Thinking of Breeding Clownfish

[Kidagirl8]

I am thinking of Breeding Clownfish but with how many you can get from even just one laying I want to know if anyone would be willing to buy from me. I would probably charge $50 per clownfish + shipping. I would ship in an insulated box with Cold/Heat packs.

The pair I am thinking of getting has blue accents and are already bonded. At least they are supposed to be. I have yet to buy them and I know I’m taking a risk of being scammed but they have good reviews on the site they are on. I really want a clownfish with blue on them so I’m willing to risk it.

So assuming I get this pretty pair would anyone be interested in their babies? Would it hurt them to separate them if no one is interested? I don’t want to take care of babies with no way to find them homes. I also don’t want to just let nature take its course and have them be eaten or die of starvation without even trying to help them.

 

[ludnix]

I am sure you would be able to sell them, but if you haven't bred clownfish before I would warn you that it's not likely to be a very profitable venture. As long as your just trying to find homes for them when they are ready and want to do it for the experience I would say go for it.

Keep in mind even with a bonded and proven mated pair it may take some time for them to acclimate to their new environment before they lay eggs again. In a fully stocked tank with many other fish this could be years. If they are kept in their own in a private tank for them it will likely happen much sooner.

The babies can seperated once they start gaining their stripes but are usually kept together for convenience. Keep in mind you will need several additional tanks for the larva, eggs and juveniles depending on how many batches you intend to raise simultaneously. The larva cannot be kept in the same tank as the parents as their feeding regime will crash a reef tank.

EDIT: Just to clarify too, you will not end up with any baby clownfish unless you specifically work to raise them. They can breed all the time but if you don't catch the larva when they hatch and move them to a seperate system to feed them rotifers or specialty powdered food they will not find enough food in the tank their parents are in. They typically end up as fish/coral food after hatching if you don't remove that the moment they hatch or the eggs prior to hatching.

 

[Kidagirl8]

I’m not really looking to profit and to be honest I would prefer if they don’t lay eggs but I want to be sure if they do there will be people willing to buy them. Do you know if it would hurt them to separate them since they are paired?

 

[ludnix]

I’m not really looking to profit and to be honest I would prefer if they don’t lay eggs but I want to be sure if they do there will be people willing to buy them. Do you know if it would hurt them to separate them since they are paired?

In that case see my edit, you will not have to worry about dealing with babies you didn't want. They are not like live bearing freshwater fish like guppies and mollies where you can be overburdened with their babies. Clownfish babies never survive unless you seperate them and work really hard to raise them in a seperate system.
You could seperate a bonded pair but unless you plan to keep them single they can pair up with new partners and you would be back at the potential of eggs again.

I would not worry about them breeding in your tank, the clownfish will feel no grief at their babies not having been raised, they lay so many eggs so frequently because their anticipated survival rate is very low. The babies do not usually stick around with the parents after hatching in the wild. They are less than a mm when hatched and look nothing like a clownfish. Unless you're watching the tank the moment they hatch (at night) it is unlikely you would get to see the larva at all. I would instead try to view your clownfish pair breeding at home a signature of sucessfully making them a comfortable environment.

 

[Kidagirl8]

In that case see my edit, you will not have to worry about dealing with babies you didn't want. They are not like live bearing freshwater fish like guppies and mollies where you can be overburdened with their babies. Clownfish babies never survive unless you seperate them and work really hard to raise them in a seperate system.
You could seperate a bonded pair but unless you plan to keep them single they can pair up with new partners and you would be back at the potential of eggs again.

I would not worry about them breeding in your tank, the clownfish will feel no grief at their babies not having been raised, they lay so many eggs so frequently because their anticipated survival rate is very low. The babies do not usually stick around with the parents after hatching in the wild. They are less than a mm when hatched and look nothing like a clownfish. Unless you're watching the tank the moment they hatch (at night) it is unlikely you would get to see the larva at all. I would instead try to view your clownfish pair breeding at home a signature of sucessfully making them a comfortable environment.

I guess you’re right, I might try to raise some if they lay but I will try not to be too bothered by it. Thank you for your help and advice!