Amphiprion percula "Onxy" (Onyx Percula Clown) Breeding Log!

[mwp]

It might have been something in Hoff's book.

Matt

["Umm, fish?"]

I just finished Hoff's book and that IS where it's from. He also attributes mis-barring to water quality, too.

Matt, it's something I may have missed along the way, but can you go over your thoughts on green water/rotifer/copepod culture for larvae? How do you set it up? How long does it take to get it ready for the larvae? Where do you get your copepods?

Thanks!

[mwp]

Andy, here's a rundown on that "experimental" rotifer/3cope co-culture that I've been trying to establish in advance of actually placing larvae in an empty tank -> http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=994478 - I was really doing this more for Mandarins, Apogon leptacanthus, or the Greenbanded Gobies.

There's no way I can culture enough copepods in a standalone setting to feed them daily. So, the longer you can maintain it before larvae are due, the better....copepods aren't nearly as productive as rotifers...i.e. it can take a month or more for a copepod population to "bloom".

FWIW,

Matt

["Umm, fish?"]

Thanks, Matt! I had no idea where in your body of work to look.

[mwp]

Batch VIII, 17.5 days old - Batch VIII has been evicted from their 10 gallon rearing tank due to my need for a quarantine location. Banished to a breeder net in the cardinalfish tank (which is only 24 gallons and already has 16 adult fish in it!), I counted 79.

Thankfully I just installed a Remora Protien Skimmer on the tank last week, and the babies at this point are still small. Not a SINGLE one had any kind of shock reaction to being netted out, and that includes a 1 degree temp drop. Just netted out of one, dumped into the other!

What does 79 2.5 week old Perculas look like in a breeder net?





FWIW,

Matt

[mwp]

Just a couple quick followups. Due to the move of Batch VIII into the breeder net, I'm probably going to be shifting heavily to selcon enriched BBS, only feeding Otohime maybe once per day (in the morning) and maybe one feeding of Cyclopeze (probably 2nd feeding). My reasoning is that these first two foods are too large to pass through the breeder net, and if the clowns don't eat them off the bottom of the net, well, it sits there and rots. Conversely, feeding baby brine in the breeder net, it's "concentrated" for a minute or two, but ultimately will pass through the netting and out into the tank, where the rest of the fish can chow down. I believe feeing live BBS will help keep pollution levels lower in this 24.

And FWIW, only minutes after the move, they've already settled in and took to Oto. A when I placed it in the net. SWEET - Rearing in this particular tank may also help answer the "light" question - they're under a 150 watt 14k HQI!

MP

[mwp]

One more BTW, due to my space issues and me REALLY not wanting to pollute my "SPS" tank, Batch VIII is FOR SALE! If someone wants to come to our place in Chicago and pick 'em up, $195 for the entire batch, that's. There is ONE known cull at this point, "One Eye Willy". 78 onyx percs, $2.50 a pop, 3.5-4 months worth of growout needed. I reserve the right to raise the price or take 'em off the market as the days go by...

MP

[xfury]

Matt, I just did a search on Onyx percs to see if i could find a little more info (i know, i know, why look any where else right?) and guess what... I found this post in the top 5. Kudos to you.

[mwp]

Thanks for the KUDOS!

A "BTW", the first 2 babies from Batch VI that "left home" here for a new home, I've been told are doing GREAT. Simply wonderful news.

Matt

[mwp]

1-24-07, Batch X has been laid!. It occured later in the afternoon..I noticed some pre-spawn activity around 5:30 pm, but only now at 10:30 had another chance to look at the tank!

Not sure if I'll be able to do much of anything with this spawn (i.e. photos, raising etc.)...hands are full with the ICH outbreak in the Seahorse tank and a larval tank being overtaken for QT...

FWIW,

Matt

[mwp]

Originally posted by mwp
One more BTW, due to my space issues and me REALLY not wanting to pollute my "SPS" tank, Batch VIII is FOR SALE!

Looks like Batch VIII is "SOLD" - I'll let the buyer decide if they want to share any ongoing news (FWIW, going to a phenomenally good home whom you all probably konw).

Matt

[xfury]

Ok you put this in almost every post and it is driving me nuts. what does FWIW mean?

["Umm, fish?"]

for what it's worth

[xfury]

i see. thank you.

[mwp]

So, Batch X is doing it's eggy thing, and I'm kinda wondering, what next for the Onyx Percs and their progeny?

What would you all like to see from them? More egg counts to see what kind of loss rate I have? A dialy shot of larval percula development (via the QX5)? Perhaps another shot at trying to get them to spawn on a removeable substrate? Any other info I haven't yet posted? Just curious! I'll obviously keep raising them when I have open tanks, just wondering if there's any info I've left "unexposed"! Otherwise, this thead's gonna get boring really quickly...something to the effect of (they laid eggs again...they hatched again... )

Matt

[vaporize]

Matt, how about talk about the food or additional enrichment you have been feeding the parents?

[vaporize]

Matt, how about talk about the food or additional enrichment you have been feeding the parents?

[vaporize]

Matt, how about talk about the food or additional enrichment you have been feeding the parents?

[mwp]

Parental Diet? Not a problem, happy to give the full rundown. I have no "set schedule" or "regime", but basically there are somethings done daily, some things done weekly, and some things just given rarely.

Daily
Alternating basically between Formula 1 and Formula 2 pellets
Usually Frozen Brine Shrimp & Mysis, rotating through NUMEROUS brands and varieties. In the freezer at the moment:

San Francisco Bay - Spirulina Brine, Omega 3 Brine, Mysis
Hikari - Mysis & Enriched Brine
Piscene Energetics - Mysis
Lifeline - Mysis

Weekly
These items probably get offered up once or twice per week on average:

Argent Frozen Cyclopeze and Ocean Nutrition Cyclops
Spectrum Pellets
Ocean Nutrition's Frozen Pygmy Angel Diet

Rarely
When the mood strikes me, anywhere from once a week to once per month

Hikari - chopped krill
Enriched live Baby Brine Shrimp
Frozen Ocean Nutrition Formula 1 or 2

Almost Never
Basically foods I have here that I don't really know why..

Otohime larger pellets (i.e. the C's and up)
ORA Glo - the fish really don't like it!

For Dietary Enrichements:

Selcon, Ocean Rider's Vibrance II, Reef Plus.

I typically rotate though Selcon and Vibrance II (which in my understanding is mostly astaxanthin and vitamins) Reef Plus gets used less frequently..i.e. maybe 4 Selcons, 3 Vibrances and 1 Reef Plus.

I've also been "experimenting" with Seachem's Garlic Guard, so most of this week, that's what the food has been soaked in for a change.

That's a recap of their diet. You'll notice no frozen fresh shrimp, no roe, granted those are components of some of the prepared diets I feed.

FWIW,

Matt

[Kmiec123]

Since your have no room for spawns at the moment...I would like to see you try to get them to spawn on some Tara Cotta to make life easier later. We gotta try something to get your life easier.

[mwp]

Definitely a good suggestion Carl

Matt

[mkhan041]

hey ive been fallowing your thread now and was wondering if you were going to be selling any of the percs! im a newb and am trying to set up my first 24 gallon nano DX and would love to have a pair if you are selling them, how much I do know that they need extra care and attention so im willing to do so!

[ediaz]

[mkhan041]

are you laughing at me

[TomRep]

Where's Matt been lately?