Breeding Pair of Onyx Clownfish

jonnybravo22 · 03/03/2011, 02:30 AM

I've decided to jump in and attempt to raise the current clutch of eggs from my breeding pair of Rod's Onyx percula clownfish.

i've never raised or attempted to raise fry before, but i'm excited to try. i've read up on some other experiences on this forum and found them very helpful.

they laid eggs last weekend and i expect the eggs to hatch this weekend or at the start of next week.

i just started my rotifer culture tonight, with the starter kit from reed mariculture.

the rotifers were in an ice pack containing temperature lock packaging which seemed pretty fancy. also in the package was the rotifer diet and other items i ordered, -- 1 quart of Nanno and the Otohime kit.

Otohime doesnt need to be refrigerated does it? It's powder and pellets so i wouldnt think so, but it was all included in the temp sealed packaging.

Also - how do you tell if you have living rotifers? i have a new 100 macro lens but even that didnt show me much. i see swathes of brown on the bottom and getting swept up w/ the current from the airstone.

The rotifer water from reed came in at about 1.024 salinity. i mixed up water to 1.018, and mixed the two in a medium sized bucket.

Parents have been laying eggs for about 6 months now.

Momma:

Fingers crossed, i'll come back with updates?!?!!

Nam Nguyen · 03/03/2011, 09:39 AM

Can't wait to see your success. Good luck

ktg113 · 03/03/2011, 09:47 AM

I am getting a pair that have been mating for a while and might try to raise some my self jumping on to watch for update

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madean · 03/03/2011, 10:10 AM

Please document as much as you can, and share as much as you can, that would be awesome information to pass on as others have in this forum. Im not sure if anyone has attempted and shared their experiences with this forum on breeding onyx percs before. I apoligize in advance if others have. Im sure every type of clown is a little different and it would be nice to know h what the differences are. Ie meta stages, grow out stages, behavior patterns, just good information to know so that when people do attempt this maybe we all could be a little more succesfull.
Where did you get your pair from. I have been trying to get a pair of rods onyx and I cant seem to find them.

jonnybravo22 · 03/03/2011, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nam Nguyen

Can't wait to see your success. Good luck

thanks! I HOPE to have some success to share!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktg113

I am getting a pair that have been mating for a while and might try to raise some my self jumping on to watch for update

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

good luck if you try it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by madean

Please document as much as you can, and share as much as you can, that would be awesome information to pass on as others have in this forum. Im not sure if anyone has attempted and shared their experiences with this forum on breeding onyx percs before. I apoligize in advance if others have. Im sure every type of clown is a little different and it would be nice to know h what the differences are. Ie meta stages, grow out stages, behavior patterns, just good information to know so that when people do attempt this maybe we all could be a little more succesfull.
Where did you get your pair from. I have been trying to get a pair of rods onyx and I cant seem to find them.

i'll try to document as much as i can. there are a number of very good threads here, particularly on Ocellaris clowns that i've seen that do a fantastic job of documenting so check there if you havent already.

jonnybravo22 · 03/03/2011, 10:56 AM

perhaps someone can help explain what i'm seeing...

i started the Rotifter culture last night as mentioned. how do i tell if they are alive? i see zillions of small brown specs, but they seem to be just moving with the current of the air stone. i also have a sizeable pile of "dirt"(??) on the bottom of the bucket.

the water does look a bit clearer this morning than it did last night however. this part is harder to judge though, i'm tempted to let it clear up a bit more just to make sure something is eating in there but i also dont want to crash as a result of not feeding them enough. i'll probably add more green to the water soon but wanted to toss the question to you all. thanks.

birddog486 · 03/03/2011, 03:18 PM

I've found with rotifers, less is more. You don't need to add more nanno until the water is almost clear. Over feeding will crash them sooner than underfeeding in my experience.

I use a rigid airline that only gives off about 2 bubbles per second in the rotifer bucket. With this slow of a flow using a flashlight toward the side of the bucket you should be able to see some movement of the specs..

Or you can invest in a cheap microscope, then you can see if you've got a healthy rot culture by the percentage of rots with eggs.

jonnybravo22 · 03/03/2011, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by birddog486

I've found with rotifers, less is more. You don't need to add more nanno until the water is almost clear. Over feeding will crash them sooner than underfeeding in my experience.

