Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant

General
Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Social Structure: Dominant mated pair with non-sexual adolescents
Size of Individuals: currently 3/4" - 1", adult size 3"
Age of Individuals: 4.5 - 6.5 months
Date added to Tank: October 20, 2009

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank: 40 gallon breeder (divided), 20 gallon tall, 22 gallon sump
Substrate Details: bare bottom, sump has 1" live argonite and 25 lbs live rock
Filtration Details: 3 HOB penguin biowheels, dyi wet/dry, sump/refugium
Water Changes: weekly 5 gallon
Water Temperature: 79-80 degrees
Lighting: stock florescent, sump dual 18 watt power compacts actinic/10k, moonlight leds
Lighting Cycle: 12 hours with 2 hours additional moonlight
Other Tank Inhabitants: none

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types: Varied flake, frozen brine
Feeding Schedule: Flake food 4-5 times a day, frozen brine twice a week

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:

Larval Tank Details
Temperature:
Size of Larval Tank:
Substrate Details:
Other Tank Decor:
Filtration Details:
Lighting: 
Lighting Cycle:
Water Changes:

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:
Feeding Schedule:

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Metamorphosis:
Date of Settlement:

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature:
Size of Grow-Out Tank:
Substrate Details:
Other Tank Decor:
Filtration Details:
Lighting:
Lighting Cycle:
Water Changes:
Size at Transfer:
Age at Transfer

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types:
Feeding Schedule:

Additional Information
Miscellaneous Information:

(Originally posted October 12, 2009)

And so it begins. Actually, it began about five years ago.

I was living in Bloomington, Indiana at the time. Nano-reefs were the new frontier in reef keeping and every discussion board was filled with hobbyists discussing cubes cracking or pods overheating. I had gone with the 12 Gallon Nanocube myself and after a few months of cycling I took at trip out to Inland Aquatics to do some stocking. I set out that morning to buy some soft corals but I ended up with a new appreciation for the art of clownfish breeding. I went home with a pair of "Onyx" Percs for $499.

A few years later, I found myself stocking a new reef system and had fallen in love with the unique quality of the "Picasso" Percula. There was a huge waiting list at my LFS to obtain one. After a 6 month wait, my LFS called to tell me they had some ORA Grade A Picasso Percs in stock. The selection was terrible.

That had settled it for me. I was tired of waiting and sick of the ridiculous prices for mediocre specimens. I've had over twenty years of experience in this hobby. How hard can breeding Picasso Clownfish be?

(Originally posted October 12, 2009 and have changed some of the fundamental design concepts since then)

The Design Concept

I'm going to fast forward a bit. I've moved back to Delaware now. I've read Joyce Wilkerson's book cover to cover. I've also followed other people's logs as they try to adventure into aquaculturing marine fish. Here's my design concept for the Brood Stock Tank with an attached Grow-Out Tank.



So what I've done here is piggyback a 20 Gallon Tank onto a 40 Gallon Breeder Tank and 22 Gallon Sump/Refugium. Water begins in the Sump/Refugium where it is pumped at 300 gph into the 40 Gallon Breeder. As the water level rises, water is transported through a 1" Gravity Siphon into the 20 Gallon Tank. As the water fills the 20 Gallon tank, it dumps into an overflow box which funnels it back down through a wet/dry filter into the Sump/Refugium.

(Originally posted October 12, 2009)

DIY Components

Stands - So what fun would this be if I didn't make some DIY mistakes along the way? The first disaster was trying to save money on the stands. I'm too embarrassed to post a pic of the PVC/Wood hybrid looking stands I made for under $20. They were level, I'll give them that. But there was no way they'd support the weight over time. I replaced them with some steel stands I got at the Home Depot for $50 that can support 1,000 lbs per shelf.

Wet/Dry - I drilled a couple holes in a 4 inch PVC pipe and filled it with bioballs. BAM! Wet/Dry Filter.

22 Gallon Sump - This baby was a real steal at the Home Depot. I had to research plastics a bit but most food-safe plastics are safe. I drilled a hole for the Wet/Dry PVC pipe and a window for a coralife power compact light fixture. There's 1 inch of live argonite sand in there along with about 25 lbs of live rock.

(Originally posted October 12, 2009)

Tank Cycling/Initial Setup

40 Gallon Breeder Tank, 20 Gallon Grow-Out Tank, 22 Gallon Sump/Refugium.


40 Gallon Breeder with an Amphiprion ocellaris lending a hand with the cycling process.


She is a bit camera shy. And she is anxious to get back to her 90 Gallon once her job is done!


