Spawning clowns: How nasty do they get?
- Thread starter Len
- Start date
Hey Len,
Just as with any fish guarding a brood, it depends on the size of the tank, the aquascaping, and the species of fish in question. A pair of tomato clowns, or maroons in a 70 gallon tank would definitely cause trouble! On the other hand, a pair of perculas in a 300 might not even cause a stir. Keep in mind that out of site means out of mind with most fishes, so if you can provide a visual barrier between the spawing site, and the other area or areas of the tank, your problems will be reduced.
Cheers
Jim
Just as with any fish guarding a brood, it depends on the size of the tank, the aquascaping, and the species of fish in question. A pair of tomato clowns, or maroons in a 70 gallon tank would definitely cause trouble! On the other hand, a pair of perculas in a 300 might not even cause a stir. Keep in mind that out of site means out of mind with most fishes, so if you can provide a visual barrier between the spawing site, and the other area or areas of the tank, your problems will be reduced.
Cheers
Jim
I have a pair of Ocellaris clowns in a 40 tall. It has lots of caves/overhangs ect. The female constntly attacks me making even simple chores a pain. I have to wear my warm water scuba gloves when I work on this tank to block the biting. She still bites the gloves as hard as she can so I usually work quickly and get out of her tank. I worry more about stressing the pair then I do about the aggressive attacks. They share the tank with a pair of pajama cardinals with no problems.
HTH
HTH
Len -
I have definitely seen clowns terrorize an entire tank when protecting eggs. The females can be very very mean. Especially tomatoes and maroons, as Jim said. Probably because they get bigger than the other clown species in the hobby. But, I would assume that once the eggs are hatched, maybe they'll calm down. I don't know, because I've never bred them. Of course, it depends on what else you have in the tank. If there are any fish that tend to hang around the eggs, they're definitely in danger. That's probably why they recommend a separate tank for breeding clowns. But if you have them in a big tank, they will most likely never leave the anemone or breeding site. They aren't good swimmers and if it's a general reef environment, they will probably stay at home and protect the nest. Just a guess.
Good luck!
Sara
I have definitely seen clowns terrorize an entire tank when protecting eggs. The females can be very very mean. Especially tomatoes and maroons, as Jim said. Probably because they get bigger than the other clown species in the hobby. But, I would assume that once the eggs are hatched, maybe they'll calm down. I don't know, because I've never bred them. Of course, it depends on what else you have in the tank. If there are any fish that tend to hang around the eggs, they're definitely in danger. That's probably why they recommend a separate tank for breeding clowns. But if you have them in a big tank, they will most likely never leave the anemone or breeding site. They aren't good swimmers and if it's a general reef environment, they will probably stay at home and protect the nest. Just a guess.
Good luck!
Sara
Thanks for the inputs. FYI: Tank is a 120 gallon, well stocked. Clowns are cap clowns.
Does anyone know if removing the eggs once they've layed them curb aggression?
As you can tell, I'm a breeding newb
I really want to explore this side of the hobby though.
Does anyone know if removing the eggs once they've layed them curb aggression?
As you can tell, I'm a breeding newb
I really want to explore this side of the hobby though.Arg, computers. I typed this all, and it got erased three times! Annoying. Here goes again...
Just curious, what are cap clowns? Never heard that common name before. Anyway, as for taking eggs away from the parents, there are upsides and downsides. Downsides, clowns are great parents. The female will guard the nest, and the male will clean each egg with his mouth and fan them with his fins. So, that's all good. Also, taking the eggs away, I've heard, can really piss them off! But they'll get over it. Upsides to taking them out, there's a good chance that the eggs and/or larvae will be eaten by another fish or invert. Also, the larvae can easily get sucked into filters, as can the live rotifers that they need to be fed for the first 5-9 days. After that, they will eat live brine shrimp. So, given all that, maybe you can compromise. Figure out when you think they're going to hatch. Turn off the lights and all the filters and water movement. Shine a bright flashlight down through the surface of the water, which will attract the larvae. Take them out at that point and put them in a small tank where you can control their environment without bothering the rest of your showtank. That's my advice. Of course, keeping the rotifers and brine shrimp alive to feed is another project alone! They both need phytoplankton to eat. So, that's the best advise I can give you. There are two books that I've learned this from, so I'll give you those titles in case you want to read more about it all. I think everyone who has an anemone/clown tank should have the first one...
Anemonefishes and their Host Sea Anemones by Daphne Fautin and Gerald Allen
Clownfishes by Joyce D. Wilkerson
If you want me to, I can look some stuff up if you have specific questions. That way you can save some money! Let me know. You can email me too, if you want. [email protected]
Sara
Just curious, what are cap clowns? Never heard that common name before. Anyway, as for taking eggs away from the parents, there are upsides and downsides. Downsides, clowns are great parents. The female will guard the nest, and the male will clean each egg with his mouth and fan them with his fins. So, that's all good. Also, taking the eggs away, I've heard, can really piss them off! But they'll get over it. Upsides to taking them out, there's a good chance that the eggs and/or larvae will be eaten by another fish or invert. Also, the larvae can easily get sucked into filters, as can the live rotifers that they need to be fed for the first 5-9 days. After that, they will eat live brine shrimp. So, given all that, maybe you can compromise. Figure out when you think they're going to hatch. Turn off the lights and all the filters and water movement. Shine a bright flashlight down through the surface of the water, which will attract the larvae. Take them out at that point and put them in a small tank where you can control their environment without bothering the rest of your showtank. That's my advice. Of course, keeping the rotifers and brine shrimp alive to feed is another project alone! They both need phytoplankton to eat. So, that's the best advise I can give you. There are two books that I've learned this from, so I'll give you those titles in case you want to read more about it all. I think everyone who has an anemone/clown tank should have the first one...
Anemonefishes and their Host Sea Anemones by Daphne Fautin and Gerald Allen
Clownfishes by Joyce D. Wilkerson
If you want me to, I can look some stuff up if you have specific questions. That way you can save some money!
Let me know. You can email me too, if you want. [email protected]Sara
Sara,
Sorry I missed your question. Cap Clowns are A.leucokronos, a rare species that has a white "bonnet" on top of it's head. It's the type of clown used for Reefs.org's logo. Some people suggest (through PCR testing) that they are simply fertile hybrids of A.chrysopterus and A.sandaracinos.
Sorry I missed your question. Cap Clowns are A.leucokronos, a rare species that has a white "bonnet" on top of it's head. It's the type of clown used for Reefs.org's logo. Some people suggest (through PCR testing) that they are simply fertile hybrids of A.chrysopterus and A.sandaracinos.
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