Clownfish Breeding

Clownfish BreedingAllison Burns and Grace JacksonKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ActinopterygiiOrder: PerciformesFamily: Pomacentridae

Taxonomy

http://a-z-animals.com/animals/clown-fish/Grace28 Recognized clownfish speciesIndian, Pacific Oceans and Great Barrier Reef Omnivores: Eat both plants and animals eating algae, plankton, crustaceans, brine shrimp, blood worms, molluscsPredators: Because of their size they are usually preyed on by sharks, larger fish and eels. But humans can be their largest predator because humans put them in AquariumsSize: 10cm-15cm longLife span: 4-8 yearsProtandrous Hermaphrodites

http://www.glassreef.com/livestock_fish.htmAllisonProtandrous Hermaphrodites: Clownfish are born with both female and male reproductive organs -When two fish are put together their sex is not determined until one of them claims dominance. -The one that is more dominant turns into a female and the other fish becomes the male(http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215098)Paired Clownfish

https://www.google.com/search?q=clownfish

GracePaired Clownfish: The female is the larger of the two Clownfish (dominant) and the male is the submissive fish. A pair of clownfish will stay together until one of the clownfish dies. Than the female will either find another male or the male will turn into a female and then go find a male to mate with.Symbiotic Relationship

http://www.slideshare.net/firasaljader/clown-fishAllisonSymbiotic Relationship: Relationship between the clownfish and their host anemone. The anemone provides protection for the clownfish and in return the clownfish keeps the anemone alive by feeding it.Ideal Tank Setting

Grace-20 gallon tank is good because when spawning they usually are not swimming far from their nest or host anemone-The water quality in the tank will be tested for correct Temperature, pH, Salinity and Calcium levels.-Constant Temperature of 77-79F-Constant Salinity of 1.025-1.029 Specific Gravity-2 Different tactics we used when setting up the tanks for spawning:1.Flower pot or Clay tile with nothing else in the tank 2. Leaving all the living organisms in the tank including Live Rock, Live Sand, Host anemone and other fish or crustaceansReproductive Track

AllisonFirst sign of spawning is when the pair begins to clear/clean a wall of a rock or in a bare tank the wall of a flower pot or tileGood Nutrition: all of their focus needs to go into reproducingUsually females lay their eggs in the afternoon or at night time The tank is kept at 79-83 degrees fahrenheit the larval quality is the bestEggs usually hatch after about 6-9 nightsFour Pairs in the Lovett Aquarium

Tank A: Premnas cf. biaculeatus

2. Tank 10: Amphiprion bicintus

3. Tank 11:Amphiprion ocellaris4. Tank B: Premnas cf. biaculeatus

GraceHypothesisPlacing a clay pot in Tank A, Tank 10 and the Georgia Aquarium tank, the pairs will be more likely to lay eggs on clay pots than a rock because the pot is simple and does not require a lot of work to maintain.Using a Vossen Larval trap, the larvae will swim to the light because they are phototropic and will then be able to get captured by a Vossen Larval TrapThe eggs will become fully developed once the water flow and the temperature of the tank are kept at a specific water qualityAllisonWhat can we do to encourage breeding?How can we keep the fry alive?Why are the pairs not mating?QuestionsAllisonTank A: Premnas cf. biaculeatus

GraceFed regularly everyday (sometimes fed twice a day)Used to be two Fungia Coral but they spit sand on the first oneHave showed no signs of spawningPlenty of spaces in this tank but it is communal so this could be the reason why they havent spawned yetWith all the other organisms swimming around we thought that it would not be beneficial to add a Clay pot

-Fed Twice a day-LocationChanges Made to Encourage BreedingGrace2. Tank 10: Amphiprion bicintus

AllisonFed regularly everyday (sometimes fed twice a day)Have showed no signs of spawning for the first 4 months (August-December)So on December 1st we added flower pot tops to Tank 10 to give these Clownfish a better and flatter surface to spawn on

-Anemones-Flower Pots-Fed Twice a dayChanges Made to Encourage BreedingAllison

2. Tank 10: Amphiprion bicintus

Allison-For the second semester we added these flower pot tops they have shown interest in the tops but have not laid yet-We are hoping that they will become more comfortable with these pots and end up laying on them3. Tank 11: Amphiprion ocellaris

Grace-Tank Conditions were constantClutch 1: September 24, 2014

Grace-Turned brown and fell off rock within 2 days-Conclude: Did not fully develop because the Male did not correctly fertilize the eggs if at all -Or the pair is to oldNovember 11, 2014

Clutch 2

Grace

-Attempted to move clutch to the Crysal tanks on November 14th (complications: rock to big so had to break it with a hammer)-One fry hatched on November 17th and all the others died-The one living Fry died after a dayConclusion:-The fry died because we did not feed it immediately or enough-All other eggs did not fully develop or hatch because we moved the clutch to earlyClutch 2: Video

Grace-December 1, 2014Flower pot Changes Made after Clutch 2

Grace-After we changed up the tank environment they did not lay for a whileApril 17th, 2015Clutch 3

Grace-The male goes over eggs like he is fertilizing them- Eggs start off orange and then turn out dark brown-After 5 days all eggs fall off potApril 29th, 2015

Clutch 4

GraceClutch 4: Video

Grace4. Tank B: Premnas cf. biaculeatus

AClutch 1:

A-Talk about how the Fry catcher works-This trap caught most of the fry but there were definitely a lot that diedClutch 2:

AClutch 2: Video of Fry

Clutch 3:

Feeding twice a dayTemperature changeEncouragement TechniquesStable food chainAlgae Rotifers Larvae

Taking Care of Fry

Grace-We created an algae culture-In retrospect we should have definitely created a stable food chain for the fry because we need to be able to keep them alive once we catch them-One of the problems we struggled with was feeding the fryRotifeast: Not as good as a stable culture of RotifersTaking Care of FryConstant feedingSetting up a small tank within the tank

-Starting algae and rotifer cultures earlier-Consistently feeding twice a day-Recording the differences when feeding the fish twice a day-Finding the most effective way to raise fry

Future DirectionsAllisonhttp://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215098"Aqua Medic Fish Trap." Bulk Free Supply. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. .Hoff, Frank H. Conditioning, Spawning And Rearing Of Fish With Emphasis On Marine Clownfish. N.p.: Florida Aqua Farms, 2009. Print.How To Catch Larvae.MTS. YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. .How To Make A Fry Trap. YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. .Lanman, Hennie. Breeding Clown Fish Part 1-3. N.p.: n.p., 2002. Print.Lukan, Elizabeth M., ed. Animal-World. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. .Michael, Scott W. "Clownfish Breeding." FishChannel.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. .Stratton, Richard F. Clownfishes. Neptune City: T.F.H. Publications, 2000. Print."TangsFire." Amazon.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. ."Vossen Larval Trap." Etsy. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. .Wittenrich, Matthew L. Breeder's Guide. Neptune City: T.F.H. Publications, 2007. Print.http://www.fishbase.org/summary/11837Work Cited