First Brown Diatom Algae growth on the Clay Flower Pot.


Lighting for 22 Gallon Sump/Refugium.


Live Rock and Live Sand Refugium.

09.09.09. DIY Stands assembled and Tanks put into position for leveling.
09.12.09 Tap water added for leak testing.
09.13.09 Tanks drained after discovering PVC shelving had "settled" almost 1/4" overnight and Breeder Tank appeared to be leaning diagonally forward. Broke down entire setup.
09.14.09 Consulted with my dad who was a mechanical engineer about the stands. Opted to scrap the DIY stands and purchased Home Depot steel stands rated for 1,000 lbs per shelf. Re-assembled. Filled with tap water.
09.15.09 Leak test passed. Added hardware and began circulating the water. Discovered design flaw with the DIY Gravity Siphon. I thought a 3/4" tube would easily transfer 300 gph. It didn't. The Gravity Siphon wasn't working fast enough. Went to Home Depot and upgraded to 1" tubing. That did the trick. Added Salt to the system.
09.16.09 Added Live Sand to the Sump.
09.25.09 Added Live Rock to the Sump.
09.27.09 Discovered a leak in the overflow box where it connects to the flex tubing. Fixed it.
09.28.09 Discovered another leak in the overflow box where it connects to the flex tubing. Fixed it.
09.30.09 Discovered yet another leak in the overflow box where it connnects to the flex tubing. Added enough Silicon to reinforce the Hoover Dam.
10.05.09 Added 5 year old Amphiprion ocellaris to assist with cycling.
10.08.09 Discovered first Brown Diatom Algae growth. Also noticed dozens of Copepods and Amphipods throughout the entire system. They had to have started in the Sump and expanded through a 325 GPH pump and the 1" Gravity Siphon!

(Originally posted October 20, 2009)

Final Preparations

This past Sunday I purchased six Picasso clowns!  They came from a breeder out of North Carolina and I'm able to trace the lineage back two generations for sure.

The paternal grandparents came from ORA (where they were selectively bred for who knows how long) and the maternal grandparents lived in the Solomon Islands. The next generation were the parents of my fish, a Snowcasso (from the ORA Picassos) and a WC True Perc (from the Solomon Islands percs). I think adding the Solomon Island fish into the mix helped with the gene pool a bit and also changed the color pattern slightly for the better.

With six fish on the way, I had decided to pair them from Day 1 within three separate broodstock tanks. To accomplish this, I built a DIY Divider for the 40 Gallon Breeder using eggcrate and plastic canvas sheets. I've also added some vibrant looking fake plants from Tetra that I'm hoping will make the fish feel more secure and encourage good coloration.

Here we have the DIY Divider and new Aquascaping:


Again the divider with some new inhabitants!


The little guys arrived around 10AM this morning via UPS overnight in breathable Kordon bags. Several of them actually looked quite happy, others were clearly in shock. But within minutes of beginning to acclimate they all looked fine. I couldn't believe that any of them had already formed any strong bonds so I took it upon myself to pair them up as I saw fit.

Michigan & Niles

The first pair I made was Michigan & Niles (these names probably aren't permanent, just an easy way for me to ID them for now.) I hate to show favoritism early on, but these are my favorite. Michigan looks like... well, Michigan. Niles has a beautiful flowing pattern from tail to midsection, like a winding river. The camera I'm using is digital and I'm forced to focus on the glass then move the camera forward a few inches in an attempt to get a clear focus. It's really hit or miss and I spent the most time trying to capture these two. Back to the pics!

Michigan & Niles


Good shot of Niles (lower right)


Good shot of Michigan (lower)


Spot & Blotch

I know the names are terrible and the pics are equally as bad. Of the three pairs, this was the only pair to show immediate signs of aggression and territory disputes. Spot appears to have taken over the flower pot and poor Blotch is hiding up by the heater. Spot is without a doubt the aggressor. It has a distinct spot in its white midsection which you really can't see in the pic. Blotch has a huge blotch of white on its cheek which you again can't make out in this pic.

