Clarkii clownfish pairing  11/14/09
Hi Crew,
<Mil>
I love your site and due to you guys I just set up my 4th reef tank. So far all good.
<Ahh!>
I am trying to get my clownfish to form a pair. I bought two 1inch Clarkii clownfish, (I bought them really small to make sure they did not already change sex) there was a lot of them in one tank in the LFS. I
introduced them to the quarantine tank. One immediately started acting dominant (I presume this will become the female). After 3 weeks of quarantine they were introduced to one of my reef tanks. There are no other tank mates.
(30 gallon tank with a lot of coral and a BTA)
<Yikes... there are often troubles when mixing anemones with "corals">
Water parameters:
Specific gravity: 1.025
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
PH: 8.4
I know that aggression before forming a pair is to be expected, but after days of being bullied my smaller clownfish is lying in a corner too afraid to move. The female is really mean.
5days ago the more dominant clown (female) started hosting in a bubble tip anemone, the other clown followed and both fish hosted in the anemone that night, but the more dominant clownfish kept biting and bulling the male and the next morning the male had severely torn fins.
<Need to be separated if so>
Currently the female is constantly chasing the male until he goes to the one corner of the tank and lies on the sand. The moment he starts moving she chases him again and nips at him.
Will these two be able to form a pair or do they hate each other?
<Could likely form such a union in time if there was enough space, some way for the one to "get away" from the aggressor>
Is it only the presence of the anemone that is increasing the aggression?
<Mmm, no... often the opposite occurs>
They seemed quite content with one another for 4 weeks.
Should I remove the anemone and let them pair up first?
<I would "float" the larger/female one in a plastic colander for a few days here... allowing the smaller to heal, establish a bit of dominance>
The other option I can think of is to buy 2 more of these small clownfish (to disperse aggression)
and let them pair up more naturally. The part of catching the remaining 2 to return them to the LFS is what makes me think this is not a good idea. (These fishies, they're fast!)
Today I put the tank's lights off in an attempt to reduce aggression.
<What about the photosynthetic life here?>
Thanks for the help
Mel
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Breeding system, Fishes, SPS grow out  11/10/09
Hi Crew,
<Chris>
As the next stage of expansion in my basement fish room I want to set up a system for brood stock as I'd really like to try raising fish to complement my small scale SPS coral farming.
<Sounds good>
I already have the tanks I hope to use as follows -
2 of 2'x2' tanks 15" high
Sump 1'x4' 12" high
The 2 square tanks will sit next to each other, have around 14" of water depth, a small quantity of LR and added circulation. One of the tanks will have a 150w halide above, the other lit by ambient light only (light spill from the halide on the identical tank next to it and 3 halides over a tank 5' away directly in front of it)
The only residents other than fish will be snails and possibly cleaner and peppermint shrimp.
<Mmm... I'd skip the shrimp. Too likely to interfere with spawning, possibly eat young>
The sump will have a DSB (probably with macro algae) and LR, skimmer and return pump.
Right - onto the questions (bearing in mind my intention to use this system for my adult brood stock & best chance of happy fish successfully breeding)
1. Will one of these 2'x2' tanks (the one with the MH) be suitable for a pair of Tomato clowns and their Bubble tip anemone (I wouldn't usually include a anemone but these 2 have been resident in it for some years and as I intend to breed from them I want them to be a comfortable as possible)
<Should be fine... though almost everyone in Clownfish production leaves out symbiotic anemones>
2. Is the 150w halide acceptable light for the anemone? probably with a 10k or 14k bulb - I'm guessing this will be fine given the 14"water depth
<Should work>
3. Is a 2'x2' a suitable and comfortable home for a pair of Banggai Cardinals (again to breed from)?
<Mmm, yes... better to have more females, some physical structure to allow all to get out of sight>
4. Total system volume should be around 350 litres - would you agree this is a light bioload for this volume?
<Yes>
5. Would it compromise my plan to use the tank with the Banggai's (with added lighting - probably a twin 55w PC unit I have spare) for grow out of soft coral frags? Either mushroom Corallimorphs or a Sarcophyton/Xenia combo - any preference as to which would be most suitable if any?
<These can be co-cultured together>
6. For the DSB would I see any issues using ordinary play sand? I'm guessing this will be silica sand? - Aragonite is fiendishly expensive in the UK!
<I would look about for another calcium carbonate based substrate>
Many thanks as ever, let me know if you need any further detail.
Chris
<Cheers! Bob Fenner>

Mated clowns 9/6/09
Hi,
<Hello there>
I am writing to you guys yet again regarding my 54 G mixed reef tank. It has been largely successful thanks to you and your advice. The tank has 40lbs LR, sump filtration, with Deltec MCE 600 skimmer, and run carbon and phosphate remover (bulk reef supply) in a reactor. Parameters are as follows: Sp.G 1.026, Ph. 8.3, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0.5, Calcium 410, dKH 3.54, Magnesium 1200. 250 watt 10 K MH. Inhabitants include 2 false Percs pair, six line wrasse, and a royal gramma. Corals include Acros, a hammer coral, various zoos and mushrooms.
I have a "problem" in my tank that's not really a problem. I just found that my tank-bred false Percs are a mated pair!
<Most two's do become so>
However, the eggs are white and do not seem viable.
<Not this/that batch>
I've read Wilkerson's Clownfishes and she indicates that white colored eggs may indicate a lack of varied diet.
<Is possible>
I currently feed Spectrum Thera A+ exclusively. They also eat Cyclops-ease when I feed corals. Is there anything other than diet that could be affecting this?
<Mmm, possible, but not likely>
As of yet, I do not want to move the Percs to their own tank unless there is a chance of viable eggs. Any advise or direction to prior articles would be greatly appreciated.
Mike
<Really, I just urge patience at this point. Like the more popular substrate spawning cichlids, the first few "batches" from Clowns do often have "problems"... In a few more spawns I suspect the "infertility issue"
will be worked out. Bob Fenner>

Clownfish, pairing  – 08/23/09
Hi there my name is Josh and I have a question regarding clowns. I have a new 150 tall FOWLR and just got two Ocellaris clowns hoping for them to pair. One 1.5 one 1 inch. Also a 3.5 Lawnmower. My question is can you put in an already paired set in hoping for two pairs. If two have paired already (prior to being put in the tank) will the other two pair. All are same-Ocellis Clowns.
<Likely four Ocellaris will mix "well enough" in this size, shaped system... and at least two pair up. Bob Fenner> 

Percula, Ocellaris Breeding? 7/26/09
Just curious if the percula clown and the ocellaris clown that just spawned in my tank can actually produce.
< Yes>
I haven't found any information from anyone that has had first hand experience with this. The percula is the female. The eggs are on the back wall of my tank and seem to have eyes.
< Sounds like they are about 7 days old.>
If it is possible how common is it?
< Clownfish hybrids are fairly common in aquariums. The Ocellaris/Percula is probably the most common.>
The percula was given to me by a guy whose tank had "crashed" and, against my better judgment, I put it in with my ocellaris just hoping they wouldn't fight. Any info would be wonderful Thanks a bunch!!
John
< Well they obviously get along! If you are interested in attempting to raise them Wilkerson's Clownfishes book is a must have. GA Jenkins >
Re: Percula , Ocellaris Breeding? 7/26/09
Thanks for your reply. I'll find that book and give it a shot :)
< You are welcome. Although lots of work , raising clownfish can be a very fulfilling. Good luck in your endeavor. GA Jenkins >

Re: In-depth resources (RMF, anything on Anemonefish families?) – 07/01/09
I actually have another question. Someone's trying to tell me that SW begins at 1.0264, and everyone else is bowing and scraping to this guy, but nowhere else have I seen this. I always heard 1.020-1.025.
<Your friend couldn't be wronger. Seawater salinity doesn't begin at any specific gravity, since specific gravity depends on water temperature.
Normal seawater salinity is about 35 grammes per litre, which at 25 degrees C is 1.025. But at 15 degrees C, the specific gravity would be 1.027, while at 30 degrees C it's only 1.023. In any event, the cut-off point between brackish and marine salinity isn't hard-and-fast, since what we call "normal" salinity varies from place to place; in the Red Sea for example it's rather high, while in the Baltic Sea it's quite low, to the degree
that at the lowest salinity eastern half of the Baltic Sea the "marine" fish fauna includes numerous freshwater fish such as Pike, Bream and Roach.
In terms of behaviour too, it's extremely common for nominally-marine fish to spend time in brackish water, moving in and out of estuaries while feeding or through particular stages of their life cycle. Of course, in
practise there's an optimal salinity for marine fish and invertebrates, and at 25 degrees C, that's 1.025 where fish and invertebrates are being kept together. Marine fish on their own can be kept successfully at lower
salinity, and historically even down to 1.018 at 25 degrees C was recommended as sufficient for good health but less taxing (supposedly) on the osmoregulatory systems of the fish. Most books will state the
connection between specific gravity and temperature, and hydrometers will be calibrated to one particular temperature, but sadly too many aquarists ignore it, and think 1.025 is the goal, whether you're at 22 C, 25 C, 27 C, or 30 C.>
Another person is trying to tell me that in the wild, clowns live in massive family groups, and that the young stay with their parents for life.
<I've asked Bob to comment on this.>
<<Mmmm, Clownfishes show a degree of parental care... watching over unhatched eggs that are laid to an adjacent hard structure near, under the edge at times, of their hosting anemones. But hatched young are abandoned to currents, with perhaps a few of their own, other pairs offspring, tenuously "sharing" large/r symbiotic actinarians... for a time. None form "massive family groups... live with parents for life..." RMF>>
Again, I've never seen this before.
<Nor I; there are good evolutionary reasons why this wouldn't be favoured:
if parents and offspring stay together, there's a higher risk of inbreeding. So most fish species that raise their offspring eventually drive those offspring away, though in some cases allowing "teenage" offspring to remain and help rear a batch of younger offspring. That's the case with the famous Neolamprologus brichardi cichlid from Lake Tanganyika.>
I really want to get this settled in my mind.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: More Re: In-depth resources (RMF, anything on Anemonefish families?)   7/2/09
Thanks. That makes me feel a ton better. Thanks for the help on this.
<Always welcome to my input. BobF>
Re: In-depth resources (RMF, anything on Anemonefish families?)
This might interest Bob.
http://www.coralscience.org/home/content/view/108/94/lang,english/
<Is of interest indeed... I see NealeM's concern re inbreeding echoed in this piece. Thank you for sending this along. BobF>

clown fish, repro. mostly   6/20/09
Hi, I have a 155 gal. reef tank about six years old, I have had four ocellaris clowns for over three years two are a pair, two are black two orange, they all got along until about two months ago, now the male of the
pair will not let the next male in line out of a few areas in the tank. Do you think this will stop and they all can get along again?
<Will not likely stop... the "odd fish out" should be removed>
If I have to remove some of them and I keep the black female and an orange male, if the spawn what color would the babies be?
<A mix/blend of the parents markings>
Thank You
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Clownfish Laying Eggs 6/14/09
Greetings to all who read this- so as not to exclude anyone on this great site!
< Hello >
I have a pair of clowns that- after 2 years of trying to get a reef environment created- have become comfortable enough to reproduce.
< Awesome! >
I am sad to say, as others can relate- that my initial attempt did not end on a happy note.
< I completely understand. It is not an easy task. I've done quite a bit of reading/research myself in hopes that one day soon I will have enough spare time to give it a try. >
The fry, (or larvae as you mentioned) decided it was time to 'come to life' while we were out and they went through my filter system, (or the other fish / corals got them first)
< It figures that they would hatch at the least opportune time. >
So- as of 6/8/09 I am now on my 2nd clutch. I thank you for all the information you have here, as it helps to identify what to look for in hopes of a successful hatch.
I just wanted to share something I found online, if it's ok with your site:
www.kathysclowns.com it gives information and pictures of what to look for- which may have been going on for quite some time and someone may not have noticed it in their tanks, not knowing exactly what to look for or how many days to count, etc. I truly LOVE the work that you do here (the entire crew)
and thank you. I do have a few questions, but will try to find them in the FAQ page first as noted.
< Very nice development pictures. I booked marked the site myself for future reference. Thanks for sharing and good luck! >
Just wanted to share a KUDOS! to you. Thanks for being here!
< Thank you. GA Jenkins >
-Michelle

Feeding Baby Clown; not phyto.    2/25/09
Hello Everyone, My question is very short in nature and I hope you can help
me. My LFS tells me that I can feed baby clown fish liquid phytoplankton straight from the bottle creating the "green water" effect if you will.
From what I have read on your website, "green water" means something entirely different. Is there different variations of "green water"?
<Mmm, yes... at least there are several phytoplankton species available...
None are appropriate to feed Amphiprionine young... The "phyto" are too small to be of use>
If so, how much phytoplankton should I add to a 10 gallon tank to be successful in feeding the baby clowns?
<? I have been to several Clownfish hatcheries around the world over the last thirty some years... and have never seen any feeding phytoplankton period. Perhaps this material is cultured to feed types of zooplankters...
that in turn are fed to Clown fry... but not in the Clowns culture space that I've ever seen/witnessed>
I only plan on doing this for the first few days or so then switching to newly hatched baby brine.
Thank You for Your Time,
Chris
<I would be reading a bit more... Maybe Joyce Wilkerson's book, Frank Hoff... Don't waste your time on the Net... really. Bob Fenner>

