Beginner With Marine Fish

[australia]

hello everyone, i have been breeding african cichlids, now i want to get into marine fish, i have a 4 foot tank im going to setup, i went to my best lfs and got some info and prices on it all, they will sell me everything i need for a 4 foot marine tank for around $700,
& 5 clown fish, (neoms) to start to breed....i have a empty tank, where should i start? layinging down substrate? and then the live rocks?
and im wondering at what point do i put the salt into the tank?

 

[chrissaysyes]

Welllllll...add your water first. Fill it about halfway with RO/DI water. Toss in a power head to get the water moving, then add your salt. Then add a heater/chiller to get your temp right. Make sure your temp/salinity/pH is correct, then add your substrate (preferably live sand) and live rock (for bacterial filtration, I usually do 1.5lbs or so per gallon), then throw a few bits of raw shrimp in the tank and wait for the tank to cycle. There are tons of other variables and options that come into play here. You may want to add more flow to use your rocks for your filtration. You may want to add mechanical filtration, a sump, refugium, reactors, etc...just read up and do some research and figure out exactly what you want to do and how you want it done. A good place to start would probably be the Marine Aquarium Journals here in the Marine and Reef Chit Chat forum. Maybe even start one of your own. Keep us posted!

 

[australia]

yeah okay thanks, i do know some basics...not mutch at all though, i am only interresed in breeding clown fish atm in my 4 foot/160litre tank, so far i have these ready for my tank: hydrometer, marine buffer, salt, canister filter, substrate, and a protein skimmer, and i also am getting 20kg of live rock! with 5 clown fish, i realise i need some water pumps, is there anything else i realy need at this point? and any ideas?

 

[Lynden]

If you are going to be raising the fry in the main tank I would advise against a skimmer and possibly also a filter. You will need to feed the babies some very tiny foods (look into rotifers) and a skimmer will remove many of them from the water column.

Five is a bad number for clowns (one individual will be singled out), though it could work. Four might work better.

If you can get some good lights (high powered fluorescents or highly preferably, a metal halide) you should try to find a captive bred bubble tip anemone, Entemacea quadricolour. The clowns will gain a high degree of resilience from inhabiting it and it may help them get into the "mood". Plus, given time and plenty of food it will split, and you can sell the offspring.

 

[australia]

okay, i was planning to divide the tank once i have babies, will this work? or will i need a seperate tank for the babies? and what is the difference between using tap water and ro water?

 

[Lynden]

Tap water contains contaminants, while properly filtered RO water is chemically pure; the contaminants in tap water will fuel algaes such as green hair, and if the water company decides to add a new chemical to the water you could be screwed. Also, as far as I am aware you shouldn't need a separate tank for the babies.

 

[chrissaysyes]

BTA might be a little much for a beginner dont you think?

He's right about one being singled out (He's almost always right as you'll find ) Clowns can be aggressive. Unless the clowns you're getting are already mated (which Im doubting since there are five) then theyre probably not mature enough to breed which could take a bit of time. As I'm sure you've read by now, juveniles are all gender natural and will take on whichever sex is necessary. Once two clowns pair, one will grow larger, and become female, the other will become male. This doesnt happen again in their life so it's good to get juveniles or mated pairs to ensure you're not stumbling onto the odd chance of getting all females.

As far as splitting the tank, I dunno...maybe....look into it. It's usually best to wait until they lay the eggs. They will be little orange eggs at first. This is when you add them to a tank of around 5-10 gallons. The eggs then turn clear and you can see the clowns eyes. As soon as they hatch you'll need to feed them rotifers immediately. That's when having them in a seperate tank comes in handy as there are no filters or skimmers to clean out the tiny food. Dont go buying rotifers just yet either, I'd wait atleast until your clowns pair. Also the parents diet is important. They have to have a pretty rich diet in order to start breeding.

Oh and a BTA would definitely make them feel more secure and comfortable but just make sure you know what you're getting into before throwing an anemone into the mix.

 

[australia]

so i do need to seperate the eggs from the mother and father?

 

[chrissaysyes]

not necessarily from them, but from their tank which will more than likely house different crabs and inverts that could and probably will eat them.

 

[australia]

not necessarily from them, but from their tank which will more than likely house different crabs and inverts that could and probably will eat them.

okay cheers, from what i have told use so far does my setup sound good? external canister filter ect? ^^^^

 

[chrissaysyes]

People will argue against canisters. I like them. IMO you should remove the filter pad from it, and fill the media chambers with live rock rubble, along with carbon or phosphate remover or whatever media you so choose, just leave out bio balls, ceramic rings, other objects that are supposed to support bacterial filtration. They can trap and harbor nutrients that you dont want in your water.

Changed my mind, you dont have to remove the filter pad, just make sure you clean it atleast weekly.

 

[SkiFletch]

Ok, before you continue, if your goal is to breed clownfish, then you need to purchase a copy of Joyce Wilkerson's "Clownfishes" as it's pretty much the bible on how to breed them. As lynden has already mentioned, you cannot have strong water movement, nor filtration in their raising tank, as the fry will get sucked into them. Small foods like phytoplankton and rotifers will be required, and you'll prolly have to raise your own. Its easy but you'll need to research that. Honestly, the best tank for raising clownfish fry is a little 5 or 10g tank with a cycled sponge filter and some plastic ornaments. Toughest part is seperating them from the parental tank as either the parents, crabs, shrimp, filters, etc can all munch on the fry really easily.

 

[Lynden]

Just to point this out as far as I am aware the gender of clownfishes is never "locked"; if the rank of dominance changes, in the wild or captivity, the sexes will change as well.

Captive bred bubble tips can be very tough. I have had mine in the tank since day one (it used to be in a twenty gallon tank that I upgraded). All one needs is strong lighting and healthy live rock. Even though they aren't required for breeding I would strongly recommend their inclusion since they give the clowns a high degree of resilience. I would go so far as to say that not only does an anemone prevent epidermal parasites on clownfish but that adding one (and having the clowns live in it) will cure these diseases, in my experience of course. Substitutes such as Euphyllia and Sarcophyton, on the other hand, I never recommend because the clown living in them will cause them great stress, and they do not offer the clowns the resistance to diseases that anemones do.

Clown babies are often raised in nearly bare tanks (with some bioballs in the filter, I would assume) and at a commercial level this is by far the most efficient way to do it. At a "casual" level the fry can be rasied in the main tank if it lacks predators.

 

[chrissaysyes]

Just to point this out as far as I am aware the gender of clownfishes is never "locked"; if the rank of dominance changes, in the wild or captivity, the sexes will change as well.

Interesting, and not disputing you. The site I had read actually said that once a clown had taken on a gender role, there was no going back.

Substitutes such as Euphyllia and Sarcophyton, on the other hand, I never recommend because the clown living in them will cause them great stress, and they do not offer the clowns the resistance to diseases that anemones do.

Is this always the case? Personal curiosity, I just had a damsel take up residence in my torch coral. The coral is still appearing healthy and full but it's only been a few days.

 

[Lynden]

Many can adapt, though you will probably notice some shrinkage on the coral's part. THe hardier corals are usually fine with it but especially aggressive clowns, such as maroons and clark's, when paired with very delicate corals can occasionally cause tissue damage or even kill the coral. This is rare, but to be considered.