Spot


Blotch


White Tip & Mako

The final pair is White Tip and Mako. They are the lone pair in the 20 Gallon and seem to like hiding out behind the flower pot rather than inside of it. White Tip has a completely white Dorsal Fin. It's not the only fish to have that characteristic but it was showing it off very proudly early on and I think it's going to look fantastic one day. Mako is a cool sounding shark name and I thought it went well with White Tip, thus the name.

White Tip & Mako


Finally I thought I'd leave you with some full tank shots. I've made sure to seal off every inch of the tanks since I'm prediciting some jumping that will be occuring over the next few months. I'm pretty proud of the new egg crate lid as well.

(Originally posted October 28, 2009)

The little Picassos have survived their first week with me after the big move. That means it's time for some new videos and log updates!

Of the three pairs, Michigan and Niles have clearly developed the strongest bond together. They appear perfectly comfortable leaving the confines of the flower pot and I took some video of them out for a swim together. All the fish are developing black now over their bodies, but Michigan in particular is showing dark black coloration bleeding off her bars.

Spot and Blotch are also progressing nicely. Spot now allows Blotch to share her swimming space and has stopped chasing him away from the flower pot. Blotch has developed dark black on his dorsal and tail fin. I'm really hoping that they end up turning completely black. You can see this coloration in the video.

White Tip and Mako don't seem to be getting along as much as when they were first introduced. In fact, the only time they interact is when they are defending the invisible territory line that they've established. I didn't paint the sides of the 20 gallon tank initially and I'm starting to think that I'm going to have to. The fish refuse to leave their comfort zone and will even pass on food if it's more than a body-length away. The upside of this is that I can take some great close-up video of the two of them!

Michigan & Niles


More Michigan & Niles


Spot & Blotch


White Tip & Mako

(Originally posted November 03, 2009)

Week two is in the books for the fish and it was a pretty busy week. I got around to painting the 20 gallon tank after being concerned that my third pair, White Tip and Mako, were having privacy issues(more on that later). I also rearranged the brood stock tanks slightly because the water flow was knocking around some of the decorative plants. The fish seem petty happy with the new arrangement but it has made taking photos and video a little more challenging with all their new hiding spaces. But the big event is the miniature jellyfish infestation.

On Saturday I did a water change. When I was done, I noticed a hydroid of some sort swimming in the sump. Upon closer inspection, I counted nearly a dozen of them. I've seen them before and wasn't too concerened. They've popped up and then disappeared within a few days in a few of my systems. 72 hours later, I'd estimate there are over 200 throughout the entire system. They are attaching to the walls and bottom. The fish don't seem to notice them and don't view them as a food source like the other little critters I see them hunting from time to time. If they're still around this Saturday, I'm going to siphon them out with the weekly water change. The sheer volume of them has me concerned. Back to the fish.

Not much to report on Michigan and Niles this week. Niles is spending a little more time on his own now that he has a new decorative plant forest in the corner of the tank. The only time I see him now is when he goes out for a swim around the tank perimeter or during feedings.

Spot and Blotch have really amazed me with their continuous color development. I know that this is mostly the normal Amphiprion percula color pattern that I'm seeing (referring to the black on the fins) but it's interesting that these two fish are developing at the same rate and the other pairs haven't begun this at all (with the exception of Mako). If you really take a look at the pictures I'm posting, you can clearly see that Spot and Blotch look significantly more mature than the other fish. Another really interesting thing is the appetite of these two. They are eating faster and more aggressively than any of the other pairs. Blotch (who I still presume to be the male based on behavior) has grown significantly. Spot is still the dominant fish, but I'm almost postive that Blotch is now as large, if not larger than Spot!

I think the painting did the trick because White Tip and Mako are finally spending a little time together. White Tip seems to get lonely and seeks out Mako every now and then just to give him a hard time. I'm a bit worried that Mako isn't eating enough. He's still afraid to leave his comfort zone and I see him looking at food eagerly but unwilling to go for it unless it's in his immediate vacinity.

Here are a few pics of the fish. I'll be posting videos later tonight when the camera is recharged.

Michigan


Michigan


Niles


Spot and Blotch


Spot and Blotch


Blotch


White Tip


White Tip

Nice setup.  I'd be uncomfortable with the gravity siphon.  Any reason you don't drill the tank and use a durso?  Also, how did you deal with they hydroids?