Breeding clowns and sleeper gobies 11/5/08
Dear Bob and all the team,
Your site has been a great resource for me since we set up our first tank about 18 months ago.
I now really need your advice or suggestions.  We have a 40gal tank (red sea max) which has been up and running for 18 months.
We have a pair of breeding Percula clowns, and a pair of yellow headed sleeper gobies (Valenciennea strigata) which we think have just started breeding. (Also in the tank is a lawnmower blenny, mandarin, long nosed hawkfish, and a pair of coral banded shrimp). Our first experience was with the clowns, when we discovered eggs about two weeks ago, ready to hatch. We set up a small tank, and stayed up all night and collected the fry. We were unfortunately unable to keep any alive after 2 days. (Didn't have anything to feed them.) We are unable to source any live rotifers, but have now acquired some frozen ones to try next rime around.  A week later, our clown laid another bunch of eggs, which are looking like they are ready to hatch in the next 24 hours.  Also, 2 days ago, the sleeper gobies have set up camp under the live rock, with the entrances all covered with the substrate.  Last night, I looked into the tank for any hatched clowns, and found one had hatched.  I went to work trying to transfer it to the rearing tank (10g with airstone).
Then I noticed, appearing from nowhere, hundreds of tiny fish (about a quarter the size of the newly hatched clowns, ie 1-2mm in length) which were immediately attracted to the torch light.  I managed to transfer as many as possible into the rearing tank. (probably around 200-300), as well as two (only 2 hatched last night) of the clowns.  I am assuming that the new fish are the hatchlings fare sleeper gobies (although we are unable to see any eggs as they have burrowed under the live rock.)  I can't find any information about rearing them, and only have the one spare tank to try and keep them alive. I suspect the rest of the clowns will hatch tonight.
My questions are:
1. Do you think it will be OK to put the newly hatched clowns in with the newly hatched gobies. (They are about 4 to 5 times larger). Will they potentially eat them if we can get them to survive. We are going to try feeding with frozen rotifers (we cannot source live ones from anywhere here in Australia).
2. Is there anything else we can try to feed them with, or do you think the rotifers will suffice.
3. Do you know the length of the breeding cycle with the gobies?
4. Should I just try and follow the rearing methods described for the clowns.
5. Is it usual to have this many hatch at once.( ei hundreds)
6. Any other help or suggestions will be extremely useful.
Like I said, the new gobies (I think) have been a complete surprise, and we are completely unprepared (equipment and knowledge) to cope, but are willing to do all we can to try.
Thanks in advance,
Michael (from Melbourne, Australia)
<Michael, I am sorry. I do not know the answers to your above questions. Judging from the time this query has sat here, neither does the rest of the crew. With zero breeding experience I would not want to even speculate. As you likely know, Bob F. is out of net service until the 13th or so. I will be sure to share this for his input when he returns. Until then, I did find one link in particular that will certainly be of interest to you, http://www.breedersregistry.org/Articles/v4_i1_brown/gobies.htm. Googling "goby breeding" will yield quite a bit more general information for you. I do hope this helps, Scott V.>
<<Also check out this great book: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Illustrated-Breeders-Marine-Aquarium/dp/1890087718
-Sara M.>>

More Re breeding clowns and sleeper gobies 11/5/08, 11/13/08 <<RMF>>
Dear Bob and all the team,
Your site has been a great resource for me since we set up our first tank about 18 months ago.
I now really need your advice or suggestions.
We have a 40gal tank (red sea max) which has been up and running for 18 months.
We have a pair of breeding percula clowns, and a pair of yellow headed sleeper gobies (Valenciennea strigata) which we think have just started breeding.
(Also in the tank is a lawnmower blenny, mandarin, long nosed Hawkfish, and a pair of coral banded shrimp).
Our first experience was with the clowns, when we discovered eggs about two weeks ago, ready to hatch. We set up a small tank, and stayed up all night and collected the fry. We were unfortunately unable to keep any alive after 2 days. (Didn't have anything to feed them.)
<<Ahh, very common in the "history"/development of aquarists keeping such animals>>
We are unable to source any live rotifers, but have now acquired some frozen ones to try next rime around.
A week later, our clown laid another bunch of eggs, which are looking like they are ready to hatch in the next 24 hours.
<<Mmm, a few days more than this, depending on temp.>>
Also, 2 days ago, the sleeper gobies have set up camp under the live rock, with the entrances all covered with the substrate.
Last night, I looked into the tank for any hatched clowns, and found one had hatched.
I went to work trying to transfer it to the rearing tank (10g with airstone).
Then I noticed, appearing from nowhere, hundreds of tiny fish (about a quarter the size of the newly hatched clowns, ie 1-2mm in length) which were immediately attracted to the torch light.
I managed to transfer as many as possible into the rearing tank. (probably around 200-300), as well as two (only 2 hatched last night) of the clowns.
I am assuming that the new fish are the hatchlings fare sleeper gobies (although we are unable to see any eggs as they have burrowed under the live rock..)
I can't find any information about rearing them, and only have the one spare tank to try and keep them alive. I suspect the rest of the clowns will hatch tonight.
My questions are:
1. Do you think it will be OK to put the newly hatched clowns in with the newly hatched gobies. (They are about 4 to 5 times larger). Will they potentially eat them if we can get them to survive. We are going to try feeding with frozen rotifers (we cannot source live ones from anywhere here in Australia).
<<Yes to this trial. The two species can likely be reared together, starting near the same size>>
2. Is there anything else we can try to feed them with, or do you think the rotifers will suffice.
<<Mmm, do look into the older Frank Hoff, the more recent Matt Wittenrich petfish titles on marine fish culture... very worthwhile, pertinent chapters on food procurement, culture... There are some small crustaceans that can be put to use here as well as various Rotifers... but again, as you state, these need to be procured, ongoing with the reproduction of the fishes>>
3. Do you know the length of the breeding cycle with the gobies?
<<Mmm, only a few (2-3) days... use your search tool with the term: Valenciennea reproduction>>
4. Should I just try and follow the rearing methods described for the clowns.
<<Mmm, yes>>
5. Is it usual to have this many hatch at once.( i.e. hundreds)
<<Yes>>
6. Any other help or suggestions will be extremely useful.
Like I said, the new gobies (I think) have been a complete surprise, and we are completely unprepared (equipment and knowledge) to cope, but are willing to do all we can to try.
Thanks in advance,
Michael (from Melbourne, Australia)
<Michael, I am sorry. I do not know the answers to your above questions. Judging from the time this query has sat here, neither does the rest of the crew. With zero breeding experience I would not want to even speculate. As you likely know, Bob F. is out of net service until the 13th or so. I will be sure to share this for his input when he returns. Until then, I did find one link in particular that will certainly be of interest to you, http://www.breedersregistry.org/Articles/v4_i1_brown/gobies.htm. Googling "goby breeding" will yield quite a bit more general information
for you. I do hope this helps, Scott V.>
<<Do please report on your efforts here Michael. BobF>>

Re: breeding clowns and sleeper gobies 11/14/08
Thanks for the information Bob.
<Welcome Michael>
Just to keep you filled in, we put the clown and Valenciennea fry in together.
The clowns all died within 48 hours, and most of the Valenciennea have also died, however it is now day 15, and there are still some of the Valenciennea fry alive (about 10 in total). We have been feeding them only the frozen rotifers, and have just started putting in some (just hatched) baby brine shrimp.
<Should be about right-sized about now...>
I have already purchased Frank Hoff's book, but will get the other by Matt Wittenrich immediately. (It will take about 2-3 weeks to get down here to Australia).
<I see>
The Valenciennea (adults) have been doing a lot of rearranging in the last 24 hours, so I suspect they are preparing their burrow.
We also have another bunch of clowns which look like hatching in the next 48 to 72 hours.
<Ahh!>
We will keep trying to raise them, and will keep you informed of our progress. (Or lack of it, whatever the case may be.) We just don't have the time, or space to culture our own rotifers at the moment, so we will try and persist with the frozen ones.
Thanks,
Michael
<Not hard to culture... You might be able to procure starter cultures there from a near-enough close by university... Do look about... can be easily mailed. Bob Fenner>

Signs my clown fish is undergoing a sex change 11/10/08
Hello,
<Hello Jessy here>
I attempted to find answers re: the above by Googling, however, I wasn't able to easily find any info. If you would please let me know, or point me in the direction of the info elsewhere, I would greatly appreciate it.
<If you have two clowns the larger one will become the female. She will "charge" the male and the male is the one that lays down on its side and flips its body in submission. If you have one single clown in isolation for long enough it will become a female.>
Thank you in advance,
Steve Gonzalez
<Regards, Jessy>

Symptoms of an Ocellaris Clownfish changing genders 10/23/08
Hello WWM Crew,
<Hi>
I have tried searching for symptoms of a clownfish changing from male to female. I have a 30 gallon tank with this livestock: 1 Royal Gramma, 1 Linares Wrasse, 1 Large Ocellaris Clownfish, 2 Turbo Snails. Water Conditions are all normal. I recently added a smaller Ocellaris Clownfish into the tank. I kept the new fish separated from all of the fish in a small breeder net cage.
<Did you QT this fish first?>
After about a week I let him join the rest of the fish, at first the larger Clown would back up into the smaller one and shake its tail into it. They had seemed to be getting along together. Today, I woke up and saw the two swimming together just fine. When I came home from work, the larger one was swimming alone, breathing somewhat rapidly (not interested in food).
<A bad sign when a clown does not want food.>
It also seemed to have a large what looks like poop hanging from it (brownish in color).
<Something amiss here, see here for more http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm, may just be stress from the new addition but could signal a disease as well. Watch this fish closely.>
The smaller Clown seems to be swimming fine and eating normally. Could the larger Clown be turning into a female?
<Probably already is.>
If so are these normal symptoms?
<No, there are not really any symptoms to this, except accelerated growth.>
<Chris>

RE: Symptoms of an Ocellaris Clownfish changing genders, Clown Behavior 10/27/08
Thank you Chris for your response.
<Welcome>
I have been monitoring my Clown for the
past week and it is eating like crazy again but it is still having labored
breathing and it is it seems like it is being a little anti-social.
<Good that he is eating again, have you checked your water parameters? Fortunately it is probably not Brooklynellosis, as the fish would most likely already be dead. May be nothing too, clowns tend to behave a little strangely sometimes.>
When I approach the tank to feed it all of a sudden comes to life and is swimming
normally. Water is fine and everyone else in the tank is still doing great.
I am confused.
<For the moment I would probably continue down the path you are on unless other symptoms occur that may point us to a more specific issue.>
<Chris>

Clownfish Eggs - 6/30/08 I have a relatively full community tank and for the last year, my pair of "starter" <Starter?> clown fish have kept a clean spot on the bottom of the tank - they brushed away all of the gravel. I have no live rocks, anemones, etc. Still, they decided to breed and now I have about 100 eggs which are constantly fanned and guarded. <Not uncommon> I really enjoy the fish, but I just don't have the appropriate commitment to be a fish dad. I don't see a second tank in my future much less raising food! <Understood> If I collect the fry when they hatch and put them in a floating baby container - do I have any chance of raising any? I have read about all of the system and processes to raise these guys, but is there a super simply way that I may luck out and get a couple to survive? <Not really. These fish are pelagic plankton at hatching, not fry as we traditionally think of them. There is always a chance that one will somehow outlast predation, filters, and disease, but there is no way to rear these that I know of short of a rearing tank. Never to fear, though, these plankton will be a nutritious snack for fish, corals, etc- barbaric as that may seem, such is life.> Doug <Benjamin> Re: Clownfish Eggs - 6/30/08 Benjamin <Doug> Thanks. "Starter" was the term I meant to convey the original fish to get the tank acclimated for others. <As I suspected. Check re: fishless cycling on Wetwebmedia.com...FYI, for future use...more humane cycling techniques.> Doug <Thanks for the dialog. Benjamin> Re: Clownfish Eggs - 6/30/08 I guess the nice part is that all of my starter fish survived . . . . until I introduced a lionfish. <On the record: A slap on the wrist! Inappropriate stocking! Off the record: You've perhaps found the only way to get rid of those pesky damsels...sneaky buggers! I jest...continued luck, Benjamin>