I use a rigid airline that only gives off about 2 bubbles per second in the rotifer bucket. With this slow of a flow using a flashlight toward the side of the bucket you should be able to see some movement of the specs..

Or you can invest in a cheap microscope, then you can see if you've got a healthy rot culture by the percentage of rots with eggs.

Thanks for your input!

well i took a simplified method i just took a pippette sample of the rotifers and put it in a tiny plastic container and used a magnifying glass. they are alive! so that's good!

i'll do a small water change tonight on the culture

they are so much smaller than i ever expected them to be. even with a magnifying glass it's hard to make out their movements.

oceancube1 · 03/03/2011, 07:16 PM

that is a very nice onyx pair,,,, goodluck welcome to the breeding club!!!

reefstew · 03/03/2011, 08:07 PM

x2 with birddog, you don't want to use an airstone with rotifers.(rigid tubing) I change about 1 gal. of water a week in a 5 gal. bucket culture.
Otohimi does not need to be refrigerated. If you purchased A, you can start feeding the fry on day 5.
Good luck!

ktg113 · 03/03/2011, 09:09 PM

Just put my pair in the tank lights went out about twenty mins later. Pics up tom. The lady who gave them to me had them for five years almost six

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jonnybravo22 · 03/03/2011, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oceancube1

that is a very nice onyx pair,,,, goodluck welcome to the breeding club!!!

thanks! the male is pretty young too, surprised he's spawning already. he's about 1 3/4 years old (was super tiny when i got him, so much so that the female almost ATE him! put the little guy in her mouth for a few seconds!) She is about 2 1/2 years old (so like 9 months older).

Quote:

Originally Posted by reefstew

x2 with birddog, you don't want to use an airstone with rotifers.(rigid tubing) I change about 1 gal. of water a week in a 5 gal. bucket culture.
Otohimi does not need to be refrigerated. If you purchased A, you can start feeding the fry on day 5.
Good luck!

good info thanks very much reefstew. on the otohime i got the kit that came with like 5 different types, all different sizes, including A. curious - what's the opposition to airstones for rotifers? I dont have any rigid tubing ATM but can get some if needed. my "airstone" is the wooden block variety.

reefstew · 03/04/2011, 07:17 AM

If you use an airstone then the SMALL bubbles can trap the rotifers in a foam almost like protein skimmming. It is safer the buy rigid tubing & use that, also easier to sterilize.

jonnybravo22 · 03/04/2011, 07:23 PM

thanks. does it typically require you to feed the rotifers daily to keep the green color?

jonnybravo22 · 03/04/2011, 08:01 PM

also i've heard people mention "saving the gunk" at the bottom of the culture bucket. really? i would think you should toss / siphon that out during the water change, no?

this is me · 03/04/2011, 08:02 PM

Hi Jonny,
I'm glad to hear that you are attempting to breed and raise these clowns. Rod's Onyx are beautiful and you don't see them available much anymore. I'll be sure to keep checking this thread for your update.
Best of luck.

reefstew · 03/04/2011, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonnybravo22

thanks. does it typically require you to feed the rotifers daily to keep the green color?

Yo Jonny,
You got a lot of reading to do. Check out the info on where you purchased your rotifers from & also check out the thread on cultures in this forum. It is a fine line on feeding every day just enough to keep a strong culture.

Powerboat · 03/05/2011, 01:17 PM

Congrats! Please post some more pic's of your clowns and the blue anemone. They look awesome. Good luck with the breeding.