Are you from Niles, Michigan

Rook

Believe me, you're not the first person to ask about the gravity siphon.  To be honest, I've never drilled a tank before and I didn't want my first attempt to be on a new 40 gallon breeder!  I can assure you that there's no way that this siphon would ever slip.  It weighs too much when it's full of water and it's completely secured by the hood on the 20 tall.  And there hasn't been any air bubble accumulation in the last month that it's been running.  As long as Gravity remains constant on Earth, I should be ok!

I siphoned a majority of the hydroids out with the last water change.  They settled on the bottom and sides of the tank so it wasn't too difficult.  Here's what they look like from the underneath next to a nickle for reference.



I'm not from Niles, Michigan.  I had never heard of Niles, Michigan and it's honestly just a coincidence that I chose those names and then got invited into a breeding initiative based in Michigan! 

Nice setup and very detailed log so far. Keep up the good work!

Chad Penney - MBI Council
Agis quod Adis

Today marks the 21st day since the Picassos arrived.

Chris and Barb were kind enough to stop by this week for a visit and some frag swapping. One of the smallest Superman Mushrooms they traded me had detached in my reef tank and I've added it to the sump of the Broodstock system for good luck. I haven't shown a picture of the sump for over a month so I thought I'd document some of its progress as well. While I was taking pics of the new mushroom, two serpent stars emerged from the live rock to say, "hello."

Michigan and Niles continue to spend most of their time apart with the exception of the nightly perimeter swim prior to lights out. They have also begun to show a little aggression towards each other during feedings. There was no significant color development this week and they are clearly behind the other pairs in that regard.

Spot and Blotch continue to be the model brood stock pair. They interact constantly and depend on each other for protection when leaving the flower pot during feeding time. Their existing black bars continue to thicken on every fin and their bodies have taken a two-toned appearance where I predict they will eventually be all black. Blotch is officially my favorite fish and is turning out to be quite the handsome devil. I got a pretty good pic of Spot this week. First time the camera really did her justice.

White Tip and Mako have shown real progress this week. They spend most of their time apart but Mako does enter the bowl on a daily basis and puts up a good fight with White Tip. Mako is the only other fish with a black tail stripe and is also developing the two-toned look on his body. White Tip just started showing the first signs of black pigments appearing on her tail yesterday and I'm hoping to see some real difference there by next week.

Sump


Superman Mushroom & Serpent Stars


Michigan


Niles


Spot


Blotch


White Tip


Mako

One month has now gone by since I first got the Picassos! I know I promised pictures of another female showing black pigments on her tail this week but instead you get to see TWO!

I'm going to start referring to the fish pairs as Alpha, Beta and Gamma for easier documentation.

The Alpha pair (formerly Michigan & Niles) will get to keep their nicknames. The alpha female is "Michigan", the alpha male is "Niles".

The Beta pair (formerly Spot & Blotch) are getting a name revamp. Every time I looked at the beta male, I'd think "Spot". I view it as a masculine name. The name Spot could just as easily refer to the pigmentation on his face so I'm officially swapping names and will be referring to the beta male as "Spot". The beta female will be named "Helen", a tribute to her Spartan-like helmet and her fierce, warrior-like aggression.

The Gammas (formerly White Tip & Mako) will also see one minor name change. White Tip is not feminine enough to describe the gamma female fish's graceful beauty. I'm renaming her "Rose". Mako gets to keep his badass name.

The Alphas still aren't spending a whole lot of time together. I was very surprised to discover that the alpha female did infact develop some black pigmentation this week that I didn't even notice with my naked eye. I might need to rethink the aquascaping in that tank because I've inadvertantly created two distinct territories in the tank that might be contributing to the pair's behavior. Next week we should see some real improvement in her coloration.

The Beta pair is doing just fine but unlike a few weeks ago, it has become increasingly harder for me to tell if they have figured their gender roles out. The displays of aggression are practically non-existant. But when they do happen the Beta male appears to be the victor and the Beta female retreats. The fish have both grown to the same size and I really can't tell which is bigger. I'm still betting on Helen being the female based on the last month's worth of observation, but if I were to look at them today for the first time, I wouldn't be sure who was what.

The Gamma pair is spending a lot of time together. The gamma female, Rose, developed black pigmentation on her tail this week. It's not as obvious as I was hoping it would be but I'm sure it will fill in fast now that the base is there. Mako has expanded his territory tremendously and I've seen him swim more than halfway across the tank during feedings. Picture time!

Alpha female, Michigan, with some new black pigmentation.


Michigan


Alpha male, Niles, being a pain to photograph.


The evasive Niles.