Percula clowns mating habits? 06/15/08 Hello! <Hello, Brenda here! > I have had these Perculas for almost a year now, bought them both at the same time, and they were the same size. 1/2-3/4 of an inch long. They have grown since, and one is 1-3/4, and the other is a little over an inch. <The larger one is the female. > I have attached a picture of the Sebae that they reside in, and yesterday I noticed that the female was picking at the live rock, with the male "gliding" along behind the female. I don't think she laid any eggs, but is this kind of action mean anything? <Cleaning of a surface, yes. However, this is not a guarantee that this is what is happening. Your clownfish seem a bit young to be breeding, however, there have been clownfish of this age that have reproduced before. If they lay eggs, you will see the male constantly fanning the eggs. More information found here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshbrdfaqs.htm > Also, I have a Flame angel and yellow tail damsel in the tank with them. Are these two keeps keeping them from doing the deed? Lol <Nope! > Thanks once again guys, it is VERY appreciated! <You’re welcome! Brenda> Re: Percula clowns mating habits?- Clownfish Mating Behavior – 6/15/08 Thanks for the quick reply! I failed to mention that the two clowns, the flame angel, and the damsel are in a 54 gallon. Is this too small for the clowns to feel comfortable enough with the other two fish? <This is plenty of room for them to be comfortable. However, do keep an eye on the angel. They can be a bit aggressive, and not always reef safe. If it starts to bother the anemone, please separate them. > Thanks! <You’re welcome! Brenda >

Clownfish Breeding 4-29-08
I have a question about breeding clown fish. I recently bought what I thought were two tomato clown fish. I believe that one of my clown fish is a cinnamon clown fish rather than a tomato. I was just wondering if it is possible for a tomato and a cinnamon clown fish to breed together.
<Yes it is possible. The Tomato Clownfish and Cinnamon Clownfish are both in the same complex, (Tomato Complex), and the Tomato Clownfish is usually very open when accepting mates. I’d say there is a good chance for babies in the future. –Yunachin>

Percula clownfish eggs about to hatch   4/27/08 My thriving 125g (40g sump) setup had to be rebuilt last year when the plumbing started leaking. Now, in a less populated tank my Perculas have spawned and the male is guarding a clutch of eggs (which appear viable - good color and the male is on the job) right between their recently cloned anemones. I still have two refugium tanks set up from last year's disaster. I could easily adapt one to fry (if I can collect some). <Can be done... may actually BE done automatically... with some being "washed over" into t/here> I could take out the pump in a 24 AquaPod and put a couple of sponge filter in the back "sump" area and get a gentle flow. <Yes> I have three fish (two clowns and a six-line wrasse) in the main system along with a couple of Sarcophytons and a some Zoanthids. Maybe 20 snails. 78 degrees, 1.025, ph stays at 8.1-8.3 using home-made two part additive. <Neat! Do send on your formulation if you would for sharing> One concern is that this small tank has a fine sand bed that is well populated with amphipods and small worms. I think the amphipods might eat the fry. <If they can catch them... usually not. The Amphipods mainly feed/stay on the bottom, the fish, mid-water> On the other hand, I understand the fry would hang in the water column while the amphipods stay on the bottom or the glass. Perhaps they would rarely meet. <Ah yes> Another concern is the transfer. I don't see any way to move the eggs. They are in a cranny between the two anemones on a large piece of live rock. So I plan to try to catch them as they hatch in some clear plastic vessel to avoid any turbulence. <Okay... Commercial breeders mostly use removable substrate in basically very plain, undecorated systems... some folks "scrape" the near-released eggs/young to move... others just move the very small fry once free-swimming> I have contacted a supplier of rotifers etc. and hope to put together an order to feed fry for a week or so - no time, I think, to set up my own cultures. <Do start this post-haste> Finally, is there any chance that any fry that I cannot transfer could survive in the main tank? <Yes... given space, luck...> Any advice will be greatly appreciated <You have read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshalloparart.htm and the linked files above? Bob Fenner> Re: percula clownfish eggs about to hatch... and DIY suppler of 2 part SW supplement for Ca and Alk   4/29/08 Hi, and thanks for the help on my serendipitous clownfish spawn (hoping the hatch is not before Friday). You asked about my "home-made" two-part additive. Actually it is just the basic kit from www.bulkreefsupply.com. For about $50 I have a lifetime supply of calcium supplement plus alkalinity plus magnesium occasionally. Highly recommended. Thanks again, Malcolm Young <Thank you for sending this along. BobF> Follow-up from percula clownfish breeding query  6/18/08 Hi and thanks as always. I wrote on April 28 re my spawning Perculas. That spawn did not work - my experiment with a modified AquaPod may have been the problem, more likely dying rotifers. But two week later they spawned again and I collected about sixty larvae which went into a round tub (20 gallons), a la Janice Wilkerson. <A worthy reference> One mistake I made was to include a sponge filter instead of just an airstone - result was several dead larvae in the fine sponge fibers the next morning. Thirty (or so) have now survived on rotifers and then nauplii for 16 days - no fatalities since the first day. I'm doing daily 10% water changes replaced with main tank water. They seem fat and happy. <Good> My concern is that they have not metamorphosed yet. All I can think of is that the temp may be too cool (~77). Should I worry? <Mmm, no... but what exactly do you mean by "metamorphosed"? These fish should be free-swimming...> Or are they just a bit retarded? Should I order a HUFA supplement? <Is worthwhile. Such molecules can be found in popular appetite enhancers...> Some of the larvae are still thin and so I still add rotifers from time to time. <Mmm... I'd be hatching Artemia...> I've also adding a tiny pinch of dry food in the mornings the last few days, but they ignore it. By the way, this has been better than any semester of biology. <Ah yes!> Couldn't we pool our resources, design a standard methodology, and donate successfully reared fish to schools in the hope that kids could succeed (with science teacher help) and pass their success on to other schools? <Go ahead... whom would you partner with? How would you go about approaching the target audience?> The equipment needed is cheap. If it were done with all tank raised stock, there would be environmental lessons as well. Just a thought. Thanks again Malcolm Young <A good one Malcolm. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Raising Clownfish 4/25/08
Thanks for taking the time to help with my question. Well after about 3 years a pair of false Percula in my 30g decided it was time to start a family. I have about 6 days left before they hatch to get all of the items/larval tank in place to raise them. Obviously, this was an unplanned event so I don't have the appropriate cultures going. I have found a few options to obtain live rotifers that the manufacturers claim will survive 1-3 weeks under refrigeration and wanted to find out if there is any experience with this approach in terms rotifer survival and manufacturers claims.
<Kind of late now but I recommend reading the Plankton Culture Manual from Florida Aqua Farms. Its tells all you need to know and more about raising Nanochloropsis oculata, green water, and Brachionus sp., rotifers. They also can provide live cultures.>
I don't plan to set-up cultures and get into raising clownfish on a regular basis, but this will be a fun and educational experience for my family and me.
<When the eyes become silver, hatching will be very soon, usually the next day. Is something to keep in mind. Once hatched, it will be time to move them to your rearing tank. After lights are out is a good time to do this. The fry are attracted to light, so shining a flashlight into a small area will cause them to gather where they can be taken out with a baster and moved to the rearing tank. Is best not to use any sand or live rock as there is a good chance a bacterial bloom could develop. A bare bottom tank works fine and will be easier to clean. You will need to feed the rotifers for at least two to three weeks then gradually wean them to a good (nutritious) brand of dry food such as New Spectrum. The first ten days are when the bulk of the losses will occur. Any fry surviving after that stage will have a good chance in becoming adults.>
Thanks again and have a great weekend.
<I will be in the yard working this weekend, but, my worst day at home is much better than my best day at work. Good luck with the fry. James (Salty Dog)>

Replacing part of a mated clown fish pair   2/27/08 I have, or should say *had*, a pair of mated false percula clowns (I'm * pretty* sure they are *A. ocellaris *not *percula*). However, this morning the female (Ginger) had passed away. <Sorry to Hear, Mike I with you by the way> The male (Fred) is still living and looks healthy*. I am pretty sure that she died of old age. About a month ago, I noticed that the female was starting to "look old": behaving a little more sluggishly, more bony with a slightly arched spine, and coloration a little washed out. She ate normally until the end. I have had this pair for about 5 years and although I've searched for info on clown fish age haven't been able to find a definitive answer as to whether this is old for a captive clown fish. <Records suggest that for this species, 25 to 30 years would be classed as old. Although if the fish was wild caught, there would be little way to tell it's age when you received the fish 5 years ago> They've been really easy to care for and were the dominant fish in the tank. They've survived two major tank relocations, bonded with a soft Zoanthid coral, mated and laid eggs a few times. <Yes, they are quite amazing fish!> My questions are threefold: 1) Can I introduce a replacement clown to act as a new mate? I've read about aggression from the established resident clown towards any new introductions. <You absolutely can. They may be some initial aggression, but if handled properly, will be nothing to worry about> 2) Will the male accept a new mate or could he possibly become the new female? Is he too old? <Yes, if you introduce a small animal (inch or so); Yes, he will become the new female this way (in as little as 30 days if no dominant animal curtails the sex change); impossible to say how old he is in the first place so difficult to answer. This should not worry you> 3) If I do not buy a second clown, will the remaining clown survive without his partner? At the risk of anthropomorphizing, he seems sad and mopey, clinging tightly to his Zoanthid.* <Yes, he will. Will become female soon after however. Don't confuse this behaviour though by as you say, anthropomorphizing; keep an eye out as it could be illness (especially as you have lost your female). I don't say this to scare or worry, but to ensure vigilance over the next few days/weeks> Tank Specs: 40 gallon breeder 30 lbs live rock 2-3 inch live sand bed 2 Tunze Nanostream 4025 Corallife Actinic/Compact Fluorescent CPR backpack protein skimmer 1 scooter dragonet (*Synchiropus ocellatus*) 1 bi-color blenny (*Ecsenius bicolor*)* *1 three striped damsel (*Dascyllus aruanus*) (Yes, I know they're aggressive, but the female clown kept this fish in check... hence part of my worries) 1 Firefish (*Nemateleotris magnifica*) 1 male false percula (A. percula) 5 large colonies of soft corals (*Anthelia, Zoanthus, **Actinodiscus)* lots of micro and macro inverts on rock and sand Thank you in advance Thomas Rhindress <Hopefully enough to get you thinking, Thomas, but do read our indices on clownfish here at WWM. Mike I> Re: Replacing part of a mated clown fish pair 4/13/08 This is a follow up to an earlier query about what to do about a dead clownfish. <Ok, Mike I here with you> I replaced the female clown with a similar sized false percula. Almost immediately the surviving male started showing the same symptoms as the dead female. <Sorry to hear> Both seemed to waste away, bodies becoming more and more bony. Their scales seemed a little duller in color and slightly sloughed off. There may have been some white faeces. I say that because I can't ever recall seeing either of my clowns defecate in 5 years of ownership, but definitely remember seeing it happen during the last few weeks of their life. All ate normally until the end. The two original clowns had trouble swimming and spent time hanging in the tank corners (very atypical) What I had attributed to old age was obviously not. Within two weeks of the dominant female passing away, the male had also died. The replacement clown also died of the exact same symptoms within two weeks of purchase (probably wild caught (sorry)). My question is what may have killed these three clowns in such rapid succession? <The symptoms there could suggest a few things, Brooklynellosis, some sort of internal parasite> I still have a three-striped damsel, bi-color blenny, Firefish, and a scooter blenny. All appear healthy and active. No new fish or livestock had been introduced to the tank in over 6 months. The only visible change is recently I have had an increase in both Aiptasia anemones and of a tiny white Seastar (0.5-1 cm across). <Hmmmm> Also, how do I know when it is safe to add new replacement clowns to the system? How can a species specific disease enter a system? At a loss... Thanks, Tom Rhindress <Tom, I'm sorry to hear of your losses. To me, the white faeces shouts internal parasite, the scales sloughing suggest other things (external parasites or possibly Brook). The *apparent* non-affliction of your other fish brings the situation into another playing fields too. To be safe, you may want to transfer your fish into a QT treat and possibly make some preventative treatment, leaving your display tank fallow for some time. I'm copying this back to the crew, as I know there are others on the team better qualified to answer questions on fish disease than I, and hope they can suggest some other avenues for you. Mike I>

