Breeding Journal, Species: Elacatinus evelynae

General
Species:  Elacatinus evelynae
Social Structure:  pairs form from a group of 5 purchased
Size of Individuals:  about 1.5 inches
Age of Individuals:  unknown
Date added to Tank:  6/16/15

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  20 gallon long, 30 x 12 x 12
Substrate Details:  none except for a few PVC pipe fittings
Filtration Details:  Sponge filter , siphon gunk as needed.
Water Changes:  bi- monthly, about 10 %
Water Temperature:  79 F
Lighting:  cool white led strip
Lighting Cycle:  14 hours day, 10 hours night
Other Tank Inhabitants:  This is QT. I have also a pair of Nemateleotris decora.

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  Frozen mash, Otohime C1, copepods and enriched brine shrimp, 2 days old
Feeding Schedule:  morning and evening

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  7/19/2015
Spawn Time of Day:  assumed morning
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  8/10 or 11, 8/21 or 22 , 9/1 , 9/11 ,..., 11/14, 11/26
Courtship Details:  Both fish had what looked like gravid bellies.  They swam and rested together in peace.  Sometimes would sit head to tail and slap each other in the face with their tails.  Always together.
Egg Size:  oval, about 1.5mm longest length
Egg Color:  clear with pale yellow yolk
Egg Count:  estimate 100

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  11/20/15
Hatch Time of Day:  9:30 pm
# Days after Spawn:  6
Larvae Description:  Hatched with black eyes, mouth and developed gut, large yolk sac. They are attracted to light                                     
Consecutive Hatch Dates:     none yet             


Larval Tank Details
Temperature:  74F
Size of Larval Tank:  5 gallons in a 17 gallon black round tub
Substrate Details:  none
Other Tank Decor:  none
Filtration Details:  none
Lighting:  LED tube in a clamp on fixture, 10 watts
Lighting Cycle:  continuous
Water Changes:  none yet

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  Parvocalanus nauplii, small rotifers, tisbe or euterpina(not sure), live isochrysis for algae water.
Feeding Schedule:  continuous, w parvo nauplii added twice a day.

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
Food Types: 
Feeding Schedule: 

Additional Information

(No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please)
Miscellaneous Information: 



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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.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

I bought 5, and two paired off fairly quickly, and I moved them to their own QT with the nemateleotris pair.  It is a tank of true love.  The other three evelynae are not getting along. I tried to fish one out, but the other two chased each other mercilessly, so I swapped out the removed one with one of the chasers, and to no avail.  Any two of the remaining three are just vicious to each other. What shall I do?  Anyone want some mean evelynae?

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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(Wholesale to the trade.)

Once you get the pair spawning you will have tons of mates for them!
Do you have a guess on the remainders being male or female?

I really can't tell. But based on aggression, male is my guess.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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I haven't seen one of the chasers since yesterday morning.  Haven't found a body either. Bummer.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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He came out a couple days later, and I got him into a floating colander the tank with the odd evelynae.  He's fine!
 
The other pair are still all lovey-dovey in their own tank with Nemoteleotris decora pair, also lovey-dovey.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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The odd evelynae and the chased one got together last week, and are getting along now!  These will be the fish I send to Daniel Walden.  Thanks to him for pushing me to get these! So much fun!

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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(Wholesale to the trade.)

WE HAVE A SPAWN!!!!!
JULY 19, 2015
 
I went to feed the QTs where I have all the new brood stock, and only one of the evelynae came out to feed.  I saw the other one inside a pipe, letting food float past his face. Funny, the one that came out is as skinny as I have ever seen her since she arrived. SHE is a she, because we have eggs in the pipe!!!!!!!!!!
 
Just in time to hatch while I'm at MBI.  Tal, can we plan a workshop in the winter sometime?

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

The reluctant to leave the pipe male:

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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 The male was reluctant to leave the pipe when I picked it up to take pictures.
I put it back in a new place at a different angle, convenient for my observation of egg development.  He didn't enter the pipe.  
 
I replaced the pipe in the same position I found it, and he was in the pipe within 5 minutes.  Apparently, he cares.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

Wow, awesome news Kathy. I never thought it would happen that soon! Now I know why it was so dang hot in St Louis - because you are on fire!!! Keep up the great work.

Wait a minute,,,,,Belly laughing!  Couldn't have done it without your encouragement, Daniel!

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

you are on fire Kathy!

It's not me, it's the iron.
 
I'm just striking while the iron is hot.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

And the eggs are gone.  Oh well, I wouldn't be home to hatch them anyway.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

And the eggs are gone.  Oh well, I wouldn't be home to hatch them anyway.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

Eggs again.  Not sure when they were laid as I've been pre-occupied.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

And they are gone. Either the gobys are eating them or I have to separate the firefish from the gobies because this happens:

One morning I found BOTH N. decora in the pipe with the goby!

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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Spawned again.  I'm not taking this nest because I'll be leaving for MACNA in a week and a half.  Looks like an 11 day cycle.  Let's see if they eat them this time.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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They did eat them.  Another spawn today 9/1. Seems 11 days between spawns.  Still not taking them before MACNA. Next time, I'll be ready.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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Spawned yesterday, gone today.  A pattern is developing….and I'm not enjoying it.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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Any thought to pulling and artificially incubating them? Or are you worried about disrupting their spawning cycle?