Beta female, Helen.


Beta male, Spot.


Spot likes to ruin every picture by swimming vertically at the last second...


The Gammas, Rose and Mako.


Here we can see black developing on Rose's Caudal Fin.


Note the white coloration bleeding onto Mako's Pectoral Fin.

It's been 5 weeks now since I first got the Picassos.

The Alpha male finally developed black pigmentation on his Cadual fin. He was the last to develop it and now all the fish are sporting black on their tails to some extent. The Alpha female's black pigments on her tail fin extended quite a bit this week as was expected.

Nothing new to report with the Beta pair.

The Gamma male used to spend a lot of time rubbing up against the lips of the clay pot and it has irritated his skin under his belly. There is huge lump that is visible in the pictures. I'm assuming it will heal over time but I'm keeping a close eye on it. I'd hate for it to get infected. The Gamma female's tail pigmentation also continued to fill in.

The next color development I'll be keeping an eye out for will be the Pectoral Fins. I'm pretty sure they are the last to develop. The Beta pair already has their Pectoral Fins completely filled in. The Alpha female and Gamma male may be showing the first signs of color developing there but it's too soon to say for certain.

I'll be posting some video later today.

Alpha Female


Alpha Female


Alpha Male


Beta Female


Beta Female


Beta Male


Beta Male


Gamma Female


Gamma Female


Gamma Male

Week 6

The Alpha female is spending more time out of the flower pot visiting with the male.  I'm not sure if he is not allowed in the flower pot or just not interested in it.  The Alpha female definitely filled in color on her fins.

Nothing new with the Beta pair.

I spotted the Gamma pair exploring their entire tank this week.  The sore that I was keeping an eye on has completely healed on the male and you can see the difference in the pics.

Alpha Female


Alpha Female


Alpha Male


Beta Female


Beta Male


Gamma Female


Gamma Male

Week 7

Alpha female continues to color up her pectoral fins.  Her tail fin filled out nicely.  Alpha male has definitely moved out of the fake plant forest and has adopted the HOB filter intake as his new territory.  Using the flower pot and filter intake as a reference I'd say the female is now over 1.5" in length and the male is just over 1".

The brief confusion I had over the gender roles of the Beta pair seems to be resolved.  The original female has put on some weight and is once again firmly in charge of the duo.

The Gamma pair hardly spends any time apart.  The female's coloration on her tail fin seems to have stalled out for now.

I'm heading to DPA this afternoon to stock up on some supplies.  The fish are doing a better job of moving to the food and I think they can handle some higher quality frozen options.

Alpha Female


Alpha Male


Beta Female & Male


Beta Female & Male


Beta Male


Gamma Female & Male


Gamma Female

Let me begin by saying there is no way that my fish are cleaning a nest site. They are simply way too young.

Now that I've said that, has anyone had a pair of clownfish display nesting behaviors before they reached adulthood? Is this just an instinctual thing that indicates this pair may one day be very productive?

Fun fact... the male parent of these fish, Uno, was 8 months old when he first spawned and my fish are now approximately 6-8 months old. But he was paired with an older female.

Does this look suspicious to anyone?

They look to me like they're starting to get in the groove.  No idea how long it will take them to be productive but I'd say it's a good sign.
 
BTW, did you see your fish when they were a month or so old?  I'm curious as to how quickly they get their stripes.  My regular A. percula take significantly longer to stripe than my A. ocellaris.  If yours have that much coloration at 6-8 months they stripe quicker than regular perculas.  Hopefully I'll have some offspring from my Picassos soon so I can see for myself.
 
 

http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage
"Making captive breeding easier."

I haven't seen any baby pictures but I'm sure there are some in Woodstock's Picasso Breeding Log over on the RC forums.  I'm starting to think that stripe development is more dependent on the individual's gene pool more so than the species itself.

I remember reading somewhere that percs develop their stripes sooner than occy's but in your experience the opposite seems to be the case.  I saw ORA semi-picassos percs at my LFS the other day that were clearly older than my fish based on their size.   They were probably 2-2.5" long but had no black development on any fin at all.

Now would be a good time to point out that I don't know how old my fish were when I got them.  Based on Doni's website, she sells that at 4-6 months old.  I really think they are too small to be more than 6-8 months but I'm definitely still a novice at this.  That's part of the reason why I'm keeping a weekly photo log.  I suppose my fish could be older but I don't think it's very likely.

