Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion Ocellaris) are a popular saltwater fish for saltwater aquariums. They are an attractive and hardy addition to most saltwater aquariums. They are a reef safe fish but may bother any corals that they may host in. This would include corals such as hammer corals, xenia or anything that flows in the current. They can be kept in saltwater aquariums as small as 10 gallons.
In order to get your Ocellaris clownfish to spawn you fish need to have a bonded pair. The easiest way to do this is to get two juvenile clownfish and let them grow up together. One will become dominant and will become a female. A female clownfish is typically much larger than the male. In order to get them to spawn they typically need to be around 2 years old. The best way is to have them in their own aquarium so that no other fish can bother them. This tank can be a full reef or a simple as a bare bottom tank with a clay pot or ceramic tile for them to spawning on. If you plan to try to raise the fry it is best if you can get them to lay the eggs on something easily removable from the aquarium. The next thing to do is to condition the clownfish. The most important thing is to feed them at least two times a day with high quality foods. Some foods that work well are Rod's food (both original and breeders blend), Pacific Plankton, Mysis shrimp and Spectrum pellets. After a couple of months of heavy feedings your clownfish should spawn as long as your water parameters are good (typical reef aquarium parameters are best) and they are old enough. The pair pictured is 5 years old.
You can tell the ocellaris clownfish are getting ready to spawn when they are nipping at each other, and the male is constantly cleaning a certain area. This will be the spawning site. They will lay eggs typically in the late evening depending on when your lights turn on. The eggs are bright orange when they are freshly laid. The spawning typically takes an hour or so depending on how many eggs are laid. The eggs take 6-9 days to hatch depending on your water temperature. Once the eggs hatch the clownfish should spawn 2-7 days later. This pair lays eggs every 12 days. Once they start spawning they will spawn at the same time of day at the same interval unless something disturbs their envirnoment.
http://youtu.be/lXSPEH16ahM
Now that you have your clown fish spawning checkout future blog post for how to hatch and raise the fry.
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