Ok lets try to have babies!

[Hendersonracing]

do I just follow the directions on the amquel? I just don't want to overdose the rots

[evansbr]

do you have test kits for the ammonia, nitrite, ect.?? I would use according to the directions in the rot cultures if they get that bad.
I just clean the Rotifer culture tanks weekly and thats all.

[Hendersonracing]

well I have about 100 baby clowns...and about 20 dead on the bottom(white)

when should I clean them out tonight or tomorrow???I hate to syphon the live out?

[evansbr]

tommorrow is fine. use rigid air line with air line attached as a small siphon.
you wont lose alot of water if you kink it off except to get the dead eggs.

way to go!!

[racerw]

Good luck will follow your progress
I can not wait for my clowns to spawn

[Hendersonracing]

woke this morning and still over 100 baby clowns I pulled as may rots out that I could...there is alot in there plus alot of baby nauplii brine In the water. I may order a few batches of live rots for the next batch actually I may order today for tomorrow to make sure the now babies have enough!

[evansbr]

you putting brine in this early?? or were they just already in there???
I wouldn't put brine in till like day 4-5 and then blend them in with rots so larvae at different sizes can eat something, dont just change food on them.. If you don't have Joyce's book I would highly recommend it. Ask away on questions here also, we are always ready to help!!

[Hendersonracing]

the brine was already in there from the previous batch! Ive putting rots in there!

when do I start the sponge filter?


also I bought a $25.00 book from Florida Farms and thought it was the clownfish book but It was there version & very hard to read!

[evansbr]

ya, you probably ended up with the FAF culture manual...
a good book for the rots and brine. not so helpful with raising clownfish.
what I do is for the first 3-4 days is heater, and airstone under the heater to move water. water changes and siphoning to clean the bottom of the tank. drip all water into the tank SLOW... like over several hours, don't pour it in. have you been soaking the sponge filter in your sump to seed the bacteria onto it? gives it a head start. I don't use sponge filters, I'm on a common sump so I just flow water thru. I think you could put in the filter after the first 4-5 days and just watch the airflow so you don't blow them around. use a manifold so you can turn down the air..

[Hendersonracing]

I thought about hooking up a 20 gallon sump to a few 5 gallon tanks and making sure the water goes through a 53mesh net keeping all the rots & larvae in the 5 gallon tanks? just a though...and in the sump have mabe sand to help with amonia & reverse lighting to help with ph? whta do you think? ever heard of anyone doing this?

[evansbr]

Well, I use a central sump with parent and larvae tanks hooked to it.
I have heaters, skimmer, live rock, carbon, refugium, ect. all in it or hooked to it. I built a manifold with ball valves so I can control how much water goes to each tank. It starts out as a light trickle (instead of a sponge filter) and over a couple weeks they go up in flow. I use a sponge like you'd find on an overflow to keep the babies from going over. I'm almost past rots when I turn on their flow so losing them isn't an issue. and they are on Otohime before the flow gets real strong (growout stage)
It just depends on how serious you want to be with raising clowns. If you want a batch here and there it probably isn't worth the effort.

[Hendersonracing]

Id like to get them going like yours But My parent tank is in my 220 and I want to leave them there they live in a seabae about 20" across! lovely home...what kind of overflows do You Have??? I can drill holes and I just bought 53mesh screens to cover the holes to keep everything In...But that will require me cleaning everything out to drill the holes???which I can do when the get a little bigger!

[evansbr]

I just drilled all the glass tanks.. before being setup...
fairly easy to do with no water in them.
my parents are in 20 gallon tanks, babies in 10 gallon tanks. 2- 50 gallon horse troughs tied together for the sump.

kind of fun hobby huh?
Brian

[Hendersonracing]

did you drill your own?

[evansbr]

yep, you think I'd pay 25.00 a hole on 22 tanks? in 10 and 20 gallon tanks its real easy.. takes a couple of minutes each. hole saws are 12.00 each and good for 6 to 8 holes then you get another.