so. i got pics i'll try to get them up. they're bad colors cuz i didn't tweak my camera, but you can see the eggs. i just upgraded my lighting so i'll take a picture of the wigglers tomorrow if they're still there.

[cro55f1r3]

well my onyx pair has had babies and it was hard taking care of them i think they all were eaten.just kidding cant wait to see the pics.

[Sparkss]

Fingerwrinkles breeds them here in the Bay Aea. I think Jimsar might also. Alot goes into rearing the fry. I would talk to either (or both) of them for some information and pointers. Best of luck

[fingerwrinkles]

KuanTi,

Congrats on the spawn! If you decide you'd like to put the effort into rearing them, you'll need to setup separate systems to raise the fry and grow the food they need. This is not especially complex, but will require a bit of an investment in $$ ($150 - $200) and a lot of investment in time (1-2 hours per day for the first few weeks, then a couple hours per week thereafter until they get to market size at around 5-7 months of age). If you decide to not take the eggs, then I'd just leave the nest alone and let the fry hatch into the tank. Some folks may feel this is especially cruel since you're not giving the babies a chance to survive, but on the flip side your inverts and fish will thank you greatly for the highly nutritious food source every few weeks.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have about raising the fry and I'll try to respond quickly here. A few folks have been writing me about the same topic lately, so perhaps we can all share on this thread since the question will no doubt come up again.

Regards,
Robin

[mike126]

What if you had the two clown fish alone in a tank would the fry still be able to survive with there parents? i know that sounds kind of stupid but i have a mated pair of false percs and i just recently got a 29g bio cube i was thinking about setting them up it there....

[fingerwrinkles]

Mike, sorry to say that the fry will not survive. If the parents didn't eat them, the various fauna (worms, etc.) would find them quite tasty. It would also be near impossible to present a concentrated enough food source without polluting the tank. The babies need their own bare bottom tank so they can get the proper conditions and avoid predators.

[KuanTi]

thanks for the input. the only spare tank i have right now is a 40tall, that's probably what i'd move the parents into. maybe after the holidays i'll set something up. i have some space for maybe 2 tens and 1 20. but i'd probably just try to rear one successful batch just to say i've done it. i'll keep you guys updated.