Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion ocellaris (false perc)

General
Species: Amphiprion ocellaris
Social Structure: mated
Size of Individuals: female (3.5"?) male (2.25")
Age of Individuals: unknown
Date added to Tank: Sept 13th 2009.  Moved in March 2010.

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank: 15gallon
Substrate Details: bare bottom
Filtration Details:   airstone in tank.  On a system with: Bio-Balls, Live Rock, and algal scrubber.  No skimmer
Water Changes:  10gal/week.  5 gal from a quick siphon of all the tank bottoms.  5 gal for starting a new nanno culture.
Water Temperature: 80.1
Lighting: 1 4' T8 for 4 15gal tanks.
Lighting Cycle: 14on, 10off
Other Tank Inhabitants: none.  Well, their are quite a few sponges growing on the walls now.

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types: pellets. Frozen squid,shrimp, clams, fish flesh, vegetable gelatin food, all chopped in food processor.  Enriched with super selco.  Mysis and Cyclops cubes, or cyclop-eze.
Feeding Schedule: 3 times daily M-F, Once a day Sat and Sun

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn: Oct 8th 2009
Dates of Consecutive Spawns: Used to be 10-11 days between spawns.
   Most recent: March 7th, 20th, April 1st.

Larval Tank Details
Temperature: 78-80  (Liking 78 best)
Size of Larval Tank: 17.5 BRT half full
Substrate Details: bare bottom
Other Tank Decor: air stone, thermometer, heater
Filtration Details: none.  Sponge filter after meta
Lighting: T12.  One T12 for two BRT's, 1' above the BRT's.
Lighting Cycle: 14on, 10off
Water Changes: 33%day starting on day 3 or 4.  4 gallons out, 4 dripped in each day.  Drip rate is about 1/3 gal/hour.

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types: rotifers enriched with algamac, Otoheim, BBS
Feeding Schedule: rotifers fed when cleared. Oto A day 3-13, Oto B1 day 8-20, B2 day 14- ,C1 day 25-.  BBS day 5-8, 10, and 12.
  Sometimes the rofiters grow faster than the larvae can eat them.  In this case I just keep the water green with live nanno.  Sometimes the rotifers get completely cleared every 4 hrs, in which case I seive some out with a 53um net, enrich 30min, and add them.

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Metamorphosis: day 13 @78F, day 9 @ 80F.      2nd stripe day 14-16.
Date of Settlement: not sure

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature: 80.1
Size of Grow-Out Tank: various.
Substrate Details: bare bottom
Other Tank Decor: air stone
Filtration Details: on same system as broodstock
Lighting: same
Lighting Cycle: 14on/10off
Water Changes: 10gal/week (~ 3%)
Size at Transfer: They stay in the same tank from hatch to sale.
Age at Transfer N/A

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types: Otoheim foods, flake, and frozen, cyclop-eze for color.
Feeding Schedule: M-F 3 times daily, S&S 1 time daily

Additional Information
Miscellaneous Information:

So I had a couple sucessfull hatches at first.  Then screwed up 4 in a row for various reasons.  Had a hatch Last night that are still alive!!  I'll try and update this with more info soon.

Today is day 9 for these little guys.  There were some initial die off's, and some expected to take place soon, as they make there way through metamorphosis.

I saw some die soon after feeding BBS, not sure if it was meta, or a poorly decapsulated brine shrimp.  I need some sodium-hypochlorite, the calcium-hypochlorite doesn't show a clear color change when the eggs are ready to be washed.

Sorry for the poor picture quality, I don't have a camera, just the one on my cell phone :/

Good work.  FWIW, I try to get mine on flake foods ASAP.  I only give them NHBS for a few days then start with Otohime A and finely crushed flake foods, that seems to work well for me.

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

Thanks Tal,
  I was thinking of something like that.  Wasn't sure how many days was best for BBS feeding.  I start crushed flake at day 3, so they should know what it is by now.  I'll try only feeding the BBS for three days.  I'd like to get Otohime A, as well as the other Otohime's, but am waiting till I can buy the large quantities.

They mention in Nutrient requirements of ornamental fish (found in your reading guide) that, "the optimum time of weaning on a dry formulated feed was found to be between 15 and 20 days after hatch" for A percula.  They don't mention how they determined optimal though.  Maybe its buried later in the paper somewhere.