The tables have turned - or - can Love find a way? Clownfish... comp.   3-11-08 Hi gang! <Thomas! Mike I here with you> Clown question. I've had my 72 gallon reef tank now for just over 2 year. All parameters are good (except nitrates are always a challenge) and everyone seems happy. Until today. <With you so far> I have a mated pair of clarkii clowns with a hosted anemone (although in the last 6 months they have all but abandoned the anemone and now sleep behind some of the rock.) Anyhow, this is what has happened. My male has grown exponentially in the last 2 weeks and is now HUGE. The female (who had grown very dark over the last year) is now smaller, and as of today was being chased aggressively and is hiding by a pump. He was always smaller than her, but about 6 months ago they became basically the same size. He is now the size you see adult clowns in stores and still the same bright bright orange. She now smaller than he, but still a dark black and orange. <OK> I finally caught her and put her in a floating tank - in the tank. Has he now become a she? Is this pair now doomed? <It seems that way> So what do you suggest I do with my clowns. Is it over for my clarkii clown pair? Or is this some sort of mating game? He is so huge. She, so not her aggressive self. Thanks! Thomas <Thomas, thanks for your questions. It does seem that from the situation you describe, your male has changed/is changing sex. This occurrence does seem to be quite prevalent in Amphiprion clarkii. However, what you don't say is how old/big these guys are. If they have been with you since young (read, and inch or so), then it may just be the pair finally sorting out dominance and the beginning of pair bonding. If we're talking 3 inches or so (don't take that literally; only giving an example), and the male is bigger, then I think ultimately you may have to split the pair. Do let me know who old/big these guys are, and I can try and give some more tailored advice. Good luck, and hope that helps. Mike I PS: I merged both your mail into this single reply> Re: The tables have turned - or - can Love find a way?  3-11-08 Wow! Fast! <Aim to please, Thomas> Yeah, I had 3 and these two paired up - and the other one I gave away. I've had them paired now for 2 years. She was dominant, and he submissive. She lunged, he twitched. All was good. Lived in the anemone. <Sweet!> Now today, he is attacking her and he is about 3 inches. She is 2.5 and much darker now over the last year. They've been very happy for the last 12-18 months. Then this. I think he is becoming a female. Thanks! Thomas Simpson <Very possible, Thomas; more so given the time they have already spent together. Suggest you keep a close eye on these two, and if the aggressive behaviour last more than a week or so without any reprieve, or there is physical damage, you will likely have to split them apart. Hope that helps. Mike I>

Clown fish fighting (stress related?)... reading  3/7/08 Hello all @ WetWebMedia, <Hi, Mike I here today> I have a situation and I need helpful advice that I cannot find. I work at a respectable reef only fish store (by respectable I mean we actually dip all new fish in Methylene blue and formalin and quarantine sick fish and will not sell anything that does not look 100% healthy to customers, or to customers that don't have the proper system to house the fish, coral etc.) I have a considerable amount of knowledge about these ecosystems. Unfortunately one cannot know it all and my weakness is clown fish. Long story short I saw an amazing pair of clown fish at our store, see pics. I have had them in my 90g mix reef system (running for 1 year 3 months) for ~3 weeks. They have been eating well and following each other around with no problems. About a week and a half ago the more "naked" looking clown which is also smaller developed the "black stress marks" on both its sides. Now I supposedly received two males (from quality marine) but all of a sudden ~ 4 days ago I noticed the clowns vibrating next to each other, which I have heard is usually a sign of dominance over one another. Today I got home and saw the same one (smaller more naked one) laying right side up on the sand hiding under a rock (very unusual for my most active fish). I examined him closely and saw his other fin was damaged. So I sat and watched for 15 more minutes thinking my blue tang was bullying him. But it was the other clown who soon came over to the injured one and violently started attacking and chasing the injured one all across the tank until it found another spot. In short what do I do??? I put the aggressive one in the fish trap in "jail" for the time being. Will this pass? Could they both have turned female? Should I get rid of one and go solo with the clown fish? Thanks a million for your advice I have learned a lot from your site and hopefully I am not one of those pains in your asses who didn't "read enough" if so oh well, the help is appreciated. Mark Iltis <Mark, there is so much information on WWM on clownfish pairing, I must ask you search the indices for the general information. What I will say is that clownfish pairing should never result in physical aggression, and if this is the case, you need to think about separation. I'm not sure about your term, black stress marks either. Maybe have a look through the fish disease pages too. Sorry for the bland reply! Mike I> Re: Clown fish fighting (stress related?) 3/7/08 well the black marks I speak of are from your website, bob Fenner actually is the one whom I got the notion from saying black markings which are obviously not pathological are stress related. as far as clown pairing I have not found anything relating to my case so could you answer my question more thoroughly or just admit that you are as baffled as myself??? <Mark, Thanks for the smut of attitude in your reply. I'm not baffled, having paired too many clowns to speak of. There are literally pages of posts relating clownfish pairing issues, and your situation is no different from my reading of it? My advice - remove the clownfish that's getting beat up - clownfish pairing should never result in physical injury. Get a much smaller animal and try again or keep a single animal. Having seen the pictures you sent, I would lean toward the darkening being increased pigmentation as is quite normal in young/maturing clowns of this species (Amphiprion ocellaris). I'm aware of the post that Bob made on stress markings, and these don't tie in. All the best, and good luck with your plans. Mike I>

Am on the road with friend, fellow industry conspirator Morgan Lidster (of Inland Aquatics)... having given a pitch at SEASL... touring some great shops... and he mentioned a very interesting speculation re "dark, darkening backed" "Percularis"... crosses twixt Amphiprion percula and A. ocellaris... this does look like it might be one of these... Bob Fenner

Clarkii clowns now fighting 2/27/08
Hi there,
<Hi, Simon. You've got Mike I here today>
I have been referring to your website for the past few years, when ever i have had a problem or not sure about anything, and i have to say it is the best i have found.
<Happy to hear and thanks for the feedback!>
Now my question as i can't seem to find an answer.
<Shoot>
I have a pair of clarkii clowns who were purchased together as a pair and have been fine together for over a year ( there in a 60gallon reef tank with a flame angel , Bicolour angel , scooter fish , Sailfin tang and dark blue in colour wrasse ),but, now all of a sudden they are battling each other very badly.
<OK>
They both seem to be as big as each other now as well, were as when i purchased them you could tell the difference in size, and easily spot the male from the female, but they seem to have grown to the same size over the time i have had them and now constantly battle violently on and off, is this normal?
<Not unheard of - see below>
as i know from reading your site clowns have a dominant female and a submissive male, so could mine be maybe sorting this out again? or will one end up killing the other?. Thank you for your time in reading my question. Regards Simon
<You don't say if for any reason there has been a separation of the pair. If this is the case, then the bond may have broke and sex change has begun in the male. Even so, if there has been no separation and the fighting is as you say "violent", then again, you could have 2 females. The increase in size would seem to suggest so. This isn't unheard of, and seems to be prevalent in Clarkiis too. For no apparent reason, the male develops into a female. I'd suggest that if hasn't settled in a 2 weeks, you may have your answer above. In any case, if there is real aggression (physical damage) you need to separate the clowns - this is never part of bonding (and if you do have warring females is unlikely to cease after the time frame above). Hope that helps, and good luck. Mike I>

Does this sound right
We have a flirting and I think mating pair of common clowns, as well as a Clarke, and a maroon.    2/17/08
<Not advisable to mix so radically but nonetheless>
Well all 4 have been doing the mating dance.
<The things fish get up to eh!>
2 nights ago we noticed in 2 areas of our 30 gal tank one is a jelly like substance under a live rock, the other that I am really asking about is attached to a piece of fake green plastic like tall plant, into this is an area approx. 2 and a half inches long, it appears encapsulated with what appears to be thread like casing. almost what would appear to be like a spider egg sack on the wall) We can see dark specs and I thought I could see some of them move. It is in a moving flow area. Well the 2 commons seem to be protecting this area from the Clarke but nothing else. Black Back butterfly, blue leg hermits, snails, 2 different anemones, Coral beauty angel, Brittle star, Mushroom coral and live rock, and feather dusters inhabit the tank. Is this a clown egg sack or is it something else we need to get out?
Thank you for your time, Darlene.
<Well, Darlene, it doesn't really sound like clownfish eggs. They are laid individually, and can be clearly recognised as egg capsules. Have a look at the picture at the top here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshbrdfaqs.htm and do a search using one of the search engines. I guess a picture would help immeasurably here. Sorry I can't be of more use. Mike I>

Re: Micro-bubbles/gas-bubble disease, ScottV, your input as well please re Pump sel., pb      2/17/08 Hello Bob, Thanks for your time, it's much appreciated. I have turned this system off for the moment and just added a few hang-ons filters/skimmers to the occupied tanks to keep them running and added smaller pumps to keep the systems filters alive. I know it wasn't an great idea to put fish in before I had all the kinks worked out but as some of my original tanks were originally in the area where the new system is now located I had to play 'musical tanks', setting the system up around the old tanks etc, moving broodstock into the new systems tanks while I plumbed and completed the system around it. So far only one fish (of course a wild-caught spawning black ocellaris female :() is still 'sulking' from this bubble problem, I'm hoping she improves, any advise on this front? <Really, only time going by... unfortunately. Stable, optimized conditions... hope> To be honest picking a pump for this system was the hardest thing I have had to do in that set-up. It's not something I have had personal experience with and was not something I had any luck researching in the usual places. The Onga pump I did purchase is one recommended by one of the biggest aquaculture companies in Aus and seemed comparable to a pump used in a similar system in a LFS I frequent. <Mmm... much to state here. Perhaps the gist of what I'd like to made known is posted here: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdpumps.htm and the Related FAQs link re above> I am having a hard time understanding the difference between some of the flow rates of these large pumps, one persons 30,000 lph at 2m head height seems very different to someone else's, is the best way to compare them purely by the power consumption of a particular style of pump? <Mmm, no my friend... Am wondering where we should start in this discussion. "Power curves" are available for most all pumps... But generally just knowing the approximate volume of flow at a given/stated total dynamic head suffices... My concerns are that you get good value in terms of what pressure you really need (likely little, and are paying a premium for much higher pressure) along with the usual need for chemical inactivity, long-life/service... The higher pressure coefficient too often figures into induced air-entraining issues (e.g. microbubbles) as well... Do read the above citation... and we'll chat further> Would something like a ReeFlo Hammerhead pump of 335w rated at 22,040 lph at 0 head height be more what I am looking for, that brand is the only one I found reasonable info on but I thought they size was too small. <Mmm, for what application/s?> The system is set-up on two levels with the top level being around 7ft off the ground and the bottom about 3ft. I am using 40mm pipe for the incoming lines and 25mm-50mm for the of the outgoing. Other pumps available to me are the Lifeguard Seahorse's, RK2's, <Ahhh! These I am very familiar with... re-packaged Baldor's... from some friends/associates from many years back... I do strongly encourage your looking into this line. VERY reliable, quiet, energy-efficient (this last is extremely important)> and LINK's, none of which I was able to find much info on, if any. I had hope to put a reasonable amount of flow through this system, I plumbed it to take it <Mmm, actually, some of the returns/drains, at 25mm, are not all that large> but even in a system like this is it better to follow the general rule of reef tanks and have the majority of the flow in the tank coming from internal pumps and the like? <Mmm, no... definitely not. Commercial concerns almost never rely on these secondary systems> Thanks again for the help, I was so tempted to ask a few of these questions while I was doing this but they seemed like things I should have known. <An excellent idea to check ones assumptions/understandings with others of similar background, interest... who can/will help. I do hope our Scott Vallembois will chime in here, as he and Eric Russell are most up to date in terms of these issues> On another note, I'm not sure if you remember but a while ago I sent some pics of my Mccullochi Clownfish to include in the clownfish section, <Ah, yes> I think you replied at the time. Since then I have had some small success and raised some offspring, if pictures of the first tank-bred Mccullochi's are of any interest I would be happy to send a few over. <Thank you for this kind offer. Unfortunately, due to so much travel, I only keep freshwater nowadays> I could also replace the original pic with a nicer one with a nice anemone backdrop:), I sent a couple of examples, maybe not the best ID shots but a couple of my personal favourites. Kind Regards, Ryan Dwyer. <Am going to run this as our pic of the day. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Clownfish eggs   10/23/07
Hello,
<Hi there>
I have two clownfish that I have had for two years and I noticed yesterday that they had laid eggs. About half of the eggs have developed silvery eyes as of yesterday... So I am assuming that they will hatch tonight or tomorrow.
<Likely so>
I have set up another tank for them but am not sure whether I should place an airstone in it or not.
<Mmm... you intend to move the young/fry then... will need aeration, circulation. Better to move the parents... if you intend to do this commercially... from a dedicated tank/system>
Also, I understand that they hatch 1-2 hours after dark and that you can shine a flashlight to attract them in order to scoop them up and that you should turn off the filter as soon as you observe them hatching. Saying this, can you leave a flashlight on over the tank so you can see if they are hatching or not?
<Yes>
Or do they have to be in complete darkness? If they have to be in complete darkness does this mean you have to shine a flashlight in the tank every 5 minutes for two hours to see if they are hatching? I am concerned they will hatch and I won't be able to see and that they will get sucked into the filter.
Thanks,
Emma
<Actually... no real need, desire for such "up to the minute" viewing, moving. Better to allow the first few batches by your Clowns to develop in situ... Yes, even be consumed... to "harden" the broodstock... rather than possibly traumatize them... to try removing more/all the young a few batches hence. I strongly encourage you to read Joyce Wilkerson's book on Clownfish... possibly some of the accounts on the Breeder's Registry... You have plans in operation for rearing foodstuff for the young? Bob Fenner>