Lots of thought, no activity. Today I turned the temperature down. It was at 81, and perhaps that's just too high.  Gave them a good water change as well. 

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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They spawned today, so I fixed up a gallon jar with saltwater, 2 drops of methylene blue, an airstone, and I stole the pipe with eggs from the gobies, and rubber banded it so the air would flow partially through the pipe. At 78F, now we wait for hatch….

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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(Wholesale to the trade.)

How is the incubation going? Will you be transferring to a different vessel to hatch or removing the methylene? Mine laid on Sat so trying to decide to pull early like you did or hatch and snag.

It's not going well.  I checked the pipe a couple of days ago.  The eggs had detached and seemed to be flying around the jar.  They might still hatch, but I kinda doubt it.
I've done the same technique with E. oceanops, and raised the  larvae successfully.  I'm surprised that it seems not to work. I wonder if the broodstock just had a bad nest. I need to do a good water change on that tank, as I feed pretty heavily and only have  a sponge filter in there.  I fear that my water quality is deteriorating.
The plan was, if the eggs had lasted, to remove the pipe on hatch night, and scrape the eggs off into some clean water to hatch, then into the BRT. I am not sure if the methylene blue (mb) will harm the larvae.  Certainly some eggs have hatched prematurely in one of the mb baths I've used before, but it is impossible to tell if the larvae lived if it had sufficient numbers of siblings that hatched after removal from the mb.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
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I did some water changing and siphoning and general cleaning.
 
A new nest appeared in a new location, a set of pipes further back in the tank.  I witnessed the spawning event. Soon after, the fire fish and the male were sharing the pipe with the eggs.  I fear the firefish is why I've gotten no hatch from previous eggs laid. I moved it to another tank right away.  So now the two evenlynae are in a tank by themselves.  There are lots of eggs, and the male seems quite attentive.  I'm looking forward to a hatch! I'll leave them with the male this time.  It's day 2, and there are still lots of eggs.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

The last time these guys spawned it was in a single pipe. I removed it a couple days later to a heated pretzel jar w clean water , no methylene blue. I stuck it to the side with a heater suction cup, and arranged the airline so that single bubbles rose through the pipe.

Many of the eggs were duds, turned cloudy and fell off. I left everything in the jar. Two eggs remain attached with black eyes showing. some cloudy eggs remain attached as well. The ones thst fell off might have hatched last night, and I did find a funny looking one this morning, swimming. But two with eyes remain attached. I think the jar is a little cooler at the top, since the heat comes from the waterbath. The two attached ones may hatch tonight.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

How did the batch that you left with the male from your 10-10 post do? Have you let him care for nests since? I would say that I lose probably 50% or more of the nest during development. I need to get some of the Fertility Frenzy to try with them. I am only feeding Otohime and sporadic Rod's eggs currently.

Every time I leave the eggs with the male, they are gone by 3 days.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

Dang, I was hoping that got solved by the fire fish removal. What size pipe are you using? I think mine is 1". Could pipe diameter affect fertilization? Or maybe a larger diameter allows more light in (helps prevent fungus? I have been reading in some unrelated info on white water mold/fungus and the effect light has on it). or more flow over eggs? Probably stretching there, just trying to help spur ideas.

i appreciate the ideas, Daniel.   The eggs not staying on/not maturing/not fertilized could be:

• poor nutrition --something missing in the diet
• poor fertilization--not much to do about it, except swap out the male or female.  I do have a spare goby, so I can try that.
• environment--I don't think it is this, as it happens whether or not the eggs are with the parents, or in a very clean pretzel jar, or in a jar with methylene blue. High flow, low flow, seems not to matter. 
• 
  

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

last Saturday I noticed the female was skinny, and the male not evident at feeding time. I found him in an elbow at the back of the tank, with a pretty nice nest of eggs.  I left him alone, but made sure to feed the long tank at the front and the back for this week. Today, Friday, I checked the elbow, and what do you know? He actually kept the eggs, and they have eyes, and it's hatch day. I'll set up a tub. I'm kind of excited, as this is the first time I've gotten eggs to incubate with the parents the whole way through.  Daniel, I'm on your tail.  I may get a hatch report out of this, if not metamorphosis.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

Awesome! I can't wait to see the process. You will be feeding them rotifers correct?

So maybe it was the water change I did, which I've been neglecting to do, that turned the trick.  Strangely, after the water change, the broodstock tank turned cloudy as though with a bacterial bloom.  I did nothing about it, as the fish did not seem to care. I am a lousy aquarist.  I have been so discouraged by this pair not keeping their spawns that I did not expect that to change, and here it did change. Despite appearances. I'm just counting my blessings,and running with it. 

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

Here are a couple that hatched on a petrie dish (I scraped a couple of eggs off the fitting and into the petrie dish) I put in a closet for a half hour.

 

The rest hatched in the BRT! There are between 50 and 100 larvae swimming.  The yolk sac is kind of big, but they hatched without too much interference: I shook the elbow under water, and then watched as they popped out a few minutes later. Well, it's taking a little longer for the last ones to escape the egg, but I am happy with this hatch!

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

I scraped the remaining eggs off the fitting and submerged them in the tub.  They mostly hatched without further ado.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

How is the last batch doing so far?

They did well for about 3 days. I await the next nest!

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

The pair laid a nice nest in a straight pipe on Thanksgiving, Thursday. Still there. I'll get rotifers and a tub ready. 

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)