Tal, do me a favor.  Take an educated guess at the age of my fish based on your experience.

If you scroll down there is a pic of one of her spawns at only 2 months.... most of them have a significant amount of coloring.  That is when she sorts them.

http://donisreef.com/about.html

Percs definately stripe slower than occys.  I looked all over RC and couldn't find "Woodstock".  I did find a Picasso thread that had pics of a 3 month old showing full stipes but not full coloration, pretty cool.

http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage
"Making captive breeding easier."

My bad, here's the link.  This thread probably has everything documented in it. 

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/livestock-breeding/32474-rearing-picasso-percula-clownfish.html

I'm not an expert but I'd say you're proably pretty close with you 6-8 month estimate. 
 
A lot depends on diet.  One of my percs was known to be 2 yrs old and still about an inch when I got the pair... since I've been feeding them every 4 hours he's grown quite a bit.

http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage
"Making captive breeding easier."

Week 8

The broodstock are officially 2 months older than when I first got them.  I'm guessing they are now between 6-8 months old.  Some of the males might be capable of reproduction at this point so it's time to start fattening the fish up.  I've begun feeding mysis and brine shrimp daily in addition to their flake diet.  The males are still a little too small for mysis but the females seem to have no trouble chowing down.

The alpha pair continues to spend 99% of their time apart.  The female will occassionally take a trip out to visit the male, but he has no interest in joining her inside the flower pot.  I'm guessing the problem is with the male.  It's too early to tell but I have a feeling I might need to replace him down the road if he doesn't show improvement.

The beta female is getting fat.  Real fat.  The beta male is starting to look pretty scrawny but I'm realizing it's just in comparison to her growth spurt.  He has become pretty intimidated by her and no longer challenges her authority.  They have decided that they are no longer willing to take photos so from here on out it's going to be more tricky to photograph them.

The gamma pair is going to be the first to breed, I'd wager on it.  They are still a few weeks behind the betas in terms of color and size but these two are acting on mating instincts already.  I snapped a couple pics of them behaving as if they were tending an egg clutch.  They routinely clean sections of their pot together.  The male is beyond the point of just following her around and wants to have constant physical contact with her.  He'll swim up to her and nudge different parts of her body.  I think they are at least 6-8 months away from their first spawn but these are very encouraging signs.  The male continues to do his trick where he plays dead.  I'm certain that he is healthy, he just likes to make me nervous.

Alpha Female


Alpha Male


Beta Female


Beta Male


Gamma Pair


Gamma Pair


Mako's "Trick"

Week 9

For the first time I witnessed the alpha and beta pairs indicating that they were aware of their neighbors.  All four fish congregated along their respective sides of the divider and swam together for a few minutes.  It looked to be more of a family reunion then a territorial dispute and none of the fish were displaying any signs of aggression.  This could become a problem down the road if either of the pairs feels that the other is encroaching on their territory.  I'll keep an eye on it.

The alpha female continues to seek out the male and is spending more time outside of the flower pot.

Nothing new to report on the beta pair.

The gamma female seems to be developing a very pointy chin and the male continues to play dead.  But overall the couple looks good.

Alpha Female


Alpha Male


Beta Female


Beta Male


Gamma Female


Gamma Male

Great documentation so far..Keep us posted.

Chad Penney - MBI Council
Agis quod Adis

Thanks!  I think these guys still have a long way to go.  I might have to start a breeding journal for my nerite snails.  They're breeding all over the place in my reef tank.

Are they just laying egg? or are you actually getting young snails in your tank?

Chad Penney - MBI Council
Agis quod Adis

I have counted dozens of babies that pop up at night.  Most of them look like this.

Week 10

The alpha female seems determined to win the affection of the alpha male.  I'm starting to think that he has a hidden agenda.  The more he ignores her, the more she seems to want to swim in his presence.  Good for him.

Nothing new with the betas.

The gamma male's sore has returned with a vengeance.  He continues to rub against the surface of the pot and it's so abrasive that it's actually damaging his body.  I took some photos that show what I'm talking about.  But besides the minor injury, he appears to be in good spirits and is gaining a little weight.  The couple was being pretty playful this evening so I took some photos of them goofing around.

Alpha Pair


Beta Male


Beta Male


Beta Female


Gamma Male's Injury


Gamma Male


Gamma Female


Mako bumps Rose


Rose sits on Mako


Good pic of the Gamma's size difference

Week 11

Only two updates this week.  The Beta Female ate a record 21 brine shrimp at once and the Gamma Male's injury has healed up again.