Percula Sizes - 10/5/07
Hello,
<Hi Clint>
Just a quick question, I thought you might be able to shed some light on. <Hope so!> I have a 55 gallon tank which has housed 2 Percula clowns for about 5 months. They were small when I got them but have grown nicely. <Great> I was under the understanding that once they decide which between them was going to be the female, there would be a difference in size. <Typically, yes.> The thing is, I think this has been decided now as one was picking on the other and now they seem a proper pair. <Sounds good. You’ll notice the male occasionally showing his submission by tipping over somewhat, and quivering when the female approaches.> Yet there is no difference in size. <Not yet, anyway.> Is it possible that there may never be a difference in size? <Will most likely develop over time.> They are both well fed, about 10 different frozen foods, and 5 different types of pellet. <Awesome!> They have no competition for food and have a good amount of tank space to swim around in. < = Happy clowns!> Do you think this might be why there is no difference in the size of male and female? <Could be part of it, yes. Another possibility is that the decision for who’s who occurred fairly recently. I do think that the size difference will become more pronounced over time.> I know Clarkii Clowns can stay the same size...I'm not concerned about this, but just wondered if you'd come across it much.
<I personally haven’t come across it, or read of it, but anything’s possible. Take care and have a great weekend! -Lynn>
Clint Hamilton

Clownfish Laying Eggs!   8/8/07
Dear Mr. Fenner
<Peter>
I never thought my 2 False-Percula clowns would ever mate! I was actually watching them lay/fertilize the eggs at the base of my Bubble Tip Anemone. I've noticed the change in behavior of the clownfish (more alert, aggressive). They seem to pick at they're eggs, are they picking off the dead eggs?
<Mmm, possibly... this along with general maintenance...>
Is there any chance I might be able to catch any of the baby clowns?
<Catch?>
How often will they lay eggs starting from this point on? If I do manage to get a couple babies in a small tank...could I hatch baby brine shrimp as a source of food? Thanks so much Crew, you guys are truly amazing.
Peter
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshbrdfaqs.htm
and the linked FAQs files above in this series. Bob Fenner>

Clownfish Breeding 7/12/07
I've been trying to get my two clownfish to breed recently and to my excitement, they laid eggs last night. And then they ate them. I was just wondering if this is normal, and if it isn't, what should I do?
<Mmm, not normal for them to eat the eggs, generally guard them.
<<Actually... not unusual for "new parents" to consume the first few batches... but this behavior should cease... if not, time to try other broodstock. RMF>>
Not much you can do with nature. Wait until they spawn again and see what happens. Clownfish aren't that difficult to breed, problem lies in providing food for the fry.
Feeding the fry requires raising Nanochloropsis oculata, green water, and Brachionus sp. rotifers. If you are really interested in
doing this, I recommend reading the Plankton Culture Manual from Florida Aqua Farms. It tells you all you need to know
about raising these. They can also provide live cultures and starter kits. Here is a link to their site.
https://3kserver7.com/~frank/secure/agora.cgi>
Thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
John

Clown Fish Hatchlings 7/6/07
Hi
<Afternoon to you, both?!>
My boyfriend and I are interested in breeding Clown Fish. We would just like to know what percentage of the fry is expected to turn into hatchlings. How many little Clown Fish could we expect to see swimming around?
<A very worthwhile and interesting venture. The percentage will largely be based upon the settings you intend to use. Are you planning on having a separate breeding tank and rearing tank with constant live food supplies etc, or are you trying to use your display tank? I would take a look over “Clownfishes: A Guide to Their Captive Care, Breeding and Natural History by Joyce Wilkerson” a very good and appropriate read>
Thanks for your help
Jacqui & Greig
<Hope to have helped, Olly>

Re: Clown Fish Hatchlings  7/7/07
Hi Olly
<J + G>
Thanks for your advice. We would definitely have a separate breeding tank to give our Clowns the best chance of success! I am guessing this will give us a better outcome.
<Sure will help>
I just have this image in my head of hundreds of little Nemo’s swimming around! Is this an exaggeration or could we expect to see those sorts of numbers?
<You can definitely expect these figures. Again the number differs greatly on the clownfish you are breeding, their age amongst other factors. The first few broods may not yield “hundreds” but as the parenting techniques and inhibitions of both you and the fish improve the success rate should climb. I would definitely urge you to purchase the book I recommended as it will help immensely and I feel will be appropriate to your situation and ambitions>
Jacqui & Greig
<Good luck with all, Olly>

Clown Breeding 6/28/07
Hello again
<Hi>
Thanks for all the info!!
<Sure>
Just 1 more question for you. I would like to start breeding clowns. I would like to have a 5 to 10 tank system with a centralized filter. Once I get the parent clowns quarantined (probably about 5 different kinds of parent clowns) and into the breeding system once I know they are alright, can the breeding system get infected with disease from any of the parents, larva or baby clowns? <From the parents if they are carrying something, otherwise no pathogens are present.> The parent clowns will be in different tanks in the system and the babies will be in different tanks in the system, babies depending on there size and aggression.
<Ok>
Can fish after being totally fine and healthy get sick, say like a human getting a cold? And then can they pass it on to another fish, say like a human can the flu? <Sure, but only if the pathogen is present in system, otherwise there is nothing to make them sick, outside genetic and aggression issues.>
Thanks again for all the info!!! Todd
<Welcome>
<Chris>

Another Question about Mixing Clowns   6/5/07
Hi everyone,
<Jason>
I've been reading through the other posts and haven't seen an answer that matches my current circumstance, so here goes:
I'm getting ready to stock a 24g AquaPod that's been up and running for a while with only 25lbs live rock, 20lbs live sand and a small clean up crew. The water parameters are steady and I'm doing weekly 10% water changes. I'm starting to think about fish, and only plan to add three total. I would like to have two clowns, but of different varieties (I know a lot of people frown on this). I'm not necessarily interested in having a mated pair, just two that will get along.
<Even if different species... may well develop into a pair... Met a young fellow this past weekend who had bred/crossed Premnas with Amphiprions...>
My LFS has a tank of small Black Saddleback Clowns mixed with Orange Perculas (although they look more like Ocellaris to me.) If they came out of the same tank and were introduced to my tank the same time should they be OK? Is it possible for them to get along without forming a pair?
<Is possible>
Would they form a pair?
<This also>
If I do it, should they be about the same size or would it be better for one of them to be slightly larger? Does it matter which one?
<Good questions... best to have both be small to start with... they will sort out whatever it is they are going to do. BobF>
Thanks in advance,
Jason

Amphiprion Ocellaris Horizontal Boogie  - 05/26/07
Hey all,
   <Andrew>
  Fantastic site, love your work. I'm an avid reader of the FAQ's and find it a wonderful source of info.
  I have a question relating to my favourite little orange fishies, the Amphiprion ocellaris. I've had two of these little guys for a little over two years now, and they paired off long ago and really took to a piece of green Catalaphyllia i have in my 75gal reef, I guess it was the next best thing in the absence of any sort of anemone.
<Happens>   
  Over the last few weeks, they have really gotten their groove on, and produced clutch after clutch of eggs, though I'm yet to see the fry. I know they are hatching during the evening, and assume they are being consumed by the tank inhabitants or just swept up into the filter......poor little troopers.
<Again... does occur>   
  Sorry bout the long winded lead up, but here's the question:- Will they continue Spawning at this frequency forever (new eggs within 2 days of previous clutch hatching), or will they take a break?
<This latter, assuredly>
The tank conditions remain constant, and worry that the lack of seasonal change in the tank will lead to their ultimate demise through exhaustion!! Jees we all enjoy a good spawning,
<External fertilization? Am saying no more>
but understand that less is often more!! will these little guys know when to stop for a breather?   
  Thanks in advance.
  Andrew
<They and their world will change. Bob Fenner>

Clown fish - pairing, ID   5/17/07
Hi there:
<Neil>
Well after several days trawling through all your informative advice I have been unable to find an answer to my question, probably due to my now tired eyes!!
<I hear, read you>
I have recently set up a new marine tank and have finally purchase my first 2 fish, clown fish.
It is only when getting them both home that I think I may have one true and one false clown fish. They have identical markings except that one has much thicker black lines on the edges of all its fins, whereas the other one has very thin black lines around the fins.
<Mmm...>
Not that I am in the position to, nor will I be for several months to begin breeding, I was wondering if the true and false clown are capable of breeding together??
<Can in some instances, but... you likely have two A. perculas... they do have variable dark markings... which A. ocellaris lacks entirely>
Thanking you in advance.
Neil Rennie
<Welcome! Bob Fenner>

Missing Clownfish Hatch – 05/16/07
Hi guys,
<Hello Rick and Taylor!  Brenda here tonight!>  
I have a problem.
<Hopefully I have a solution.>
I have a 120 reef, sump & dark refugium = 200 gallons.
<Dark refugium?  Do you mean a sump?>
I have two pair of mated clowns 1 set maroon yellow stripe, 2 nd set true perculas.  The perculas have mated and laid eggs. We waited patiently for the larvae to hatch.  They got shinny, eyes showing.  On the fateful last night they hatched.  Lights out is 12 midnight. Woke up 4:00 AM all the eggs were hatched.  Shinned the light to gather and remove babies.  No response. My daughter and I kept searching, but we can’t find Nemo.
Question: Where did they go?
<Eggs start to hatch when lights have been off for approximately two hours.>
What do they look like when they swim to you?
<They swim towards the light.  They are super tiny, hard to see, and almost transparent.>
I have a skim box the entire length of my 4ft tank will they swim strong enough to avoid getting sucked in?
<No, that is a pretty tough task for them.>
Should I block the intake on that half of the tank on future hatch nights?
<You could reduce the intake flow, or block the intake.  You could also remove the eggs on hatch night.  Or sit up and wait for prime time!  I would sit up and wait or set the alarm a few hours earlier.>
The clutch was laid on a reef shelf about 8” below surface, there are Pom Pom Xenia on shelf above could they be hiding?  
<No, they have been eaten or sucked into your filter system.>
I removed the moon light on this night so if they hatched before I awoke the only light they would swim toward would be my flashlight when I was ready to remove them, was this a good idea?
<I suggest leaving the moon light on.  I would also set the alarm clock a little earlier.  Try getting up to catch them two hours after lights out.  Also, if you haven’t already read, Joyce Wilkerson’s book, “Clownfish” is an excellent book.  I have read it and highly recommend it.>  
Help me!   
Rick and Taylor Thorne
<Hope this helps!  Good luck to you both!  Brenda>

Clownfish Eggs, What now?  - 5/13/07
Crew,
<Hi Chris, Brenda here>
OMG! My Clown fish laid eggs.
<Congratulations!!!  What a joy to witness!>
There are literally thousands of orange eggs attached to a rock.
So now what?
<Are you interested in raising them?>
Should I remove the rock from the system?
<No>
It’s a 180 reef with several other species large and small.
<I have read and recommend, Joyce Wilkerson’s, “Clownfishes.”  You will likely not have enough time to set up what is needed to raise these this time.  However, your clownfish will likely be laying eggs again soon, and will be on schedule like clockwork every few weeks.  It is also a time period where your clown fish are learning how to care for their eggs, and typically don’t do the best job the first few times.  This will give you plenty of time to prepare yourself.  Reef Central has a wonderful Fish Breeding Forum.  There you might be able to find someone local to help you out with a starter kit of the live cultures you will need.  You will also find the latest techniques that are being used. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=86>    
Please let me know. Thanks, Chris
<Good luck to you!  Brenda>

Something ate my clownfish eggs. Detective AJ On the Case of the Missing Clownfish Eggs…better call in CSI  – 05/08/07
Hello,
<Hey Mike.>
  Any idea what like to feed on clownfish (Ocellaris) eggs?  
<Pretty much anything if they can get past the protecting parents. A nutritious and delicious food source….so my inverts and smaller fish tell me.>
I had eggs that were almost ready to hatch and sometime during the night all signs of the eggs disappeared from the rock they were on.  I have 2 clownfish, 1 watchman goby, 1 coral beauty pigmy angel, blue leg hermit crabs, scarlet hermit crabs, red legged hermit crabs, Nassarius snails, Astraea snails, and brown brittle stars. It's possible there are some other crabs and snails I did not identify.  
<Any and all of these could be culprits. And if they were ready to hatch, perhaps they did and the fry were eaten, killed by filter….that’s not out of the possibility pool either.>
  Would it be best to take out the rock with the eggs attached and move into another tank the next time the clowns spawn?
<That or move the parents themselves to a QT tank to rear the eggs there. Pick up Joyce Wilkerson's “Clownfish” for more detail and check out the breeders registry on the net as well.>
  Thank you very much,
<Anytime.>
  Mike
<Adam J.>

