Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion ocellaris (Common Clownfish / False Percula Clownfish / Nemo etc...)

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mPedersen
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Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion ocellaris (Common Clownfish / False Percula Clownfish / Nemo etc...) - Tuesday, January 26, 2010 11:30 PM
Breeding Journal DataSheet for Amphiprion ocellaris

General
Species: Amphiprion ocellaris
Social Structure: Male/Female pair
Size of Individuals: Female almost 3", Male 2" at most.
Age of Individuals: unknown, but at least 3-5 years
Date added to Tank: Apr 17, 2008

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank: 24 gallon nanocube   
Substrate Details: live sand
Filtration Details: stock filtration.  One of the tanks they lived in had a Remora C Skimmer
Water Changes: 25% weekly
Water Temperature: 78-82F     
Lighting: one was metal halide, second tank stock PCs
Lighting Cycle: at least 12 hours on, always on a timer
Other Tank Inhabitants: too many to mention.  Of special note, this pair of fish was very agreeable with most other fishes.  They would push dragonettes away from the nest if they got to close.  They pretty much ignored a pair of Chrysiptera starkii (Starki Damselfish) that shared their tank.  The ONLY problems I had was these fish sharing their tank with Dwarf Angelfish.  Initially, they were placed in my SPS tank with my breeding harem of Centropyge agri.  The Centropyge bothered them without end.  Due to the constant harassment, I moved this pair into another 24 gallon nanocube.  Later on, when trying to pair up 2 juvenile Centropyge bicolor, I kept one of the specimens with the Ocellaris pair.  Once again, the Centropyge bicolor did nothing but harass the pair incessantly.

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types: Anything they could eat.  Formula 1 and 2 pellets and frozen.  Rod's Food.  Frozen adult brine shrimp and mysis shrimp.  Cyclopeeze. Squid.  Spirulina Flakes
Feeding Schedule: Mutliple (3-4) feedings daily.

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn: First spawn, Jun 26, 2008.  From first successful run, July 6th, 2008
Spawn Time of Day: evening (typically 5-6 PM)
Dates of Consecutive Spawns: Eventually, once this pair settled in, they spawned like clockwork every 10-11 days, barely missing a beat when moved from Chicago to Duluth, and once again when I sold the pair in late 2009, they were spawning within a week or two again.
CourtShip Details: Pair cleans the nest area actively the day of spawing.  Female's ovipositor extends a few hours before mating
Egg Size: maybe 2mm in length?
Egg Color: unlike most ocellaris clownfish, this pair spawned CLEAR eggs.
Egg Count: first spawn was small. Most spawns were probably 400-500 eggs.

Hatch Details
Hatch Date: First hatch July 5th, 2008.  First successful run hatched on July 14th, 2008
Hatch Time of Day: sometime after 12:30 AM / successful run 11:30 PM.
# Days after Spawn: Basically 8
Larvae Description: typical baby clownfish silvery with well developed eyes, mouth, gut, and a bit of yolk reserves.

Larval Tank Details
Temperature: 82F
Size of Larval Tank: 10 gallons
Substrate Details: none
Other Tank Decor: none
Filtration Details: none
Lighting: typical 18", 15 watt strip light
Lighting Cycle: probably 18 hours on.
Water Changes: none initially, used greenwater technique.

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types: rotifers, then baby brine and Otohime A
Feeding Schedule: with greenwater technqiue, constant.  Otohime offered a few times per day.

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start: first successful run, 7-26-2008
Days after Hatch: 12
Date of Settlement End: 7-28-2008
Description of Fry: at settlement, orange with a headstripe.  Middle and tailstripe come in later.

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature: 82
Size of Grow-Out Tank: 10 gallon at first, utlimately moved out of the larval tank and into a breeder net in a broodstock reef.
Substrate Details: none
Other Tank Decor: none
Filtration Details: none until in the broodstock reef
Lighting: same as above
Lighting Cycle: same as above
Water Changes: ultimately, as needed in the 10, and the broodstock reef got 25% weekly
Size at Transfer: maybe 1/4"
Age at Transfer: 36 days

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types: mostly Otohime and Cyclopeze
Feeding Schedule: 3 times daily.

Additional Information
Miscellaneous Information:

The full extent of my experiences with this first pair of Ocellaris was originally documented on MOFIB - http://www.marinebreeder....c.php?f=169&t=2451

The pair was a pair I got from a fellow hobbyist who had them breeding in a large (200 gallon or more) Reef Tank.  The pair hosted underneath a Monti. Cap, and was routinely badgered and attacked by the tangs in the reef.  The pair had been in this hobbyist's posession for at least 3-4 years.  Admittedly, this was probably the "easiest" breeding project I've undertaken to date.

Here's some pictures

Spawning


19 hours post hatch, at 10X magnification


16 days post hatch


31 days post hatch, still in the 10 gallon larval tank


February 14th, 2009, 7 months post hatch, 3/4" in length



cmpenney
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion ocellaris (Common Clownfish / False Percula Clownfish / Nemo etc...) - Wednesday, January 27, 2010 7:18 AM
Matt did you keep the broodstock in with the juv. Banggai?
Chad Penney - MBI Council
Agis quod Adis

mPedersen
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion ocellaris (Common Clownfish / False Percula Clownfish / Nemo etc...) - Wednesday, January 27, 2010 9:15 AM
Ah yeah, those first pictures on the MOFIB thread.  Yes, for a few days they did go in with my baby banggais.  IIRC, I had to shuffle some clowns around before I could house the Ocellaris Pair in the SPS tank.

Chelle's Ocean
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion ocellaris (Common Clownfish / False Percula Clownfish / Nemo etc...) - Tuesday, August 24, 2010 1:44 PM
So cool to see the growth within the timespan- thanks for the photos
Michelle