Clownfish breeding

[Primarytuba18]

I have 2 clownfish that have been together for about 3 years. Both are the same exact size and I’m trying to breed them or get them started so if I want to I can raise some fry. Just wondering what I should do to encourage some breeding or just some tips in general. Thanks in advance

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I have 2 clownfish that have been together for about 3 years. Both are the same exact size and I’m trying to breed them or get them started so if I want to I can raise some fry. Just wondering what I should do to encourage some breeding or just some tips in general. Thanks in advance

I've never bred clowns myself (so hopefully you'll get more advice than just mine), but here's the advice that I've gathered from the forum while looking into clownfish breeding:

ISpeakForTheSeas said:
As I understand it, the main things are proper feeding (probably several times a day) and making sure there's nothing stressing the fish out. From there, you pretty much leave them alone and they spawn.

I don't know what you're feeding, but from what I've seen with others, I'd recommend trying LRS Fertility Frenzy, black worms, and NLS or TDO pellets (Otohime is a proven brand too, but it seems to have fallen out of favor somewhat in recent months/years) for the food. Adding enriched Rotifers and pods/BBS wouldn't hurt either - and you'll need to culture the rots for the baby clowns anyway. Fresh clams are pretty much always a good idea too. That said, the feeding doesn't have to be overly complex or expensive (Paul B fed clams and blackworms and had spawning), the above is just what I've seen work for a large number of people.

Beyond that, I've heard the following tips from at least one breeder (no guarantees these would work for/help you, but it's what I've heard from a couple of confirmed breeders): clowns like dirtier water, a 14 hour light period, slightly lower salinity (1.020), and a higher temp (80-82F).

 

[Primarytuba18]

I've never bred clowns myself (so hopefully you'll get more advice than just mine), but here's the advice that I've gathered from the forum while looking into clownfish breeding:

Thanks for the info!! Just looked in my tank and it seems like they are really trying to clean a patch of rock off so all I can do is hope lol. Was told ones a perc and ones a osc so not sure on that either

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thanks for the info!! Just looked in my tank and it seems like they are really trying to clean a patch of rock off so all I can do is hope lol. Was told ones a perc and ones a osc so not sure on that either

Perculas and ocellaris' can mate and produce viable offspring, so good luck!

 

[ScubaFish802]

I feed mine pretty heavily.. once they start laying they continue to in a cycle over and over seemingly until there is some sort of change or disturbance in environment.. then there is a gap and then it seems to start again

 

[Primarytuba18]

I feed mine pretty heavily.. once they start laying they continue to in a cycle over and over seemingly until there is some sort of change or disturbance in environment.. then there is a gap and then it seems to start again

Very nice looking clowns. What’s the offspring look like?

 

[ScubaFish802]

Very nice looking clowns. What’s the offspring look like?

I haven’t ever taken them out to try. You can see the eyes flash in the eggs the last couple of days before they hatch so they seem to be getting fertilized..
I have thought about starting a rotifer culture but things are always so busy.. I do have an empty QT tank upstairs that is blacked out already - maybe someday lol

 

[Primarytuba18]

I haven’t ever taken them out to try. You can see the eyes flash in the eggs the last couple of days before they hatch so they seem to be getting fertilized..
I have thought about starting a rotifer culture but things are always so busy.. I do have an empty QT tank upstairs that is blacked out already - maybe someday lol

Doesn’t hurt to try lol, does seem to be a lot of work tho. Hardest part about the saltwater hobby is being patient that’s for sure.

 

[jDoSe]

Got multiple pairs of clowns to breed that hadn’t bred before.
You have to feed them. A lot. A healthy high protein diet. However, you don’t want to pollute the tank with extra food.

My go-to was new life spectrum pellets (this is a really good option as it’s dry, easy to feed, and isn’t so high in protein you need to worry about fatty liver disease).
Get as big of a size pellet they can comfortably eat. Usually medium.
Turn off all powerheads, return pump, skimmer, etc.
Wait until there is no flow at all.
Right above where the clowns call home, put a pellet. It wont sink at first. You just tap it with your finger.
Watch it fall all the way down slowly to the clowns and watch them eat it.
Do it again. (In the beginning, you can do 2-3 pellets at a time and they can catch all 3. )
Repeat over and over, eventually down to one at a time until the larger female eats a pellet, chews and spits it out, and eats it again. This means you are close.
Keep going one at a time until the female tries 2-3 times and eventually gives up and spits it out for good. Try one last one after just to be extra sure.
Turn all equipment back on.
Repeat twice a day, as spread out as you can. At least once a day. Takes a lot of time, but Ive had excellent results with spawns in less than 3 months (assuming your clowns are of proper age and sex).

If you want to seriously breed and raise them, ideally you set up their own 20-30g tank. This way you dont have to deal with other fish stealing their food. If they are in a tank where other fish will steal the slowly dropping pellets, you will end up overfeeding the other fish or polluting the tank (if you add too much food at once). If you broadcast feed with pumps on, they won’t eat enough and you’ll pollute the tank. You need the female to get absolutely massive. You can’t skip any days feeding 1 pellet at a time for best results. A separate tank also makes it easier to collect the fry so they don’t get eaten. You want to give them somewhere clean and flat to lay their eggs. Ideally, you’d have an anemone they host in attached to rock. Some people put a ceramic tile near the anemone if there are no smooth rock areas immediately nearby. Without an anemone, terracotta pots or ceramic tiles work well. I always feel bad for clowns without an anemone, so I always get them one.

