clown eggs plz help

danielle84 · Oct 5, 2015

I recently was given a pair of clowns, Today i noticed in my tank there is a corner full of eggs. They are still orange and the parents are taking care of them. My question is i've never had babies before and i'm clueless as to what I should do so these babies have a chance at living. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Luka · Oct 5, 2015

Well, clown fish are really cool because they can change their gender. The more dominant of the pair will become the female (Usually the bigger one). During the time of laying eggs clown fish become pretty aggressive. The male watches over the eggs and the female makes sure he is doing a good job. Anyways you will see the eggs develop and you will notice a shiny silvery eye with a black dot. When about 1-2 thirds of the eggs have the shiny eye I would move them from your main tank to a separate tank.

Tahoe61 · Oct 5, 2015

Unless or until you do extensive research into the husbandry of rearing clown larvae I would just consider this occurrence a curiosity. They will hatch and become part of the zooplankton.
There is a wealth of information to be found on the net. If you have a interest in rearing clowns pick up Joyce Wilkerson's Clownfish.

danielle84 · Oct 5, 2015

yesss i love them, but they are on the glass how do i remove them from the glass?

Pfisherman · Oct 5, 2015

Id just let them hatch out and become coral and fish food. Unless you have some kind of designer clowns its not nearly worth the time and money it takes to raise them to maturity.

Unless, this is purely hypothetical...

If you breed clowns and found the clientele to purchase them by the dosen as clean saltwater feeders for picky carnivorous marine fish. Then you would be on to something.

silva218 · Oct 5, 2015

You will damage the eggs by attempting to move them... However you can put a clay disk in the place the eggs are currently. With luck they will lay on the disk next time... As stated above, the book by Joyce Wilkerson has a wealth of information on rearing clowns.

danielle84 · Oct 6, 2015

That makes me sad they wont live. But i will try the clay disk next time and have a baby tank set up

Lrood · Oct 6, 2015

Once clownfish get established, they will usually spawn about every 2-3 weeks like clockwork. If you are interested in raising them, you will have plenty of opportunity. It does take some preparation, much more than you have right now since these will hatch in 7-10 days. There is a wealth of info on this in various online forums, as well as the Wilkerson book (my old copy has very dated info, and I'm not sure if there has been a new release). There are even techniques to remove eggs from smooth substrate like glass and hatch them in a tumbler.

Good luck with your endeavors!