Ocellaris breeding question (1 Viewer)

[RickD]

My larvae have been alive for 8 days now and it looks like they are going to morph soon.

1. I'm still using the parents tank water, can I still do a water change during this critical time? I've done a couple of 10% water changes, but my w/c was a couple of days ago. Parameters are very good right now and have not losses for a couple of day now.

2. Also, been feeding them rotifers and wanted to know your experience on when to feed brine.

Yes I do have Joyce's book, but wanted to know from other breeders.

-rick

 

[tedu]

Did you read Karen's document?

http://www.marshreef.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=2

 

[RickD]

Yes, I read Karen's doc (don't recall it saying anything about W/C). I also have Joyce Wilkerson's book (more than once), and many others. So what I'm asking is collectively what other breeders are doing.

I follow the book closely, but when it comes time to metamorphisis, then it's a critical stage, so change in environment is important. This is unchartered territory, so I'm gathering data.

Tedu, do you breed clowns? Can you let me know what you do?

-rick

 

[KarenB]

Feel free to PM me any time you have a question. I don't check the boards until I get a PM notification via email anymore. I've simply got a lot of other "stuff" going on in my life at the moment.

As for W/C (I'm assuming you mean wild caught) versus tank raised, it doesn't matter. Until the fry are a certain length (at least 5 mm) you should not introduce the brine, whether they have morphed yet or not. But having said that, usually by the time they have morphed, they're large enough and freshly hatched brine is safe only if served in very small portions at a time. Start with about 10 brine per individual only. It seems like very little, but remember baby brine are a good two to three times larger than rotifers and five times more filling. The fry or newly morphed juvies can easily choke on brine, esp if it's too old......so it must be freshly hatched (under 12 hours old).

Hope that helps. Sorry I didn't see this to try and answer earlier.

And may I also say CONGRATS.....great job!!

 

[RickD]

Karen,
Thanks. W/C actually meant water change. But I managed to slow drip 50/50 freshly mixed and parents tank water. I was concerned because I noticed a steady rise in ammonia.

I've actually started feeding a combination of rotifer and brine (< 12 hrs old). There are a couple of late bloomers, and I try not to overfeed because they don't know when to stop.

It's good to know that there are a few who have been there before.

They are fun to watch. Thank you!

 

[KarenB]

Some ammonia is okay if the pH remains 7.8 or below. I found that adding some macroalgea to the growout tanks helps keep water parameters more stable with fewer water changes necessary.

 

[Guest]

any updates on how they are doing or what has worked for you?

 

[RickD]

Didn't work out. They had a parasite - Ich. I'm assuming it was transferred either from the water of the parent tank or the macro that had some sand and possibly chunks of live rock. I didn't check, because I've been using 50% of the water changes from the parents tank and didn't think anything of it. The stress was too much. It came from somewhere.

So the lesson is always QT (maybe UV the water) - my bad they should have been a 4 weeks old today .

Anyhow, if I ever get to stop traveling for a month, I might try again. It's alot of work and you need to commit some quality time and my new job position doesn't allow that right now.

My kids might try though, they just as interested and learned as much as I did. So we'll see.

/rick

 

[KarenB]

Just an FYI...FWIW: Once my babies morphed and I added the sponge filter, I always switched to freshly mixed (overnight) saltwater for the water changes. I guess I didn't want to risk introducing anything to the babies from the other tank. Anyway, the only issue you should have with that is that freshly mixed has a higher pH, and ammonia becomes more toxic at a higher pH. You do want to keep the pH of the baby tank on the low side to begin with for this reason: ammonia is inevitible. However, a change isn't really necessary with a reading of up to .50 mg/L and a pH of about 7.8. But if you're going to do a water change with fresh, you need to just go ahead and do a nearly 100% change. Because if a high concentration of ammonia is already present (and that's why you're doing the change to begin with), the ammonia then becomes more toxic to the babies at the higher pH........so you want to dilute that as much as possible. (Even parent tank water has a higher pH.) Sudden shift of pH for the babies does not hurt them, but a sudden change of toxicity will.

 

[RickD]

Karen,
Thanks. I actually started to mix fresh overnight water, but I adjusted the PH down to the baby tank PH. The last night I didn't do a water change, and the macro was the only thing I introduced. I think the Ick came from the sand...I didn't think anything of it. I should have freshwater dipped it at least.

My PH always stayed at around 7.8 and took readings every day and the NH3 levels were very low.

I wasn't sure if I could use Methelyne Blue as a preventative or any other treatment for, but the babies had already lost their appetite before I turned the lights out.

Also wasn't sure if I would shock them with a freshwater dip or lower SG solution. I kept the SG at 1.020.

Things happen fast when your are in an emergency.

 

[KarenB]

In the future I would nix the sand. You don't need it, and barebottom with clowns is so easy to keep clean.

 

[RickD]

Karen,
Actually there was not sand at all. The grow out tank was barebottom. Although there was sand on the macro. I use caulerpa prolifera in my main and nano tank, and I wasn't thinking about it when I pulled it up from the sand the main tank.

So maybe you could answer this question. Have you seen this in Juvenille clowns before? Could I have put chemicals to treat the babies or would it be too harsh?

-rd

 

[KarenB]

I suppose it's possible, then, that what miniscule amount of sand you had in the macro could have transfered ich, but I rather doubt it. But I never had an ich problem with my babies, so I really couldn't speak to that. It's my suspicion that you had a fungus or bacterial infection instead of ich. Either way, I'd be hesitant to treat with anything unless you knew for sure.