Black Ice X Black Snowflake Eggs!!

stevers · Jun 2, 2014

Thanks!!!! I'm getting everything together, I think I'm going to make an attempt at raising the next batch.

SmoothSmoke · Jun 2, 2014

You must be excited. I remember raising my first convict cichlids some 20 years ago. It was pure enjoyment. Good luck!

stevers · Jun 3, 2014

Thanks!! I am very excited!! It's morning of day 7, the eyes turned silver over the last 24 hours. Expect a hatch tonight or tomorrow night. They laid on the night of May 27. And I am hoping for another clutch June 9-12th. There are 29 eggs left!!! I got a better skimmer and my temp has been much more stable at 80 degrees. I am going to give them a clay pot after the hatch and take all distractions out of their tank ( fire shrimp mating pair, hermit crabs, astrea snails, emerald crab) consistent light schedule, frequent feedings of NLS, omega brine, mysis, and krill marinated with selcon lol. weekly 10% water changes. Just started making orders for rotifer and misc breeding goodies.

jasonp87 · Jun 3, 2014

I didn't see it mentioned and I was wondering how big are your clowns? I did see they are about a year and half. I also saw the picture with them in the first post but I couldn't get a real good idea of size.

stevers · Jun 3, 2014

Female black ice occie is 2.75 inches, male clack snowflake clownfish is 2.25 inches. Best approximations

Dranom · Jun 4, 2014

dang thats soooo cool!! congrats

Ryan2428 · Jun 4, 2014

Awesome

stevers · Jun 4, 2014

Day 8 pm. I think tonight or tomorrow we will have a hatch. Silver eyes and dark pigment spots on the heads and backs of the in egg larvae. 29 eggs and only 1 doesn't look developed. I will attempt to collect the larvae, just to get a feel for things. I have heard airline tubing and suck them up.. but I will try some ways I think are more gentle. Cut a small hole in a Tupperware and position it under water with larvae inside, then cover the hole and lift out. If you get what I'm saying. I'll put the larvae I do collect in my 55 gal reef and let everything feast. I think my female is holding eggs again she looks plump. Woo!

stevers · Jun 5, 2014

Hmm looking online I have seen reports of clutches hatching on night 6! I stayed up very late last night with a flashlight and no current, and was suprised nothing happened (day 8 ). They are still there and still silver, not much orange left on their bellies. Day temp was like 80. Night temp somehow got to 77, I'm buying a new heater today going to keep it much more stable. Want these eggs to hatch so I can reorganize the broodstock tank. I will give them a flower pot and hopefully be collecting the next clutch.

revhtree · Jun 5, 2014

Fingers crossed!

stevers · Jun 5, 2014

Day nine pic

vic67 · Jun 5, 2014

Were you able to see or catch any of the fry? My clwons have been laying regularly for the last few months but I have not been successful with saving them. Good luck.

stevers · Jun 5, 2014

I'm going to try tonight, I think they should hatch within 30 min to a hour of lights out. I'll use the flashlight to draw them in.

stevers · Jun 6, 2014

Well the fry are all gone this morning, I'm positive they hatched. I missed the hatch

but I did gain some valuable information. The hatch was on night 9, between 1 am and 4 am. So today I will be redecorating the broodstock tank, giving them a pot, and removing other distractions. Hopefully their cycle isn't disturbed.

impur · Jun 6, 2014

Its awesome when they spawn. My snowflakes have been spawning for about 3 months, they started at about the same age as yours. I also have a standard orange percula and black/white misbar percula pair that spawn. They have been spawning for about 4 years on and off.

NathanJayC · Jun 7, 2014

Very cool! The myth about snowflake x snowflake = normal barred is not in fact true. I have raise a few batches of picassos and they majority are picasso so i bet the same for snowflakes

. And a tip, the night that looks like hatch night, turn off the lights early so you dont have to wait and hour and a half for hatch late at night

. I turn them off at 7 sometimes and finish up syphoning them all by 9:30. Good luck, I'll be watching this thread too

, interested to see the off spring.

vic67 · Jun 7, 2014

stevers said:
Well the fry are all gone this morning, I'm positive they hatched. I missed the hatch but I did gain some valuable information. The hatch was on night 9, between 1 am and 4 am. So today I will be redecorating the broodstock tank, giving them a pot, and removing other distractions. Hopefully their cycle isn't disturbed.

Sorry to hear that. I'm also having a problem with the timing of the hatch. I was able to catch just a few of the fry last time but they didn't make it. She just laid eggs again yesterday so I'm going to try again. GL to the both of us!

stevers · Jun 8, 2014

I'm glad I gave them the pot. They love it, and have been cleaning it non stop since the introduction of the pot yesterday. It's fun to watch them clean and shake. I think this behavior is indicative of a coming spawn. One spawn is hardly a pattern, but the last spawn was on the night of May 27th - early morning 28th. I'm hoping that another spawn is between June 9- June 12th. Woo maybe this time it's on a pot!!!