Help-clownfish larvae keep dying

sjk2840

Member
I have the Ocellaris clownfish. I looked at the eggs again this morning when the light came on, looks like they ate some, only about 15 or so eggs left. I've not changed her eating/food at all. I think the fake wall threw her off. Right before she laid the eggs, she was swimming back and forth between the fake wall and the front corner of the tank. She laid the eggs later in the day also. She's like clock work- she usually lays her eggs around 3 pm. This time it was close to 5:30. I will get some more acrylic and make an identical wall, like you suggested and switch them out when the next batch is ready to hatch.
 

bang guy

Moderator
They will eat any dead eggs. I think in this case it was the male having issues with the wall. It may have thrown him off enough that most of the eggs didn't get fertilized.
 

sjk2840

Member
Ok that makes sense. He is tending to the ones that are left, I'll let this batch go and let them both get used to the wall.
 

sjk2840

Member
Hi Al,
As of right now, my fish have beat me in the battle. I had a batch of eggs right before the holidays, she did lay the eggs on the fake wall.But within a couple of days she ate all of the eggs. There were only about 20-30 eggs in this batch. She's not laid any eggs since then. I took the fake wall out of the tank, she would look like she was gonna lay more eggs again, and then nothing happened. Right now I am in the process of switching all of my fish around, unfortunately the tank the pair was in decided to leak :( I am in the process of setting up my 90 gallon-it should be up and running by Wednesday- now I've got fish scattered in smaller tanks throughout my house. I am moving the breeding pair to their own tank, hopefully they will spawn again. I did get a really good batch of rotifers going though. I have that process down to a science now.
How are your fish doing? i'll post some pictures of my 90 gallon once its up and running.
 

al&burke

Active Member
Sorry to hear that about the leak, been there. Maybe the pair will be more happy alone, that is what I am going to do with mine, their rock pile and hammer coral all to themselves, in the basement with a whole breeding facility set up. Hoping to have 3 or 4 breeding pairs eventually. My batch that hatch Dec 28 is the best survival I have ever had over 100 babies, all gone through morph and doing great, eating everything I throw at them. Two weeks later I had another batch - died at 5 days, not enough rotifers, I have three buckets going now, batch of eggs due this saturday, keep our fingers crossed. My first batch of 50 or 60 are in a 35 gallon now, they are about 3/4 of an inch. Second batch of about 40 will be moved soon.
Good luck with your switch over, 90's are a nice sized tank. Make sure you post pictures.
 

sjk2840

Member
Hi Al, how awesome that you have so many surviving babies! I'm hoping after this leak ordeal that the pair will settle into their own new tank by themselves and start breeding again. I dumped my rotifers-no one to feed them to. I defintely know how to grow them now. At one point you could just look into the bucket and see them swimming around, no shot glass needed. We are in the process of plumbing the tank tonight, it's filled 1/2 way up with water, aquascaping took me hours to do yesterday-but I like it. it will give the fish plenty of room to swim, I'll post pics. soon.
 

DRW

New Member
How are you keeping your rotifers and what are you feeding them? Are you adding an air line and heater to the fry tank. How much rotifers are you adding to the fry tank, they need to have enough in there in order for them to go one length (of the fry) to eat them. Cover all sides of the tank and leave the top open. I usually just leave the room light one for the first while. I take my eggs out of the parent tank and add them to a ten gallon tank that is about 1/2 full, airline and heater are very important. I just started raising clownfish a few months ago, I have Bang Guy from this forum to thank for my not to bad success, I have two batches on the go, both of them are about 50 fry in each. first batch is a month old the second is 10 days old. My pair just spawned today and in a week I will take the eggs out. Good luck and like I said Bang Guy is the person to go to. One more thing with rotifers they are really easy to keep, I think anyways, many feed with greenwater but I use RG complete, AP Breed brand - having an abundance of rotifers that all fry and tanks are enjoying. Good luck!!!!
 

florida joe

Well-Known Member
If memory serves me right you feed enough to keep the water light green. Once you start you don’t want the water to turn clear
 
Top