I think your method is quite accepted by today's breeders Tal, its what I plan to do.  What are your opinions on this?

Scott have you submitted reports for these events so you can get your MBI Points?

Chad Penney - MBI Council
Agis quod Adis

I don't know about these reports, I'll read around the site a little and try to fill them out.  Thanks for the heads up.

Just a little update:
  I've got another set at 4 days old today.  They are still on rotifers and greenwater.  Their 1st 30% water change happened today.
  Due to heating issues, I had to put the last batch on flow through with the system at day ~12.  Turns out, that flushes the food out too fast.  I think I starved most of them.  Another thing on the 'what not to do' list.  I have high hopes for this next batch.

Check out: http://www.masm.org/mforums/tm.aspx?m=33459

Submitting the reports is what gains you points toward MBI Award levels.

For full details on the MBI see this forum: http://www.masm.org/mforums/tt.aspx?forumid=88

Chad Penney - MBI Council
Agis quod Adis

Yeah, I get mine on Oto and flake asap.  I've been adding shaved Cyclopeeze to the latest batch since I'm getting excellent coloration feeing it to my older juveniles.  I rarely have losses after the first day or two.  I've been having a tougher time getting them to hatch lately though. 

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

Moved the pair over to Albany.  They were separated from their eggs/flower pot for ~3hrs during the transfer.  I brought the objects from their tank to Albany with them.  They laid eggs Sunday.

Eggs hatched the night of my birthday (March 15th).  Left them with the parents for the hatch; it went well.  Siphoned 1/2 with airline, 1/2 with a 0.5" hose.  Saturday was day 5, and deaths were very minimal.  I didn't notice the usual crowd of larvae to siphon off the bottom.  Drip water changes started on day 3.  4gallon drips, about 1/3 tank volume per day. 

I was a little short on phyto, so I resorted to enriching rotifers with them and feeding many times a day;  Rather than my usual greenwater technique.  Seems to be working OK, but, there are many 'side suckers'.  For such a robust species, it seems acceptable.

Pair laid another clutch of eggs this evening.  13 days after their last spawn.  It's the longest this pair has gone between spawns during my record keeping.

I haven't tried leaving the eggs with the parents until they hatch, I've always transferred them prior to hatch time. That seems to work well for me.

IMO, the "greenwater" technique is more for the visual aspect of the larvae. If the water is too clear the larvae spend too much energy chasing after rotifers that are too far away, hence expending more energy hunting down food than using it to grow. Just my theory though.

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

Hatch from the 15 is doing really well!  Today was day 10.  So far about 15 have died; some days 5 died, some days 0.  Went with Tal's recommendation and did BBS only shortly.  It makes sense, as they aren't as nutritious as the otoheim.  Although, they do eat more ferociously with BBS than the oto.

Tank temp 77F.  Drip Water changes ~50%daily.  Oto A started day 3.  BBS day 5,6,7,8.  Oto B1 started Day 8.

By day 7 or 8 they all had a nice dark black color.  Now since I stopped the BBS, they are all much lighter colored.  Is it that they are nearing meta, and loose the black?  Or is it from a food change?

Must be at least 200 alive.  1 side of the tank is light blue, they stick to that side a lot.  Note to self, always use dark colored larval tanks :-)

Scott,

As soon as mine are big enough I start them on frozen Cyclopeeze from Argent. That makes all difference in the world as far as color, IMO. 

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

~10% have head stripes today.  Its Day 13 today.  That is pretty late for meta.  Still have around 200 larvae though, estimated.  Maybe it was the 78F water temp?

I fed them some 24hr post hatch enriched brine shrimp just now.  I thought the larvae were going to explode!  The little buggers just kept packing them in

Well, by nightfall, 99% of the 13 day old's have their head stripe.  I did another estimate, 175 this time.  Moved them to a BRT today.  This one is Blue :/, they only had 2 black ones, and I needed 4.  They are off Oto A, and onto OtoB1 and a little B2 now.

Here they are, with my cellphone cam :/


Had another hatch tonight.  Did the 'leave eggs with the parents, and siphon the larvae out' thing, as I had such good luck last time.  The larvae didn't look too great, a lot were on the bottom in the broodstock tank.  That is a bad sign right?  We will see.  Anyway, have them in a BRT w/ 10gal 1.020 water 80F.  Live Nanno, Rotifers.  I let them have light for ~30mins as I was transferring them.  Lights will come on at 6am for them to feed (6 hrs of darkness).  Airstone on really lightly.

