Breeding Journal, Species: Amphipirion percula

General
Species:  Amphipirion percula
Social Structure:  Only clownfish in system, bought as 1 inch juveniles and kept together since.  Have always had anemones since purchase
Size of Individuals:  male approx 2 inches, female approx 3 inches
Age of Individuals:  approx 7 years
Date added to Tank:  February 2006

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  125 gallon mixed reef tank
Substrate Details:  aragonite sand
Filtration Details:  typical reef tank setup with 75 gallon sump, mechanical and biogical filtration, refugium
Water Changes:  25 gallon monthly
Water Temperature:  79 degrees F
Lighting:  LED mixed blue and white (using 48 - 3 watt bulbs)
Lighting Cycle:  blue lights on at 0900, white on at 1030-2100, blue off at 2230
Other Tank Inhabitants:  Regal tang, yellow tang, 5 chromis, firefish, coral beauty, scooter dragonet, multiple shrimp, snails, few hermits

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  Various frozen foods including mysis shrimp, Rod's food, Marine cuisine, various flake and pellet (Ocean Nutrition)
Feeding Schedule:  Flake and pellet fed automatically at noon daily, frozen foods daily between 1700 & 1900

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  This spawn date was 2/23/13.  As I recall, the pair probably began at age 18 months?
Spawn Time of Day:  Current spawn approximately 1930
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  3/17/13, 4/6/13, 4/29/13! 5/20/13, 8/7/13, 8/31/13..... Pretty consistently about every 2-3 weeks
Courtship Details:  Mostly housecleaning the nesting site together
Egg Size:  1.5-2mm
Egg Color:  orange
Egg Count:  Most ever counted was over 400, current nest not certain as I can't see the entire area well

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  3/6/2013
Hatch Time of Day:  before dawn
# Days after Spawn:  12 days (during their 11th night post spawn)
Larvae Description:    approx 2mm larval fry, faintly pinkish coloration
Consecutive Hatch Dates:      10/27-28/2013 , 12/13/13,


Larval Tank Details
Temperature:  79 degrees F
Size of Larval Tank:  10.5x10.5x6.5" clear 2 gallon fishbowl
Substrate Details:  bare bottom
Other Tank Decor:  none
Filtration Details:  rigid airline bubbler to gently create circular water motion
Lighting:  indirect from frag tank
Lighting Cycle:  on 0800, off 2200
Water Changes:  50% every other day, ASW from main tank run through 53 micron filter
Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  rotifers enriched with RGComplete, and home grown nanno
Feeding Schedule:  daily to keep sufficient amount of prey in water for the fry, and greenwater added as needed for light tint

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:  11/10/13, 12/26/13
Days after Hatch:  14, 13
Date of Settlement End:  11/13/13, 12/27/13
Description of Fry:  Tiny white head stripe, more orange coloration of body (& more plump/rounded), and characteristic clownfish waddle as they swim

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature:  78.5 F
Size of Grow-Out Tank:  9 gallon rectangle Rubbermaid tub, doubles as frag tank
Substrate Details:  Bare bottom
Other Tank Decor:  Various frags
Filtration Details:  Plumbed to main sump with Maxijet 12000
Lighting:  12000K led 20w
Lighting Cycle:  On 1000, off 2200
Water Changes:  25% monthly as routine reef tank maintenance
Size at Transfer:  approx 9-10mm
Age at Transfer:  Approx 23 days old

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types:  Crushed Ocean Nutrition prime reef flakes, and TDO-A twice daily, bbs every other day
Feeding Schedule:  Dry twice a day, bbs every other day

Additional Information
(No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please)
Miscellaneous Information:  This pair has been faithful parents going on 7 years.  When I moved them from a 55 gallon tank into the current 125 gallon system, they spawned within 1 week.



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Videos of site preparation by the pair, and the subsequent nest.  Date of spawn was 2/23/13.

 

The eggs hatched last, 11th night after being laid. Seems like they have always hatched between the 9th and 11th night post spawn. I scooped up a couple from my sump for "evidence", but I currently am not culturing any Rotifers so won't be raising any larvae Right now (going to Germany in a few weeks to visit family). Within a couple of months I'm hoping to start raising them again.

So I collected some eggs on 10/27 from a nest due to hatch within a day or two, and placed them in my tumbler.  Most have hatched over the ensuing 2 days (about 20 yesterday, the remainder today) and are now in the kriesel with rotifers & a light greenwater.  I'm not certain how many I actually have, will try to get an estimate. The main nest from which these eggs were removed was completely hatched this morning (10/29).  

A short video of the fry in the kriesel, about 2 days old.
 