Alpha Female


Alpha Male


Beta Female


Beta Male


Gamma Female


Gamma Male

Keep up the great work!

Chad Penney - MBI Council
Agis quod Adis

21 BS at once?  She's gonna explode! LOL

http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage
"Making captive breeding easier."

I couldn't believe it.  I usually only feed 3-4 brine or mysis shrimp per fish.  That particular female was going after the food so aggressively that I was worried her male might not be getting enough to eat and I decided to do a little experiment to see how much she'd actually consume.  Next week I'm going to get a head-on shot of her so you can see just how big her belly is getting.

A couple meals, once a day for 1-2 days, of enriched live brine usually kick my pairs into spawning mode. 

http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage
"Making captive breeding easier."

This couple is definitely going to be the first to spawn. Just look at Rose's cleaning instincts kicking in. The funny part is every time Mako comes around the corner he is like, "it would probably be better if I just gave her some time alone."

Week 14

Coraline algae has begun popping up all over the brood stock system.  I'm a little surprised that it can grow under the stock florescent lighting.  I'm taking it as a sign of good water quality.

The Alpha pair is finally spending more time together but all of it is well outside the female's established territory.  It seems that the male is reluctantly approaching the flower pot a little more each day so I think they are headed in the right direction.  Still this couple is far behind the other two in that department.

The Beta female is nearly double the size of the male.  The male has recently begun spending time inside the flower pot with the female.  For the last couple of months, he was only allowed to hang out just outside of the pot so this is a good development.

The Gamma's have learned how to eat off the surface of the tank.  The two will swim up to the surface together but it still takes them a few attempts before they manage to get any food.  The male was evicted from the pot for a few days, I'm not sure why.  But he is back now. 

Alpha Pair


Beta Pair


Gamma Pair

Week 18... MEGA UPDATE!!!

It's been one month since my last update so I put a bunch of stuff together for this week.  On a personal note, I've been donating my time at the Food Bank of Delaware.  We feed approximately 250,000 people a year (1 in 4 Delawareans), mostly children.  It's an epidemic and I'm proud to be part of the solution.  Back to the fish.

The brood stock are approximately  8.5-10.5 months old now.  Of the three pairs, two seem to be doing very well.  Unfortunately, the Alpha pair has not bonded to the same extent of the Beta or Gamma pairs.  The Alpha female has rejected her male and he is not ascending into the social order.  He remains a non-sexual juvenile, lacking the coloration and body development of the other males.  The Alpha female remains a beautiful specimen and I'm already making plans with another breeder to find her a replacement male.  On the plus side, this may eventually lead to a healthier gene pool and variety in her offspring.

The Beta pair has begun displaying the same cleaning behavior that the Gammas have been doing for over a month now.  They take turns twitching and cleaning the bottom most portion of the clay pot.

The Gamma male has developed more than any other fish in the last month.  He has put on significant weight, developed deep coloration and my pictures don't do justice to how handsome this fish has become.

The following pictures and videos were taken with the assistance of a florescent light.  If the fish appear spooked, it's because they are.

Alpha "Pair"


Alpha Female


Alpha "Male"


Beta Pair


Beta Female


Beta Male


Gamma Pair


Gamma Female


Gamma Male


Alpha Pair


Beta Pair


Gamma Pair

Week 22

I'm quickly developing some bad habits as I try to put the brood stock out of my mind for now. I'm falling way behind on weekly water changes and the poor fish are not getting fed nearly as often as they had become accustomed to. My best guess is that the fish are now 9-11 months old.

The alpha male continues to be the runt of the liter. He hasn't developed in months. The female continues to chase him away from her territory but occasionally seeks him out for some companionship.

The beta and gamma pairs are the most likely to produce some offspring. The beta pair seems to be more developed, especially when it comes to the female having a fatter belly. However, the gamma pair seems to be displaying more cooperative behavior. It's a toss up as to who will spawn first. The gamma male looks like he is getting a little heavier. I noticed his anal fin has a gap between the black coloration today which I think it's a result of the fin growing recently.

Alpha Female


Alpha Female


Alpha Male


Alpha Male


Beta Pair


Beta Pair


Beta Female


Beta Female


Beta Male


Beta Male


Gamma Female


Gamma Female


Gamma Male


Gamma Male