Re: Missing Clownfish Eggs  – 05/08/07
Thanks AJ.
<No problem.>
That made me laugh.
<Awesome.>
I appreciate the information.
<Anytime and good luck with your breeding project - AJ.>

Interzoo Odessa. Comm. query re hatching Clownfishes  4/17/04
Dear crew,
Interzoo LFS., Odessa, online.
We would ask you about the hatching of Clownfishes. Hatching of our Amphiprion melanopus was lasted to long on 3 days from 10-th. one. As far, as we know, the hatching should occur at one single night. What
could cause, on your opinion, such a delay?
<Does happen (this long, delayed hatching) with some species more than others. Melanopus, and A. polymnus are amongst the longer hatch out time species... This behavior does diminish with time, growth/age of the parents/breeders, as well as with time with multiple generations (F2, F3...), but is thought to have "survival value" (in the wild)... producing young over a period that might help to avoid complete loss if it occurred all at once>
Some larvae were unable to tear the streads and lost.
This is our first attempt and we hope, with your help to escape such an event in the future.
Thank you at advance, best regards,
Interzoo, Odessa.
<No worries... as you will see in subsequent spawnings and when you "close the loop" by raising, breeding the babies in turn. Bob Fenner>

Clownfish Pairing 4/5/07
Hi  WWM,
<Hello>
Last night my 1 of my clownfish sadly got eaten by my Snowflake Eel. :( <Sorry>  I am deconstructing my tank tomorrow to take him out. I want to know if it is possible to pair my clownfish with a new one. It is ocellaris and I don’t want to get rid of this one to get another pair.  <No need, generally pair up quite easily.>
If it is possible could you advise me on how I could get them to pair up with least aggression?
Thank you, Maison
<Ocellaris clowns are not too picky when it comes to pairing up, just get an individual that is significantly smaller than the one you have now and it should work out.>
<Chris>

Breeding clowns?  3/6/07
Good afternoon...
<Tim>
I have a pair of tank-raised ocellaris clowns purchased as juveniles about 8 months ago in a 36 gallon bowfront tank with a few soft corals (xenia, zoanthids, mushrooms), and torch coral.
<A bunch of incompatibly noxious animal types in a small volume...>
  There is a lot of flow in the tank (HOT filter, HOT skimmer, and 2 powerheads in the tank), and the clowns spend all of their time playing high in the water column, not approaching the substrate (4" established DSB over 1 ½ years old) or rock (about 50# live rock).  All is well in the tank, and the clowns are healthy and eat like pigs.  The larger of the two has developed a protruding and rounded abdomen, and appears to me to be gravid.  So my questions are:
1:  Is it possible that "she" is with eggs, even though I've only had them 8 months and there has been no "preparatory" behavior like cleaning the substrate or finding a substitute host?
<Mmm, yes>
They have not hosted anywhere, and are generally high in the water column.  I've considered constipation or disease as other possibilities, but I believe those are unlikely as behavior is normal (swimming, eating), and I am careful about feeding almost all frozen foods with lots of variety.
2:  If "she" is gravid, will they find a place to lay the eggs and set up a "nest" or do they sometimes lay eggs floating in the water column?
<The former... their eggs are adhesive...>
I've read a few reports on your site of the latter, but that seemed to be a rarity.
<Not uncommon at all really>
Thanks for sharing your experience....
Tim
<Welcome. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshbrdfaqs.htm
and the linked files above... Bob Fenner>

Breeding Clowns....nothing re: posted on WWM?....unlikely   2/11/07
Hi, I've been a avid reader of your website for many months
<Awesome.>
and I have a question that doesn't seem to be answered in the FAQ sections.
<Mmm, not slight to you...but I doubt it lol.>
I've recently acquired 2 pink skunk clownfish from my LFS and they have been living very well.
<Awesome.>
The larger one has been attacking the smaller one which I have come to understand that it is normal behavior for "it" to become a female.
<Expressing dominance or rejecting an undesirable mate, yes....>
I was wondering if it's possible to breed them within a coral tank setup.
<Have been reared successfully in dedicated display for YEARS.  Breeding them would be possible in a crowded tank...the act....rearing the young, with filter systems, other tankmates...near impossible.>
And if there was any success in breeding this beautiful fish.
<Yes, many experiences.. advice posted on WWM (told you so).>
I have heard many successes for the false percula and true perculas, but not this one in particular.
<Pick up a copy of Joyce Wilkerson's book: clownfish.>
Any help would be appreciated!
<Anytime.>
Thanks!
<Adam J.>

Overstocked QT, Clownfish breeding - 1/24/07
<Hey Josh, JustinN with you tonight.>
At the moment I have a 20 gallon tank waiting to be switched to my 55 gallon tank that is currently cycling, and has been for the past month.
<Ok>
In the tank, (I know, bad combination)
<If you already know....>
2 percula clownfish, a BlueLine trigger, a blue damsel, and a algae eating blenny.
<Yikes! In a 20 gallon aquarium? This is PAINFULLY overstocked, my friend, even for quarantine! I certainly hope you are executing frequent, large water changes here!>
I have had one of the Perc's, the blenny, and the damsel since I put fish in the tank about 4 months ago, and have been fine.
<...Ok>
My question is, once I have all those fish in the 55 gallon tank, is it possible to put a tank divider between the trigger, and the lesser
aggressive fish?
<No, the trigger will need the swimming room. Placing a divider in the aquarium is like placing it in a smaller aquarium, and I'm already on the borderline as to the appropriateness of a triggerfish in a standard 55 gallon aquarium.>
The reason I ask you this, is because I want to know that if I have that tank divider up, will the clownfish breed?
<Without the triggerfish, there may be a possibility for such, but I think that the stress of the larger fish will prevent such here (and as already stated, I do not support the divider idea.)>
One clownfish is about 1.5", and the other is about 2". Also, how big do clownfish have to be for them to choose the dominant fish?
<Is already likely the case, my friend. The pronounced size difference is a typical giveaway. Good luck! -JustinN>

Cloudy Clownfish Eggs – 1/22/07
Hi all,
<Hi Amy, Brenda here>
My maroon clownfish finally laid eggs and took care of them well.  I set up a tank for the larva, growing the rotifers and started collecting them from the main tank when they started hatching last night.  But then after maybe 30 larvae were collected the eggs stopped hatching and never did.  I gave up and went to bed.  Then today all of the remaining eggs are cloudy and dead, still attached to the rock, where the previous night they looked healthy just like little fish inside their eggs.  What could have caused the rest of the larva still in the eggs to die like that?  
<Possibly not being properly aerated or too much lighting.> Any advice you could give would be helpful, I’m hoping to prevent that from happening again next time if possible.
<I recommend reading Clownfishes, by Joyce D. Wilkerson.  This is an excellent book for breeding clownfish.>
Thanks
Amy
<Your welcome!  Brenda>

Clowns... repro.    12/21/06
Hi, I teach high school oceanography in CT and have kept tanks with locals and stray tropicals for years.  I have read through your site and it is great!  I can not find the answers to a few specific questions however.  Someone who was moving  gave us 3 clowns last year.  Since I break down the tanks at the end of the school year, I brought home the clowns to my kids 30 gallon tank as I do with all the small tropicals that we can't find a home for at the aquarium or local marine education center.  The three clowns set up home in a large trumpet shell in the tank.  The female has been on guard at the opening for 3 weeks now.  The smallest of the males was inside the shell for about 10 days, while the larger male was displaying what I have read to be mating behaviors.  My kids were worried that the smallest "Nemo" had died.  I reassured them that he was probably just guarding the eggs inside the shell.  I had to remove the shell to get him to come out.  After reading about how delicate the eggs may be, I am worried.
1. If there are eggs in there, have I doomed them by lifting them out?
<Mmm, no... have seen/done such lifting of attached broods into the air... is better to avoid this... that is, to set the media/substrate into something that holds water, lift all... or move all else...>
This happened about a week ago and the small male returned to the shell coils after.  Today, the small male is out and the larger male has disappeared.  The female seems very agitated.
<Where did the larger male go? Likely the smaller was being harassed by the breeding pair...>
2. Would the males have switched roles if the female kicked out the smaller one?
<Yes>
3. Would she ever mate with the smaller male in the first place?
<Is a possibility, yes>
4. Is there a definitive way to tell if she has laid eggs without smashing the shell?
<Well... they usually do place such demersal spawns "out in the open" where they can/could be seen... I would leave all as is in this/these circumstances>
5. How often can she lay a clutch of eggs?
<Every 2-3 weeks... for extended periods... under "right" conditions>
6.  When would you replace the shell and put in a more open structure?
<Mmm, depends... on your wishes, intentions... I would leave all as is if you wanted to try raising a brood... move the parents...>
Thanks
Mike
<Welcome, Bob Fenner>

Clownfish breeding reading   12/9/06
Hello.  My husband has a well-established thriving, large coral tank with tons of fish. He recently bought another percula and it bonded with our other percula.  They are acting as if they are spawning. The smaller male keeps fanning the sand below him and the female protects him.   
  I am concerned because other fish are starting to pick on the pair.  We really do not want another tank, but we want them to be comfortable.
<Mmm...>
We have a sump system, and we thought about putting them in the refuge tank under the main tank.
<A possibility>
The refuge tank contains mud, micro organisms and plants. If we do this, will they still spawn?
<Mmm, possibly>
If so, when the eggs hatch, do I have to remove mom and dad?  I really don't want to grow separate larvae; I think there are micro organisms already in the refuge. How can I tell? And, what harm to mom and dad pose to the babies if I don't remove them?  Will a refuse have enough air movement?  Let me know your thoughts.  Thank you.
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshbrdfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Percula Clownfish Pairing?  - 11/13/06
I recently (about two months ago) added a small true percula to my tank in hopes that it would pair up with a true percula I already had in there (about 2 times larger); they didn't pair off at first.  Soon after, I put in a very healthy bubble tip anemone.  The small clown went to it right away while the older and larger clown did not.  Weeks passed, and finally the larger clown got the idea and took to the anemone, and it seemed like at this point the two clowns did pair off because they were nearly inseparable.  However, within the last week, the larger clown has been chasing the smaller clown away from the anemone and acts generally territorial toward the smaller clownfish, to the point of nearly jumping out of the tank while trying to chase the small clownfish during the weekly tank cleaning last night.
Is this behavior typical?
<Not atypical>
It seems like the fish have done a complete 180 from a week or two ago when they couldn't have been happier together.
Tank setup is as follows:
55 gallon, 0 ammonia/nitrate/nitrite, 1.024 salinity, 400 mg/L calcium, 8.2ph, 82 degrees, 50 lbs live rock;
Prizm Skimmer, wet/dry filtration with overflow box, 4 AquaClear 30 powerheads hooked up to WaveMaster wavemaker, 48" Satellite Dual on timers; Lawnmower Blenny, Firefish, Coral Beauty, 2 True Perculas, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 bubble tip anemone, 1 rock covered in star polyps, lots of coralline algae.
Thank you SO much!
Alex B.
<May be trouble with the polyps and anemone in the long haul. Bob Fenner>

Clown Question 10/14/06
Hi
<Greetings>
I have a pair of True Percula clown fish bought as juveniles. One is now clearly bigger than the other. The bigger one I presume is the female.
<Correct>
She is in good health and looks beautiful. The smaller I presume is the male and looks awful because he keeps getting chased and nipped by her.
<Right again and quite common with the nipping>
They both feed ok and sometimes (during the night mostly with lights on) swim together and seem content with each other’s company. I’ve had them for roughly two months and the tank for six months. Do you know how long it takes for pairing and is it due to not having a host for them?
<Can take up to a 4 months sometimes for pairing and no it is not because they don’t have a host – they don’t need one to pair>
If it is due to the absent host can you recommend a good one that's not an anemone?
<Try a ceramic tile or ceramic flower pot>
Kind regards
Sid
<Cheers! – Dr. J>

Raising clowns in rotifer tank?   9/2/06
Good morning!
  My clowns have decided they like the idea of mating. The female is a black true perc, and the male an orange false perc. The laid eggs once; I moved the rock the eggs were on, they hatched, a week later, they all disappeared. I fear the culprit was the introduction of an airstone,
<Maybe...>
as it was the very next day that I noticed they were all gone. Anyway, I now have a milk jug with rotifers swimming around in it ready for the next batch (and, of course, a milk jug with the greenwater to feed them!). Is it a good idea or even feasible to raise the rotifers in the former nursery tank and then, once the next round of babies hatches, raise the larvae in the rotifer tank with the rotifers?
<Mmm, not a good idea... for control of predation/feeding, and nutrient control reasons>
Or would they gobble up all my rotifers and leave me with barren cupboards?
   <Too likely yes. You might want to invest in the books of Frank Hoff, Joyce Wilkerson... see Amazon.com re... Bob Fenner>
  Thanks!
Goldie