Today is day 5 since the first ones hatched (day 4) for the rest. I've found only 4 dead so far, and the rest are vigorous, seem to have fat bellies (to the naked eye), I've noticed some distinct feeding movements (curled tail, then quick dart forward). Had a power failure last night for about 90 minutes that made me nervous. Was just getting ready to set up my generator to run the bare minimums for my reef and other tanks when it finally came back on.

Fry are 1 week old today, given first feeding of decap nhbbs. Continuing to give rotifers, and maintain slit tint with greenwater. The little guys look healthy, very active. They are 3.5 - 4mm long.
 

Day 12 post hatch, I estimated about 50 or so in my kriesel.  Should be at meta very soon.  Some are swimming with the typical clownfish body movements.   All have very fat bellies!
 

Looks they have begun the settlement phase. Many today noted to have a small white head stripe. I think this is day 14 post-hatch. I'll try to get a photo or video up soon. Cute little things!

Here's a short video of the little clowns showing off their new white head stripes.  I think most are now through meta (I think I've noticed a couple that don't seem to have a stripe, and swim like larvae), I'll check tomorrow to see if there are any "late bloomers".  They are still in my 2 gallon kriesel, doing great.  I need to set up a growout system somewhere....
 

Ok, can't find any that don't have their head stripes, so looks like settlement is complete. Some have even developed a bit of attitude. Funny to see 7-8mm fish chasing each other & sparring off.

Today is day 10 post settlement.  Here's a brief video of the school of juveniles in their kreisel, now with a small piece of xenia to explore.  All are thriving, eating bbs & crushed Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef flakes.  Hope to get them into the growout soon (have to move the banggai's out.  Current length of the percs is about 1cm.
 

Well, major disaster. I did my usual 50% change yesterday, fed them the crushed flake in the evening which they devoured. This morning all but 4 were dead, and 2 of the survivors don't look great. Quick check of temp, ammonia, SG, were ok. Circulation was normal too, and the water looked nice & clear. The water change was done using ASW from my main tank us usual. I moved the remaining 4 to a breeders net in the frag tank, plumbed to the main tank.

I can't figure out the error yet, but know it was "operator error" as is usually the case in these occurrences. When i did the water change, all were active & healthy as usual. I wish I had a video surveillance system so I ccould play back my maintenance and see where I messed up! Hard to correct an unknown mistake....

Remaining 4 were dead this morning. I must have accidentally introduced something toxic to the tank to cause such a fast kill like that. More will be hatching this week.

Perhaps the 50% water change is a little much?  I don't ever do that large of a water change on any of my systems for any reason.  I prefer 10-20% water changes daily on clownfish past settlement.

-Rob

mrcobscorals.com

That has always been my routine approach using the small volume (2 gallon) kreisel, since it is a closed system with pretty large bioload. I've never had any problem using this approach with peppermint shrimp, banggai's, or previous clownfish rearing. And the ASW is temp matched since it comes from my main tank. The only other thing I can think of is that I can't recall if I washed my hands before getting into the kreisel. My hands are pretty well coated with hand sanitizer residue from work ( thanks JCAHO), and I did do the change right after getting home.

Hatching some more in the tumbler, about 50% hatched today, expect rest by tomorrow. The hatched larvae are in the kreisel now.

The larvae from the 12/13 hatch are doing good, currently 10 days post-hatch. The remainder of the eggs did not hatch the next day and were discarded. Hope for settlement within the next 3-4 days. They are robustly eating nhbbs & rotifers

Settlement for this small bunch (total of 9) is complete. Started yesterday with one noticed to have its head stripe. The rest all have now followed suit. Same as last group, this settlement was completed on day 14 post hatch.

Moved this small group (5 juvies) to the growout today. They are just shy of 1 month old now.

Some of the small group exploring a piece of potato chip coral in the growout/frag tank. 
 

One of my juvies at 54 DPS ( if I count correctly) who always camps out on top of the heater.

My 2 juvies at 62 dps, feeding time.
 
http://youtu.be/sf7BaCUAMVw

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ken

Hi Lrood first off the fry are so cute...
I just have a few questions for you and hopefully you can help.
When you collect the fry on hatch night and you put them into the fry tank do you leave it uncovered or do you cover it to fuse the light for the first 24hrs after they hatch?
What are your steps from hatch night to after they hit Meta?

Recently I have been pulling the eggs out 1 or 2 days before hatch, and hatching them in a tumbler (looks like a commercial brine shrimp hatchery). I have indirect lighting for my larval kreisel from an adjacent frag tank, but also have a small nightlight so that the tank is never completely dark. They are kept in the kreisel until meta. Feeding is with rotifers, with nhbbs starting on day 4-5. Within a week after meta, I try to get them into a growout (usually my frag tank). They also are being weaned to crushed flake & finely diced frozen by this time.

Hope this helps. It is really rewarding to raise these little guys. Good luck!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ken

Thank you.  I have only one little guy left from last weeks hatchings.