Lukel · 03/05/2011, 01:34 PM

Good Luck to you.... although i am jealous.... i am gonna havta start putting tripple x movies on for my clowns..... mabey they will get the hint....

jonnybravo22 · 03/06/2011, 01:13 AM

no hatch yet. i'm hoping it'll be next light's out. got the rotifers going and larval tank ready.

jonnybravo22 · 03/07/2011, 05:02 PM

soooo it wasnt last night. will try again tonight.

seafarm · 03/07/2011, 07:31 PM

We've got a really simple recipe for culture rotifers at www.Rotifer.com. Click on the big pink button

I think it will answer most of the questions you have.

jonnybravo22 · 03/07/2011, 07:54 PM

thanks. i'm in the harvesting stage now to maintain the culture. curious -- do other tank inhabitants besides larval stage fish eat rotifers as well or should i just wash them down the drain?

do grown fish eat them? do SPS eat them?

seafarm · 03/07/2011, 08:34 PM

Many organisms in your reef will feed on rotifers. Soft, SPS, LPS, and NPS corals; Sponges; Gorgonians; Ricordea; Shrimp; Anemomes; Stars. When you don't have larvae to feed, feed your reef - it will love it

jonnybravo22 · 03/07/2011, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seafarm

Many organisms in your reef will feed on rotifers. Soft, SPS, LPS, and NPS corals; Sponges; Gorgonians; Ricordea; Shrimp; Anemomes; Stars. When you don't have larvae to feed, feed your reef - it will love it

hm, interesting. thanks for the input. might give it a try. dont want to turn my tank into a culture though so i might just toss in a few and see what happens

i didnt realize SPS ate animals. i wonder if anthias would eat them... might experiment there too.

on another note, those eggs must be comfy quarters because these guys still haven't hatched! it has to be tomorrow night (because i'm starting to lose my mind waiting)! if the night they layed (2 saturdays ago) was night 0, tonight is night 9, tomorrow night 10. i think either 9 or 10 is when i saw them last spawn, i recall it being longer than the 8 days avg. i have seen quoted in various places.

03/03/2011, 02:30 AM	#1
jonnybravo22 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,128	Breeding Pair of Onyx Clownfish I've decided to jump in and attempt to raise the current clutch of eggs from my breeding pair of Rod's Onyx percula clownfish. i've never raised or attempted to raise fry before, but i'm excited to try. i've read up on some other experiences on this forum and found them very helpful. they laid eggs last weekend and i expect the eggs to hatch this weekend or at the start of next week. i just started my rotifer culture tonight, with the starter kit from reed mariculture. the rotifers were in an ice pack containing temperature lock packaging which seemed pretty fancy. also in the package was the rotifer diet and other items i ordered, -- 1 quart of Nanno and the Otohime kit. Otohime doesnt need to be refrigerated does it? It's powder and pellets so i wouldnt think so, but it was all included in the temp sealed packaging. Also - how do you tell if you have living rotifers? i have a new 100 macro lens but even that didnt show me much. i see swathes of brown on the bottom and getting swept up w/ the current from the airstone. The rotifer water from reed came in at about 1.024 salinity. i mixed up water to 1.018, and mixed the two in a medium sized bucket. Parents have been laying eggs for about 6 months now. Momma: Fingers crossed, i'll come back with updates?!?!!

03/04/2011, 08:02 PM	#16
this is me Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: MA Posts: 4,074	Hi Jonny, I'm glad to hear that you are attempting to breed and raise these clowns. Rod's Onyx are beautiful and you don't see them available much anymore. I'll be sure to keep checking this thread for your update. Best of luck. __________________ Nick When a man talks dirty to a woman, it's sexual harassment. When a woman talks dirty to a man, it's $4.95 per minute. Current Tank Info: Miracle 360 gallons

03/07/2011, 07:31 PM	#22
seafarm Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 153	We've got a really simple recipe for culture rotifers at www.Rotifer.com. Click on the big pink button I think it will answer most of the questions you have. __________________ Randy Reed, Reed Mariculture I am a Vendor - the Instant Algae and Reef Nutrition Products

03/07/2011, 08:34 PM	#24
seafarm Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 153	Many organisms in your reef will feed on rotifers. Soft, SPS, LPS, and NPS corals; Sponges; Gorgonians; Ricordea; Shrimp; Anemomes; Stars. When you don't have larvae to feed, feed your reef - it will love it __________________ Randy Reed, Reed Mariculture I am a Vendor - the Instant Algae and Reef Nutrition Products

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03/03/2011, 09:39 AM	#2
Nam Nguyen Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 151	Can't wait to see your success. Good luck

