clown breeding questions

[kyabk]

Couple questions...

I am interested in breeding some clown fish. How do I choose/find a male and female clown? I guess I am asking how does one tell the difference between a male and female? Also what type of environment is good? I have read that they m/f clowns should be in a tank alone. True?

Second, does anyone know of any PC software that one can use to track things that are done to a fish tanks? I have a few reef tanks and would like to track my chemical levels, maintenance, fish, etc.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tom Freeman]

I have bred two clownfish species. Best advice I can give you is to purchase the book "Clownfishes" by Joyce Wilkerson.

 

[Anonymous]

I have bred two clownfish species. Best advice I can give you is to purchase the book "Clownfishes" by Joyce Wilkerson.

Was it difficult. How many tanks did you use? Did you raise the fry? How large were the tanks?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Kyabk. I second the advice to get the Wilkerson book, but I'll quickly address a couple of your questions. If you get a pair or more of juvenile clowns, the dominant one will become the female, the next in the pecking order will be the breeding male. As adults, the female is noticeably larger (in some species, quite a bit larger).

My clowns share their tank with other critters and spawn regularly. However, if you want to raise the fry, it will be easier with a dedicated breeding tank (in my situation, it would be difficult to get the fry out and into a rearing tank).