Clownfish Reproduction   7/3/06
Four days ago I purchased a pair of percula clowns from my LFS. I'm not sure if they are tank raised or not, in all of my excitement I forgot to ask. I
have a 25 gallon tank with 30 lbs of liverock, and the only other residents are a cleaner shrimp, 3 turbo snails and 3 hermit crabs. I removed a black
and gold damsel from the tank just prior to adding the clowns. One clown is a bit bigger than the other, and has less coloring. They have been getting
along wonderfully, and never leave each others side for more than a moment or two. They are constantly rubbing all over each other. Just today they
started hanging out in a very shallow cave of liverock. The female is almost laying on the sand. When I fed them, they happily came out to eat, and a few
minutes after they were done eating they went back to their cave. I understand that it is probably far too soon for them to start laying eggs,
but why else would they stick to this one area?
<Your clownfish are showing signs of pairing up.  If they are of breeding size, they may very well produce eggs.  Raising the fry is another challenge.>
Thanks for your help!
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>

Clarkii/Maroon Clownfish/Breeding  - 06/20/2006
Hi Crew!
<Hello Steve>
I have a 12 gallon tank with live rock, a clarkii clown, maroon clown, and a scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp.
<Steve, much too small a tank for these two fish.  Hoping you plan on upgrading to a larger tank in the near future.>
I'm having a great time with my tank and it is becoming a fantastic hobby of mine. I'm wondering about my clownfish. They don't fight or anything and they are often huddling together at night. Is it possible for them to pair up, and if so could they mate?
<Very unlikely they would mate with a family in mind.>
I've searched the WWM and can not seem to locate a clear answer to this.
<You won't on interbreeding, not a common occurrence.> <<... Will be trouble with these two fishes in this small volume... Even with just one... RMF>>
Both fish are roughly the same size (4cm).
Thanks for your help!!!
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Stephen

Misbar Clownfish/Breeding   6/9/06
I've been wondering if Misbar Clowns are more likely to have Misbar offspring.
<I'd say most will be.>
I have not been able to find information either way. Some have suggested Misbars occur from poor nutrition and water quality.
<Not true.  Misbars are simply a color variation of the common orange ocellaris.  A beautiful find but rarely available.>
Thanks so much, I love it when you answer my questions!
<I know you do.  You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>

Fat Clownfish?  - 5/17/2006
Hello.
<Hi.>
I bought a small percula clown a few days ago with an associated bubble tip anemone.
<Okay.>
My water quality is good, and the clown is eating fine and looks very healthy and happy.
<Awesome.>
Last night when he was playing in his anemone, I noticed that it's belly was bulging out. It almost seems like she
is pregnant (about to lay eggs) but there is no male in my tank (there was most likely one in the fish store tank). I guess my question is would it be wise to introduce a male into the tank?
<May or not work out depending on the current animals temperament.>
And if so is there any way to tell whether a very small clownfish is a male or female?
<Likely if this animals is larger and had been alone for "a-while" is a female, if not sure add a much smaller specimen.>
If I put another clown in the tank and it is female will they fight or will it turn into a male?
<No two females will fight to the death.>
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
<Not to be overly-obvious........but fish do get fat, Adam J.>

Maybe Buy them some nasty movies? Clowns not in the mood.  5/11/06
We having been breeding A. ocellaris for a year.
<Awesome.>
They bred every two weeks.
<Neat.>
Then they stopped for 7 weeks. We tried every trick that Joyce suggests in her book to get them breeding, Tried to imitate procedure to no avail. Any ideas would be appreciated.
<Joyce's book is much more detailed than I can be, but my suggestion would be pristine water quality, lots and lots of varied food...and most importantly patience...they may just be taking a break.>
Thank you, Dale.
<Adam J.>

Spawning clarkii pair falling out    5/3/06
My clarkii were put in my 72 bowfront as juvies 7 months ago. They began spawning in late January. She is around 5" and he's about 3.5" and about half her mass.
<Okay... this male is a bit large, proportionately>
Well, during their 5th nest I had to go out of town for a few days and set them up on an auto-feeder. When I returned she had a pretty nasty case of pop-eye. I've seen this before, she gets a little crazy when stressed and runs into live rock. This is usually no problem and the nest (1500+ eggs)  hatched as normal and she looked gravid the next day. She didn't lay her eggs the second day after hatching which was her normal habit. The following morning she was no longer gravid. I don't know if she absorbed or expelled (I suspect expelled because of the timeframe) the eggs.
<Happens>
The afternoon following her normal laying day I found her "kicked out" of her anemone and hiding behind the live rock looking quite beat-up.  I kept an eye on her and she eventually found an anemone (I have 2 in the 72, one LTA and one BTA -- run carbon 24/7) the male then came and started to evict her from this new anemone. It was about as aggressive as I've ever seen Clownfishes behave.
http://www.ir.org/Aquarium/video/anemone_takeover.wmv
After about 10 minutes of fighting I had to remove her as she was gasping at the surface. After a week or so in the sump I tried to re-introduce her to the display tank and she was beaten up and back at the surface within about 3 minutes. I was starting to think that he had become a competing she and the pair was permanently busted. I've read this is possible with clarkii in particular (J. Wilkerson.)  After another week or so in the sump I decided to try re-introducing her one more time.
<Mmm... do remove the male, leave the female...>
This time the fighting was REALLY REALLY AMAZING. He really tore into her. (http://www.ir.org/Aquarium/online/beatup.jpg) In their first encounter she grabbed his tail and he spun and grabbed the rear portion of her dorsal and completely shredded it. It went on for quite some time but this time she didn't give-up. She kept getting the upper hand on him and then would shake like CRAZY, the most submissive shaking I've ever seen in a clown. He simply refused to submit in anyway but eventually he ran out of gas. However; unlike his treatment of her she never really injured him. Instead of running to the top of the tank to try and escape he eventually just laid on the bottom of the tank. She would hover over him and shake. Eventually he submitted and she immediately herded him into their anemone. Within minutes he was submitting more than he ever had in the past and they were both cleaning their nesting spot.
That was 3 days ago.
Now for the questions. (Finally)
Wilkerson has suggested that it is possible with clarkii to have a dominant and a sub-dominant female both in a single relationship. Aside from an unfertilized nest hat would I look for?
<This is about it>
If I don't see any eggs how long should I wait for them to lay a nest before I attempt introducing a male/juvie? This is a very scary prospect with such large fish.
Thanks,
Dan
<Yes... if you attempt this, remove one of the present fish... place the newcomer in either a floating colander or separate with a partition. Only remove this separator when you can be present. These separations of existing pairs and introduction of new subdominant fish can be/are problematical...
Bob Fenner>

Re: spawning clarkii pair falling out    5/4/06
Thanks Bob,
<Welcome Daniel>
Sounds like so much of reefkeeping.  Wait and move slowly.
>>After another week or so in the sump I decided to try re-introducing her one more time.
<Mmm... do remove the male, leave the female...>
I re-introduced her with the intention of pulling him if they didn't re-pair. If I am not able to keep both I definately would prefer to keep the proven egg layer.
<Me too>
>>If I don't see any eggs how long should I wait for them to lay a nest before I attempt introducing a male/juvie? This is a very scary prospect with such large fish.
<Yes... if you attempt this, remove one of the present fish... place the newcomer in either a floating colander or separate with a partition. Only remove this separator when you can be present. These separations of existing pairs and introduction of new subdominant fish can be/are problematical... >
I was planning on leaving both females and just introducing a new male since they are co-existing peacefully again. Are you recommending pulling one of the existing females because of inter-female aggression potential or because they may not accept the male?
<Mmm, am not so sure the other fish is not a functional male... but yes, due to the difficulties imposed by the small volume here, I would not have the one new fish introduced with both the extant>
After keeping saltwater for nearly 15 years my entire perspective on fishkeeping was changed when I bought "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" in 2000. Thank you for making me a better steward of these amazing creatures. I can't say I do EVERYTHING the way you recommend but I attempt to be conscientious of the needs of the fishes and invertebrates I keep as well as the impact our hobby has on the environment. Thanks.
<Ahh! A pleasure to find that ones efforts have helped others. Bob Fenner>

Misc. marine mis-mix mistakes and learning to use WWM   3/23/06
Hello. my name is Chris.
<Chris, your name's a proper noun... capitalized>
I have just recently started a marine tank with L.R. Intensions on being a reef system in the future. My system is about 3
months old, general parameters are at acceptable levels. Haven't gotten all test kits needed yet, but all is well so far. I have a 20 gallon tank with one clarkii,1 Domino damsel,
<Not a suitable choice in this size system...>
psychedelic mandarin,
<Ditto, for different reasons... See WWM re these>
Coral Bandit shrimp. I do have plans on doubling tank size in near future.  I have two questions.   
First, I just started adding some additives, Purple up and marine buffer. I figure the marine buffer is used in some shape by most. But my question is with the purple up and other products the same. Is it harmful to any specific species, and is it close to the same thing a Kalkwasser?
<Mmm, read the label/s... not the same, but there is "cross over" in alkalinity use>
Do you recommend using. if not any suggestions on additives and essentials would greatly be appreciated.
<Posted on WWM...>
I also wondered about breeding my clown fish. Should I Buy a couple more and hope they mate?
<No, not here, now>
Or do you recommend buying "mated Pairs"?
<Best to "grow your own", unless a rare, unavailable as tank bred species is what you're hoping for>
I've researched  site, and I must say Excellent work!  It seems there is so much info out there it's hard to know what is accurate. I
do understand basics of most aspects of tank health, and breeding but just wanted to communicate with someone other than my local guy. One last question, I've been noticing these green little bubble like structures growing on my LR.   I can't seem to find any info on what they could be.
<Algae of a few types>
My snails keep them nice and clean but nothing seems to eat them. any info would be great. I realize I've asked a lot of questions, I've also spent a lot of time researching as well. Thank you for your time  Again, great website
<Learn to/use it. Your answers are posted there. Bob Fenner>

Skunk Clown with Bulging Belly   3/21/06
Sorry to bother you guys, but I have searched through the FAQ's and didn't find any answer to my question.
I have a 150 gallon Reef Tank medium/low stock load.
To get to my question.  I have a skunk clown that is a few years old, that looks as if its belly going to bust.  I  figured it may be full of eggs, but there is no mate for it.  Is it possible for the skunk clown to lay eggs (or to have eggs) without a mate?  
<Is possible... I would move this animal to separate quarters and treat with Epsom salt to help alleviate the swelling... or egg-resorption. Bob Fenner>
Guy Phillips

Egg Fanning 1-25-06
Why do clownfish fan their eggs?
< Clownfish fan their eggs to keep fresh water flowing past them. This removes detritus and keeps fungus and bacteria from settling on and destroying the eggs. Travis>

Astaxanthin as food supplement for breeding Clowns   1/22/06
Hi again. I'm the frustrated Clarks Clown breeder, someday, hopefully.
<?>
I decided to take your advice, and I have set up a 20 gallon tank for a pair of Ocellaris. A few of the shops around here have what appear to be some very nice small fish from the same local breeder. I haven't been able to find much info about the source of a clownfish pair. Would brother and brother eventually make a pair if they came from the same parents, or would I be better off getting one of these fish, and pairing it with a fish from another source?
<Likely little "inbreeding" trouble here>
Also I was reading about Astaxanthin to enhance the color of tank reared clownfish. The only information I could find about it was for human supplements. Are there any foods that I could feed my clowns that are high in Astaxanthin, or is it an additive like Selco?
<There are a few... this ingredient is labeled as a content if added, present>
I also read an article about some spawning Clarks. The author said his female got very aggressive, and beat up the male pretty good before spawning.
<Yes... can be trouble>
That give me some hope for my fish. After a year the female seems to be getting more aggressive. I was thinking about replacing the male, but now maybe I will give it a few more months and see what happens. Thanks for your help, again.
<Mmm, I would ask your LFS for the name, number of the local breeder, go visit them... Bob Fenner>