This is the start.

 

[Tamberav]

Mine spawn all the time. I feed LRS and live black worms. They are right in my display with a lot of greedy eaters. I stick a chunk of frozen LRS in a net type feeder and all the fish go to town. Mine have a BTA.

 

[Primarytuba18]

Got multiple pairs of clowns to breed that hadn’t bred before.
You have to feed them. A lot. A healthy high protein diet. However, you don’t want to pollute the tank with extra food.

My go-to was new life spectrum pellets (this is a really good option as it’s dry, easy to feed, and isn’t so high in protein you need to worry about fatty liver disease).
Get as big of a size pellet they can comfortably eat. Usually medium.
Turn off all powerheads, return pump, skimmer, etc.
Wait until there is no flow at all.
Right above where the clowns call home, put a pellet. It wont sink at first. You just tap it with your finger.
Watch it fall all the way down slowly to the clowns and watch them eat it.
Do it again. (In the beginning, you can do 2-3 pellets at a time and they can catch all 3. )
Repeat over and over, eventually down to one at a time until the larger female eats a pellet, chews and spits it out, and eats it again. This means you are close.
Keep going one at a time until the female tries 2-3 times and eventually gives up and spits it out for good. Try one last one after just to be extra sure.
Turn all equipment back on.
Repeat twice a day, as spread out as you can. At least once a day. Takes a lot of time, but Ive had excellent results with spawns in less than 3 months (assuming your clowns are of proper age and sex).

If you want to seriously breed and raise them, ideally you set up their own 20-30g tank. This way you dont have to deal with other fish stealing their food. If they are in a tank where other fish will steal the slowly dropping pellets, you will end up overfeeding the other fish or polluting the tank (if you add too much food at once). If you broadcast feed with pumps on, they won’t eat enough and you’ll pollute the tank. You need the female to get absolutely massive. You can’t skip any days feeding 1 pellet at a time for best results. A separate tank also makes it easier to collect the fry so they don’t get eaten. You want to give them somewhere clean and flat to lay their eggs. Ideally, you’d have an anemone they host in attached to rock. Some people put a ceramic tile near the anemone if there are no smooth rock areas immediately nearby. Without an anemone, terracotta pots or ceramic tiles work well. I always feel bad for clowns without an anemone, so I always get them one.

This is the start.

Thanks for all the useful info and I will def try that, they are in a low boy tank by themself so shouldn’t babe much stress if any. They also do host an anemone.

 

[Pete Luna]

My best pair, Started their breeding in my main display. Where they we hosting I put a clay pot there and kept an eye on them. I will say I have never seen a true bonded pair that were the exact same size. Female has always been bigger.

 

[Primarytuba18]

Hard to tell because they don’t stop moving but you can tell the difference but it’s a very small difference. Don’t mind the dirty tank lol

 

[Primarytuba18]

My best pair, Started their breeding in my main display. Where they we hosting I put a clay pot there and kept an eye on them. I will say I have never seen a true bonded pair that were the exact same size. Female has always been bigger.

 

[leonardomanzano]

I have a pair of clownfish I got a few years ago, one I adopted (1-year-old?) and the other I bought, It was maybe 3 years old by then.

thing is the 1-year-old is smaller and shows signs of submission but how do I know if it's actually a male or female? are males the only ones that show signs of submission or will females do it as well?

 

[Pete Luna]

The one looks little smaller, do they host one spot? At night, after lights out are the sleeping in same spot?

 

[jDoSe]

You mentioned they have an anemone, but I don’t see them hosting it in either picture. They would essentially never leave it other than to grab food and dart back to it.

You need them to have a spot they call home. My guess is you have a regular rbta, which is not the right anemone for these species of clownfish. It’s possible they’ll host it, but the odds are stacked against you. If they aren’t, I’d get them a terracotta flower pot (or the correct anemone, but unfortunately all their preferred anemone species get very large).

 

[Primarytuba18]

The one looks little smaller, do they host one spot? At night, after lights out are the sleeping in same spot?

they only host at the anemone but move when I come up to the tank because they think they want more food lol. They are always together no matter what and they’ve been paired for about 3 years

 

[Primarytuba18]

You mentioned they have an anemone, but I don’t see them hosting it in either picture. They would essentially never leave it other than to grab food and dart back to it.

You need them to have a spot they call home. My guess is you have a regular rbta, which is not the right anemone for these species of clownfish. It’s possible they’ll host it, but the odds are stacked against you. If they aren’t, I’d get them a terracotta flower pot (or the correct anemone, but unfortunately all their preferred anemone species get very large).

They host the anemone but sometimes swim away or when I come up to the tank. Other than that they are always together and by the anemone

 

[Pete Luna]

If you want them to breed and raise the fry get the clay pot get rid of the nem