March 15th Hatch-
The juvies who were transferred to the BRT did well, no deaths.  Sponge filter doing well.  Removed 2nd airstone tonight.  Just the one in the sponge filter remains.  Fish seem happier that way.

Barring:
On day 14 ~2% had a second bar.  Day 15 ~50% have second bar. 

Feeding:
Still eating Oto B1.  Completely off oto A by day 14.
Starting B2 a little; the large pieces are still too big for them.
est 175 alive

March 28th Hatch-
2 days old today!  Looking good.  Some boddies litter the bottom on the BRT.  I siphon them daily.  There seem to be a good number that are alive, but on the bottom, which makes siphoning the dead tricky!  Rots multiplying faster than they are being eaten.  1L nanno added daily.  Old t.iso enriched rots added at breakfast today.  Est 150 alive

March 15th hatch (17 days old today)
I've continued my 5g a day siphon and drip.  The siphoned water goes into my broodstock system for recycling.  The 5g drip comes from the broodstock.
By day 16 99% had their 2nd bar.
Eating all but the biggest pieces of B2.  oto B1 is getting a little small for them now.

March 28th hatch (4 days old today)
Until today, the rotifers were multiplying faster than the larvae could eat them.  Today I added a bunch of t.iso enriched ones 3 times! and they ate them all each time.  Crazy change in eating. 
Started a sprinkle of oto A on day 3.
Started their 5g siphon/drip today.
They are in a Black Round tub, and really seam to love the walls :-(

March 15th hatch (21 days old today)
3 deaths over the past few days, not bad.  Drip continued.

March 28th hatch (8 days old today)
Lots of deaths, prob 20.  I've been away for long periods during the day.  I bet its a lack or enough rotifers.  They are on otoA though, which they are fed many times a day.

March 15th Hatch (23 days old today)
  Tail stripes at day 23, woohoo!

March 28th Hatch (10 days old today)
  Went through meta at day 9.  Must have been the 80F water.  Huge losses at meta, ~50survivors.  No BBS used in this batch.  I had great luck with 78F and BBS for a few days.  Maybe I'll try that again.

March 15th Hatch (25 days old today)
  Loving live.  No deaths lately.  Still 175 estimated fishes.  Started cyclopeze yesterday.

March 28th Hatch (12 days old today)
  Some more deaths.  About 25 left.  Fed some enriched BBS today.  I'm going to use BBS in small amounts on my next few batches.

April 9th Hatch (Born today!)
  5 min soak in 3x normal dose of formalin/malachite green.  Scraped as many sponges off the pot as possible.  Remote hatch.  Air bubbles hitting eggs directly.  95% hatch rate.  Air flow reduced and pot pulled after hatch.  They are in 8 gal of broodstock water @78F in a 17.5g BRT.

March 15th Hatch (29 days old today)
  Done recording data for this hatch for a while.  No deaths in a long time.  Great looking fish!

March 28th Hatch (16 days old today)
  Sponge filter added.  No deaths lately.  2nd bar today

April 9th Hatch (4 days old today)
  I was a bit short on rotifers for this hatch due to my cavilear attempt to grow rotifers with algamac.  Siphoned ~30 from the bottom this am.  Looks like a pretty good batch though.  My first with algamac pp as an enrichment.  BBS start tomorrow, good thing, as they ate up almost all my rotifers.

Pair spawned again April 11th.  They're back to their fast pace again; 10 days between spawns on this one.

With the excitement of my sunrise dottyback spawn yesterday, I forgot to hatch the ocellaris eggs :-(.  Ohh well, 10 days isn't too long to wait.

March 28th Hatch (23 days old today)
  The survivors are doing well.  I noticed their third bar today, although it might have been there earlier.

April 9th hatch (11 days old today)
  Hit meta at day 10-11.  At 78F, quicker than my last batch at 78f, odd.  They are looking great though, big batch.

Took some pics with a borrowed camera today.  I'll get them onto a cd and try to upload some tomorrow.

Parents:
The male is much more red than the female


March 28th Hatch




April 9th Hatch

Any Updates?

Chad Penney - MBI Council
Agis quod Adis