Clownfish Pairing and Spawning 01-13-06
I have had a pair of Clarkii Clownfish for over a year now. I set up the aquarium just for hopefully breeding them. It's a forty gallon tank with a
ten gallon sump. <Nice set-up.> I have two 55 watt PC bulbs above it. The tank has the two clownfish, many hermit crabs, some snails, a shrimp, many xenias, that all came from the first small stalk, and four BTA, all from one original BTA. I have a nice green algae growing that is absolutely filled with tiny
amphipods, or maybe they're copepods. <Free food, can't beat that...> I change five gallons of water every
other week. Every week I clean my filters, and skimmer. Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates are always zero. My fish get a large variety of different foods
including fresh seafood directly from the ocean.  <Be careful when dealing with fresh seafood. Fresh foods are a great way to add disease to your tank.> I tried Clarks because I thought they would be one of the easier species to breed,  <You are correct.> but after a year I
still have nothing. <Very typical.> My friend has a pair of Maroons that breed constantly
after six months. <He got lucky.> He barely takes care of his tank, and just throws in some
of the cheapest flake food he can find. <This can help as he is not messing with them and throwing them off.  Clowns require great stability to spawn.> I'm really starting to get frustrated. <I can imagine.> Both of my fish have roughly doubled in size since I got them.
The large female is about 3 or 3.5 inches. The small one is about 2.5. <Sounds like proper size gap, but the male is a bit smaller than I would like to see.> The
fish look quite a bit different. I don't know if that could be causing a problem. The smaller one started out yellow. After a few months the whole
body turned black except for the belly, face, and fins. The large fish has 3 stripes, and the small one has two. The large fish also has a white edge on
the soft dorsal fin. <You may have 2 different variants or even two different species. This can cause problems in trying to get them to spawn, but there are many reports of clown crosses that are very successful.> The female also like to dig. Its pretty amazing to see
the cloud of sand a tiny clownfish can kick up. The female does not like the
smaller male to eat. <Not a great sign, but it doesn't mean they are not a pair.> If she sees him eat she chases him around the tank
biting at him. In order to stop it, he has to turn sideways, and twitch
towards her. <Sign of submission. That is a good sign.> Then he starts biting at the rock near their anemone. <This is a very good nesting sign.> At first
when I saw this I thought it was a hopeful signs, but it has been happening
for a few months now, with no results. <Some clowns will clean an area for months before they spawn.> Yesterday the female actually damaged
a couple scales on the male. <Mmmm. Not good.> Could the difference in appearance be causing
problems? <Could be.> Should I try and remove all of the anemones except one, to try and
force them into the same one? <Any changes in the tank will throw the pair from spawning if they were thinking about it.> Usually the anemone are just one big mass all the way across the back of the tank, and the fish  drift from one to another
Would it help to introduce a new fish? <No> I thought maybe a new fish would
give the clowns a reason to bond. <Nope, it will cause more issues.> Or maybe even a new clownfish? <You may want to replace the male, but that is a hard thing to do and yes you will be starting over from day one.> I don't
know though. It just doesn't seem like the aggression has really changed
over a year. I hate to give up and try different fish after spending so much
time with these fish. I'm just to the point where I am stuck, I guess. Help.
<My advice would be to continue as you are for another couple months and see what happens or cut your losses now and re-pair your female with a new juvenile. A couple things to try are increase your light cycle to 13 hours on, increase tank temp to 82-84F, feed rotifers or newly hatched brine as a plankton bloom once a day (either morning or night), and keep your hands out of the tank for a few months. Heck, you are lucky if you can see in the front pane on most breeder tanks. If you are really in a hurry to get a spawning pair I would suggest orange ocellaris (false perculas) as they are pretty easy to get to spawn and they have some of the easiest fry to care for. Good luck, Travis>

Clarkii Fry Feeding - 01/03/2006
Hi guys,
<Hello Steve.>
I have a couple of beautiful Clarkii Clowns that have spawned and laid an egg mass in my home tank.
<Good job!>
I would like to net as many of the of the fry as possible and take them to my quarantine tank at my shop. The question is feeding them. I would imagine that brine shrimp nauplii are too large.
<Go with rotifers.>
There must be an established recipe from the aquaculture industry that's used to feed Clownfish fry. Any input?
<Review what others have done here http://breedersregistry.org/aclarkii.htm . Can also Google it. Plenty available to read.>
Best regards,
Steve
<Good luck with this exciting time. - Josh>

Re: Clownfish Young   12/28/05
Hi Bob,
Hope you had a nice Christmas! Thanks so much for responding to my email, and letting me know that what I'm looking at is baby clowns.
<Thank you, and welcome>
Some guy at the LFS said that the baby's would be orange at hatching and look like clowns.
<Uh, no... incorrect. They are clear, and look so much like long, clear bodied, dark-large-eyed tad-pole sort of wiggly squigglies>
That's why I couldn't figure out what these long, clear looking fish were! OK, so now I need to know if it's possible to keep them alive long enough to
mature in the sump???
<Possible... but you need to culture, have cultured food/s...>
The other concern of course, is that now that the clowns started breeding, they are hatching eggs every couple of weeks and so
what I see in the sump is a lot of hatchlings, different sizes!! Thanks for the tips on other sites to look at online.
Happy New Year,
Tracy Wynn
<I sense an economic opportunity, window/trunk of time opening like a rise in a field for you... which path will you choose? To become an earnest aquaculturist...? Bob Fenner>

Spawning Clownfish - 11/25/2005
Hey Crew,
<<Hey Brendan>>
Great website, a must have for any marine hobbyist.
<<Thanks!>>
I bought my clowns (Ocellaris A.) 
<<Mmm...you mean Amphiprion ocellaris>> 
from a large breeding project and I'm not sure if the pair have been previously mated together or otherwise.
<<Likely not a problem.>>
I am trying to mate them so, is there any way to tell?
<<Umm...when they spawn. <G> >>
The female is easily identifiable as the larger more aggressive of the two.
<<It's not always a "given", but my experience with these fish is put two of them together and you will likely end up with a breeding pair.  Give them a little time...meanwhile do your research to provide optimum conditions/environment for the adults, and proper care for the eggs/young...you'll likely be setting up a "grow out" tank before too long.>>
Thanks so much,
Brendan Walsh
<<Regards, EricR>>

Re: Clownfish Young
Hi Bob,
Ha. Ha. Probably not. My husband would kill me for one thing! Also, I am in the process of becoming a scuba and swim instructor and starting my own
business teaching both from home.
<Ahh, another wonderful vocation>
So, I wouldn't really have the time. However, I would still like to keep these alive in the sump if possible. But I wouldn't have the time to move them, and do all the caring for them to rear them for sale. If, however, they survive in my sump on their own, or with just a little feeding of baby brine (or something frozen) from
me.... well, that's a different story!
<We'll see>
Thanks again,
Happy New Year,
Tracy
<And to you. Bob Fenner>

HELP!!! My Clownfish are Laying Eggs 11-25-05
Hello, I need your help, I just arrived back in town today and noticed my female clownfish had something white coming out of the bottom of her.  Then I noticed her rubbing herself against a rock and after further review I noticed tons of eggs attached to a small piece of my live rock. 
<Congrats.>
I don't know what to do?  I have a 75gallon tank with a Yellow Tang, 2 Chromis, Royal Gramma, 2 Brittle Star fish, peppermint shrimp, hermits, Sebae anemone, and coral.  The people at the fish store said that they probably wont live, that the current will scatter them as soon as they hatch.   
<They are mostly correct. They forgot to add that they will be eaten by everything in the tank.>
I have two current makers, one on each side of the tank.  I have no clue on how long it takes for them to hatch or anything like that.  You help would be greatly appreciated.  Sorry for such a bumbled email but I am very excited!!! I have only had my tank since Feb 2005 and this is way to cool.  Please Help 
<Do a search in our forums under clownfish and you will find plenty of info on this topic. Also buy "Clownfishes" by Joyce Wilkerson. Your clowns will lay eggs every 12-14 days from now on, you have plenty of time to learn.>
Thank You
Tim Merchant
<Travis>

Clownfish breeding  11/15/05
Hey hey,
<Howdy>
Firstly can I say thank you for all your previous help, fragging Sinularia, the original and new coral are both doing fantastically. And as if that wasn't enough excitement for me my pair of false Perculas have spawned!!! I noticed the eggs today when I got home from a party however within and hour or so they had been eaten :( . The clownfish have recently started to host my gorgeous 8inch Sarcophyton and spawned on the underside of the corals "head". With some help from the bank of mum and dad I should like to setup a rearing tank, however should Ant and Dec (the clowns) spawn on the coral again how should i go about moving the eggs to the hatching tank?
<Either move the coral (and Clowns initially), or all else out of the system that might consume them>
I wouldn't think Ant and Dec would feel to happy about having their home taken away at regular intervals.  FWIW the tank is a 260 litre bow front soft coral reef with the 2 clowns 5 yellow tail blue damsels and a yellow tang, mobile inverts are 5 Astrea snails 2 hermits and a pair of skunk cleaners.  I shall be trying to purchase a copy of Joyce Wilkerson's book shortly.
Thank you so very much
Will
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshbrdfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> 

Multiple of the same species of clownfish  11/12/2005
Hi WWM Crew I had a couple of quick questions how many false clowns can I keep in a 45 gallon aquarium?  I plan on breeding them so I would also like to know how to breed them.
Thanks
--Sbatiste
<In this size tank, maybe four or five individuals (eventually just one pair... the alpha individual will develop into a larger female in time). For breeding, rearing, you can read on WWM re, but I strongly encourage you to buy/borrow a copy of Joyce Wilkerson's work on the group. Bob Fenner>

Linckia Starfish And Breeding Clowns - 11/08/05
Hello, great site, but I still need some help.
<<Ok>>
I'm looking into getting a Blue Linckia starfish, or a purple one.
<<This species of starfish does not ship particularly well and requires "lots" of live rock to browse/survive, thus it has a very poor survival rate in captivity. You would be better off searching out one of the Fromia specie of starfish for your reef.>>
I have a 55 gallon with 3 1/2 inches of crushed coral/sand, about 30lbs of live rock, protein skimmer, two powerheads and two power filters. This tank has been set up for about a year and a half. I have in it 2 Yellow Tail Damsels, 2 Clown Gobies, 2 Sebae Clowns, a Royal Gramma and a Lawnmower Blenny. Will I be able to add the starfish or will one of my brats try to eat it?
<<Should be fine...but for the reasons previously stated.>>
Or is my tank not big enough?
<<That too>>
I don't want to get a animal then have it starve to death or be picked on.
<<Then go with a Fromia.>>
I love my fish, I also have 2 true Percula Clowns in a 20 gallon tank I'm trying to get them to breed, any tips on food or certain water temperature, length that lights should be on, etc.
<<Have a look here and at the links in blue at the top of the page: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshbrdfaq2.htm >>
<<Don't forget the Bible of clownfish breeding by Joyce Wilkerson! MH>>
Any help on either of these questions is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
<<Regards, EricR>>

Amphiprion Breeding 10/30/05
Hi all,
<Hello Glovanna.>
First let me say that my husband and I love your site! So much information. We wish it had been around 25 years ago when we started our first saltwater aquarium. 
<Me to but something tells me it would have been pretty difficult for me to get into the hobby at that time…not being alive and all yet.> 
Now, our question. We have 3 true percula clownfish.. 
<Okay.> 
We've had our original female clown for 8 years now. 
<Wow that’s great!> 
About 16 months ago, we bought 2 small true perculas to hopefully have 1 pair with her. It worked and 1 did turn male and bonded with her. 
<That’s good to hear, sometimes it doesn’t work out.> 
They basically leave the 3rd little clownfish alone. 
<Once they start mating they will become highly territorial you may consider removing the oddball (the third clown) in the future.> 
It's still as small as when we bought the 2 of them. Anyway, our mated pair show 
<Mated implies they have procreated together at least once, lets say your pair is “dating” or at least tolerant on each other.> 
all the signs of wanting to mate. They clean their rock, the male does the clownfish wiggle, but so far no eggs. 
<Could be at least another year before they actually mate, feed a large varied diet to increase your chances. I have a pair of clowns that have been “dating” for nearly 3 years….no kids yet.> 
We even went out and bought them a BTA 
<Not necessary, of all the companies that bread clowns commercially none use anemones.>
but they don't even care about it, 
<Quite common.> 
they just love " their " rock. So, now we have 3 BTA's, because it's split twice since we bought it, and none of our clownfish have adopted even 1 of them. We've tried increasing their lighting to 14 hours a day. They are in a 30g. tank. 
<The clowns may or may not take to the anemone, its not necessary for mating to occur…..not necessary for clowns at all really.> 
All water parameters are great. No ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. Tank temp. runs between 78 - 80 degrees. 
<All sounds good.> 
The only tank inhabitants are the 3 clownfish, 3 BTA's, several snails and hermits and an Anthozoa. There is a protein skimmer on the tank. It's a simple setup w/ an U.G. filter and a HOB filter. For feeding, they get a variety - new hatched baby brine shrimp, squid, and we buy the saltwater multi pack of food ( frozen ) that has several different things in it. We used to feed small amounts twice daily. 
<Sounds good.> 
We upped that to feeding small amounts 4 times a day, but our algae has gone out of control w/ that much feeding, so we've backed off to feeding twice a day again. 
<Understandable, twice is plenty.> 
So, my question is, is my female clownfish to old to spawn? 
<No.> 
<Your welcome, for more info on breading/rearing the young search WWM re: clownfish breeding and check out the book “Clownfish” by Joyce Wilkerson.> 
Thank you in advance for reading this long question and for your answer. 
<No worries.> 
Bob & Glovanna 
<Adam J.>