Black Amphiprion polymnus spawn!

[Flameangel]

I was noticing that my very gentle Amphiprion polymnus knocked over a coral again today. While I was replacing it, I noticed a large orange egg mass! They must have laided them last night!

I am not prepared to raise these eggs, but I wish that I was. I think this is a fiarly rare occurance. If you have experience with rasing clownfish and you live near Portland Oregon, please send me a PM. I would be happy to try and colect them when they hatch.

I will try and post some pictures in the next day or so.

Connie

[traveller7]

Connie,

Don't move stuff around or change lighting, and possibly bump feeding up a notch: They will likely keep laying eggs.

Not sure of folks in your neighborhood, but there are some that may want to try egg shipments, etc.

Congrats and good luck.

[MarinaP]

Originally posted by Flameangel
I think this is a fiarly rare occurance.

You are so right!

Congratulations!

[JHardman]

First I have heard of from a good source.

Do you have a breeder in the area that could help you out?

[Flameangel]

I posted a note on thereeftank.com where Portland had its reef club site to try and find a local breeder. Someone said that there is a breeder in Seattle they were going to contact.

I also have found a source for rotifers, so if all else fails I might try it myself. I honestly believe that someone should try.

If I can get home in time tonight I will take a photo.

Thanks,
Connie

[Gary Majchrzak]

pics?

[Flameangel]

Here is a photo of the eggs. They are becoming very black. When were bright orange two days ago. I tooks some photos but the media card will not download!



The eggs are being watched by both fish, however, the male is nomrally closer to them than the female. During the day the eggs are under the anemone.



My guess is that tney will hatch in the next day or so.

Connie

[Elmo18]

Connie I sent a PM.

- Elmo

[Flameangel]

Elmo - I have pm'ed you back!

Also I would like everyone to know that I really can spell - I just can not type!! In reviewing my post I am very upset with my lack of proof reading. I think this event has gotten the best of me!

Connie

[Flameangel]

Here is a picture of the entire tank.

Connie

[Gary Majchrzak]

Are there any other fishes in the aquarium besides the Anemonefish? What are you feeding them? Do you run moonlights or a perhaps a night light?

[Flameangel]

To answer your questions (and more)

The tank is a 48 gallon bow front which has been running for about two years. The saddlebacks are the only fish in the tank. I purchased them as juvenile and I have let them grow-up in that system with the haddoni. I do have a marginal clean-up crew which includes red leg hermits, snails and two cukes. Up until about 6 months ago, it had mostly SPS and a few LPS. However, I was a little tired of the tanks so I switched it to all leather, lps, clams and the haddoni.

The tank has a HOT refugium and a remora pro skimmer. I have fairly high flow in this tank. I have 4 1200 maxi power heads running off of a wavemaker pro, another stand alone maxi and a seio pointed directly at the haddoni and therefore the eggs.

I add Bionic to it everyday and I feed with DTs a couple of times a week. I feed the fish daily with a variety of things: brine, marine cuisine, ocean nutrition pellets both formula one and formula 2. And of course they always eat part of what I feed the anemone which is scallops and sliver slides. I feed the carpet about once every one to two weeks. These fish DO NOT feed their anemone, they steal from it.

Lighting 2 X 250 14K MH and 110 watt PC actinic. The actinic run 14 hours and the MH 6 hours per day. I use two low watts blue Christmas lights for night lighting; it comes on when the PC goes off.

The tank is fairly stable I use a medusa controller for temp control. The temp ranges from 79-82 summer and 78-80 in the winter. Ca+ is 400 Alk is 9-10. Nitrates are about 5-10. Nitrites are 0. I do not test for Phosphates but I am sure there are some since I have a little hair algae in the tank.

The tank is located in the family room so the fish are exposed to a great deal of movement and activity. They are not particularly scared or aggressive, in general. They do not bite or move things around in their tank. Except in the past week since they laid the eggs.

The eggs did not hatch last night so I will see what tonight brings.

Connie

[Gary Majchrzak]

Great info. Thanks and good luck tonight!

[Flameangel]

As I write this post, the eggs are hatching and swimming to the surface. I have collected about 10 of them so far. I have my rotifer culture growing and my holding tank set up. So I will see......... I will post pictures in the evening if I can get my old camera to take a decent picture.



Connie

[Atticus]

Hopefully today finds you with a tank full of healthy fry. I am very surprised and encouraged by this as I have had a pair for awhile that I have been working with. The only other documented spawn I have read about was in a 150 gallon tank and it only happened twice with that pair. Good luck with these and make sure you write everything down.

[Luis A M]

This reinforces my suspiction that clowns will spawn easier in a nice reef+anemone than in a bare tank +flowerpot.

[slimreb]

Flameangel if you are successful in raising these fry what are you going to do with them? I have been looking for a nice pair of Black A. Polymnus and would love to get some tank bred. So if possible I would like to call dibs on a pair. lol.

Oh and congrats on this spawn. Heres to hoping you have more in the future.

[traveller7]

Please keep the A&C forum free from sales, trades, etc.

We don't want threads closed.

Thanks.

[Atticus]

Originally posted by traveller7
Please keep the A&C forum free from sales, trades, etc.

We don't want threads closed.

Thanks.

Getting to be a recurring theme in these great threads lately... Guess I can't blame them.

[traveller7]

Originally posted by Atticus
... Guess I can't blame them.

I can't either, but since the griss won't let the monkey type my replies any more it is getting a bit frustrating repeating myself ;>)

[Atticus]

LOL

[Flameangel]

Here is the good and the bad news about the larva. I was only able to collect about 20. I stayed up until 2 am and collected them as they hatched. Then I got up at 0330 and collected a few more. Then I had to get up at 0520 to get ready for work, went to collect the rest of them. All of the eggs were hatched but I could not find a larva anywhere!! How frustrating!!! Darn that job of mine!!

Of the 20 I caught, 5 has died so far. They others appear to be eating and vigorous. My camera can not get a decent photo - sorry - they are just too small!

Last night the clowns started cleaning the sand and the rocks again. So maybe they will give me anotehr shot at this.

Connie

[Flameangel]

Here is an update, The last larva died last night, I am not surprised since I collect so few. HOWEVER, I came home today to another bright orange egg cluster. So I guess I will try again. This time I will just stay up all night until the eggs hatch and try to collect the majority of them.

Here is a picture of the new set of eggs.

Connie

[Gary Majchrzak]

Big clutch... they must be comfortable!

[shane 1111]

keep trying!