Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion frenatus

General
Species:  Amphiprion frenatus  (tomato clownfish)
Social Structure:  Pair
Size of Individuals:  9,5 cm 
Age of Individuals:  4,5 cm  
Date added to Tank:  January 18, 2009  

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  60 x 30 x 40 cm - 70L (~18g) hooked to a 700L (~185g) system
Substrate Details:  bare bottom
Filtration Details:  tanks > filter sock > sump > diy skimmer > return pump > bio tower or UV > tank
Water Changes:  mostly freshwater reposition
Water Temperature:  26C
Lighting: 1x 40 watt daylight T8 tube / rack of 4 tanks   
Lighting Cycle: 12L/12D  starting at 12:00  
Other Tank Inhabitants:  none

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  New life spectrum, cyclopeeze, home made frozen food, occasional frozen artemia and frozen mysis.
Feeding Schedule:  3 - 4 times/day. Mostly pellets and cyclopeeze, I need to feed them better...

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  ~1,5 years ago
Spawn Time of Day:  In the early afternoon, a couple of hours after lights going on.
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  There were several, didn't track of them (usually 1 or 2/month) . The one described here happened on August 2, 2011.
Courtship Details:  Not that intense, little cleaning activity the day before spawning.
Egg Size:  ~ 1 x 0,5 mm  
Egg Color: Bright red
Egg Count: ~100 eggs

Hatch Details
Hatch Date: 
Hatch Time of Day: 
# Days after Spawn: 
Larvae Description: 


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 Settlement Start: 
Days after Hatch: 
Date of Settlement End: 
Description of Fry: 

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
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Feeding Schedule: 

Additional Information

(No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please)
Miscellaneous Information: 
The pair usually eats the eggs the day after spawn. This (8/2/2011) is the first I remember that lasted more but the eggs seem to be infertile.


You will be required to provide photographic or video evidence in this thread of each event submitted for the MBI Program.
If your thread does not contain these photos the MBI Committee will not be able to approve your reports. PHOTOS AND VIDEO S MUST BE PLACED IN ADDITIONAL POSTS, NEVER IN THE FIRST POST IN A JOURNAL.

Anderson.

Here is the pic for this nest.

Sorry for the quality of the photos but it is kind of dark for the cheap camera... I'll try harder next time..

Attached Image(s)

Anderson.

Very nice to see some alternative species of clowns.  You need to post a few better pictures of the broodstock.
 
What is a bio-tower?

Rook

I'll try to take better pictures after hatching but with my camera that won't be easy. I'll try to put more light over them and see if the picture is any better.
 
Bio-tower = large diameter pipe full of bio-balls. Part of the water from the pump go through UV to the tanks and part enters the large pipe from above and ends in the sump again. Maybe I need to picture the whole system too.

Anderson.

There is a forum for system builds.

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

The better I could find until now is the picture before I bought them and a screen shot of video of the pair but the female has grown a bit since then.
2,5 years ago

 
Less old picture

 
Their skulls are not well shaped but I like them now.

Attached Image(s)

Anderson.

Nest was gone by the night of day 4. They looked infertile as no development could be seen.

Anderson.

August 14, 2011
  As expected, another nest exactly 12 days after the first one was laid. This interval has worked for my A. ocellaris as well. 
  This nest is larger than the previous one (almost double the size) and was laid on the floor deep inside the tile cave. 
 
   I'm slowly correcting water pH. I hadn't checked the pH for a long time until I filled in the report and got chocked (and embarrassed) to see it was down to 7,5... It is now 8,0 and I'll bring it up to 8,4 in a couple of days.

Anderson.

The nests keep coming every other week and are now partly fertile (some eggs with embryos and some infertile).

Anderson.

Just a few notes.
* Infertile eggs remain in their tile den so long that a second nest is laid and the male tries to tend both clutches. Let's see if fertility changes with the new paste: http://www.mbisite.org/Forums/fb.ashx?m=70969
 
* I just want to report how gentle the female is to the male, unlike my Oc's (black or orange). She is almost three times his size and if she got mad it would be an instant kill. Whenever he gets far from the den, she goes for him and gently nudge him back. I have even seen he doing the same to her and she obeyed. A gentle giant, that's how I see her.
The male oc's would envy the frenatus male life. lol
 
* And I do have rotifers again, they seem to like me so far.

Anderson.

Fertile eggs in the den !!!
I'll see if I pull a good nest in the next weeks.

Anderson.