03/03/2011, 09:47 AM	#3
ktg113 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: West Palm BEach Posts: 438	I am getting a pair that have been mating for a while and might try to raise some my self jumping on to watch for update Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03/03/2011, 10:10 AM	#4
madean Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 994	Please document as much as you can, and share as much as you can, that would be awesome information to pass on as others have in this forum. Im not sure if anyone has attempted and shared their experiences with this forum on breeding onyx percs before. I apoligize in advance if others have. Im sure every type of clown is a little different and it would be nice to know h what the differences are. Ie meta stages, grow out stages, behavior patterns, just good information to know so that when people do attempt this maybe we all could be a little more succesfull. Where did you get your pair from. I have been trying to get a pair of rods onyx and I cant seem to find them.

03/03/2011, 10:56 AM	#6
jonnybravo22 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,128	perhaps someone can help explain what i'm seeing... i started the Rotifter culture last night as mentioned. how do i tell if they are alive? i see zillions of small brown specs, but they seem to be just moving with the current of the air stone. i also have a sizeable pile of "dirt"(??) on the bottom of the bucket. the water does look a bit clearer this morning than it did last night however. this part is harder to judge though, i'm tempted to let it clear up a bit more just to make sure something is eating in there but i also dont want to crash as a result of not feeding them enough. i'll probably add more green to the water soon but wanted to toss the question to you all. thanks.

03/03/2011, 03:18 PM	#7
birddog486 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Wi Posts: 193	I've found with rotifers, less is more. You don't need to add more nanno until the water is almost clear. Over feeding will crash them sooner than underfeeding in my experience. I use a rigid airline that only gives off about 2 bubbles per second in the rotifer bucket. With this slow of a flow using a flashlight toward the side of the bucket you should be able to see some movement of the specs.. Or you can invest in a cheap microscope, then you can see if you've got a healthy rot culture by the percentage of rots with eggs.

03/03/2011, 07:16 PM	#9
oceancube1 Registered Member. Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: home Posts: 174	that is a very nice onyx pair,,,, goodluck welcome to the breeding club!!!

03/03/2011, 08:07 PM	#10
reefstew Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Phoenix ,Az Posts: 1,608	x2 with birddog, you don't want to use an airstone with rotifers.(rigid tubing) I change about 1 gal. of water a week in a 5 gal. bucket culture. Otohimi does not need to be refrigerated. If you purchased A, you can start feeding the fry on day 5. Good luck!

03/03/2011, 09:09 PM	#11
ktg113 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: West Palm BEach Posts: 438	Just put my pair in the tank lights went out about twenty mins later. Pics up tom. The lady who gave them to me had them for five years almost six Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03/04/2011, 07:17 AM	#13
reefstew Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Phoenix ,Az Posts: 1,608	If you use an airstone then the SMALL bubbles can trap the rotifers in a foam almost like protein skimmming. It is safer the buy rigid tubing & use that, also easier to sterilize.

03/04/2011, 07:23 PM	#14
jonnybravo22 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,128	thanks. does it typically require you to feed the rotifers daily to keep the green color?

03/04/2011, 08:01 PM	#15
jonnybravo22 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,128	also i've heard people mention "saving the gunk" at the bottom of the culture bucket. really? i would think you should toss / siphon that out during the water change, no?

03/05/2011, 01:17 PM	#18
Powerboat Moved On Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 54	Congrats! Please post some more pic's of your clowns and the blue anemone. They look awesome. Good luck with the breeding.

03/05/2011, 01:34 PM	#19
Lukel Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Pt. Colborne, ON, CANADA Posts: 209	Good Luck to you.... although i am jealous.... i am gonna havta start putting tripple x movies on for my clowns..... mabey they will get the hint....

03/06/2011, 01:13 AM	#20
jonnybravo22 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,128	no hatch yet. i'm hoping it'll be next light's out. got the rotifers going and larval tank ready.

03/07/2011, 05:02 PM	#21
jonnybravo22 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,128	soooo it wasnt last night. will try again tonight.

03/07/2011, 07:54 PM	#23
jonnybravo22 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,128	thanks. i'm in the harvesting stage now to maintain the culture. curious -- do other tank inhabitants besides larval stage fish eat rotifers as well or should i just wash them down the drain? do grown fish eat them? do SPS eat them?