Fish spawning question

[michealprater]

First off let me say that fish spawning is not one of my strong points in my fish keeping knowledge. I know absolutely nothing about it, other than that is the way fish reproduce. I guess I should have paid more attention in biology class. I have successfully bred african ciclids, but it was by dumb luck. The conditions were right and it happened. Now on to my question.

As some of you know I have a mated pair of maroon clowns. The last two days I have noticed the male has been fanning the sand on both sides of a rock. Now this is no where near their host leather but it is right by the spot that the male hangs out when the lights are on. My question is, could the male be preparing a spot for the female to lay eggs? I dont plan to try to successfully breed them, however I think it would be interesting to watch them spawn. I have heard of clowns breeding in tanks before. So anyone got any incite?

[BigE]

I don't have a great deal of experience in fish breeding either but... I've read a decent amount on clown fish breeding and normally they clean an area by biting the area. After they have laid the eggs the male fans them to keep fresh water flowing over the egg mass.
Here's a link on clarkii clowns and their breeding habits... I believe all clowns have the same behavior.
Scroll down to the breeding section and there are 2 articles that give a good description.
http://www.animal-world.com/encyclo/...ns/clarkii.htm