GSM pair lay eggs! - AGAIN! 12/22 update

[Kristy]

So Mike and I were just wondering YESTERDAY why it is that our GSM clownfish, happily paired for almost two years now, have never laid any eggs. Then we laughed and said for all we know they could be laying eggs every two weeks and we don't even notice, not entirely sure what to look for, and one of the three anenomes that they favor is so hidden from view that they could have all sorts of things going on back there and we would have no idea.

Well last night they did and we sure noticed this morning!

And heck, yeah, I've got photos! What would be the point of this thread otherwise? (Disclaimer: I've got a cheap-o point-and-shoot camera and I'm no princer7, so I did my best here.)

In case you are like me and you're never entirely sure what to look for in these photos, the eggs would be the cluster of bright orange dots swaying at the base/side of the anenome.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff316/mekdean/Clownfisheggs001.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff316/mekdean/Clownfisheggs002.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff316/mekdean/Clownfisheggs005.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff316/mekdean/Clownfisheggs006.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff316/mekdean/Clownfisheggs003.jpg

I know, it's ridiculous to get this excited over it when it's just going to end up as food for the tank, but I can't help it! :)

[txav8r]

That is very cool! And those pictures are great!

[justahobby]

I agree with Jack, great photos for a point n shoot.... def. better than my photos that always turn out midnight blue. You weren't lying about bright orange eggs! And don't worry, I will be just as excited as you, if and when my pink skunks lay down some caviar.

[Third Coast Tropical]

Congrats...looks like a good group of eggs....Fun to watch them develop

My GSM's spawned on Halloween night, first time since I moved....

[Kristy]

Thanks guys! Only my fellow fish-nerds would understand how exciting this is!!! :bigsmile:

So, for those of you have been through this lots of times (3rd Coast Tropical and others): how long do they stay like this? What happens next? How long can I expect to enjoy them before they all get eaten up?

I definitely want Mike to get to see them (I didn't notice them til Mike had already left for work this morning) and also my good friend home schools her little girl and another child and they are currently studying "Oceanography" at a 3rd / 4th grade level, so I thought it might be cool to have them over to see it and incorporate into a little lesson.

[Kristy]

Congrats...looks like a good group of eggs....Fun to watch them develop

My GSM's spawned on Halloween night, first time since I moved....

There are actually quite a few more eggs than you can see in the photos (about double). It was difficult to get a shot without the clownfish blocking them and then the anenome also blocks quite a bit, as they extend back all the way to the anenome base.

Congrats on your Halloween clutch!

[Europhyllia]

Very cool and great pics!

[snfkotara]

That is so cool I want something of mine to lay eggs already.

[Third Coast Tropical]

Hatch depends on species and temperature....but in general, at 80 F 7-8 days from time of spawn, hatch occurs approximately 30 min to a couple of hours after dark...You can watch the egg development to try and pinpoint the hatch day if you are not sure...just watch as they change from orange to a silvery-blue color, with the eyes becoming more developed day by day.

My last 2 GSM spawns took 8 days to hatch,...I was around 76 F I think at that time....I am currently near 80 F.....

After the hatch...Don't expect to see much the next day, whatever didn't get sucked into your overflow or eaten by your corals, will quickly be eaten by the adults and/or other fish in your tank once the lights come on.....

If you want to see the larvae after hatch while the lights are out and you know when hatch day will be...turn off your pumps and power heads when the lights go out and then wait...don't get too ancy...wait about an hour and shine a flashlight into the tank (NOT DIRECTLY AT EGGS, as this can delay hatch) The larvae are phototactic (meaning,..they are attracted to light)....they should given sufficient time begin to concentrate near the light source.....and when you're done watching, dont forget to turn back on everything you turned off

[Third Coast Tropical]

Kristy...

Just a heads up...Mine hatched last nite....on the 8th nite at 79-80.5 F.....Great hatch as far as numbers, but unfortunately I couldn't do anything with them this time....Be ready for next go around...

Now that yours have started spawning, I would check in 2-3 weeks for more....

Hope yours hatch and you at least get to see it!!!

TCT

[Kristy]

Thanks TCT!

I actually got up last night to shine a light around and check on the eggs because they have turned such a definitive shade of silver, don't look orange at all anymore. They just look so different that I was sure it was near hatching time. But when I do the math, it should be in the next couple of days...

It would be cool to see some in the larval stage and would also be confirmation that this batch was fertile. Our girls are so disappointed that we "aren't even going to try" to raise them. Maybe another batch we might be so ambitious as to try to capture some to hand them off to someone else to raise them (class project, Ace?... interested TCT?) Otherwise, we should have a well-fed tank.

We'll keep you posted if this becomes a regular routine for them.

[Third Coast Tropical]

O...trust me...I am interested.....

I'll let you know when I am set-up for rearing again. I haven't had the time to set-up my system for it and also don't have rotifers currently, but in due time.....

Also, if you want to catch a glimpse of the larvae, you'll want to turn off pumps and powerheads (the night of hatch) in the tank, otherwise they will just get sucked up and you won't see them.

Thanks
TCT

[ErikH]

Kristy, I have a breeder that I made that you can use if you would like. I can also give you some BBS and a tube to hatch them in. That way you could DIY some GSMs!

[Kristy]

Hmmm... interesting offer. We'll talk after I finish reading the Joyce Wilkerson book (and by then we should know if this is going to be a repeat performance from the clowns).

[Bugroago73]

Problem Today the pair lay eggs again. Due to there is only 5 small fish. I have cover the eggs and put MB. Do not known can the small fish take MB or not. Hope the pair do not eat the them within this 1 to 2 weeks.

[Kristy]

Wow... The eggs hatched last night (7th night) and we were able to watch the larvae for about an hour. In that time, we probably saw about 50 - 100 larvae swimming around and there were still hundreds more that had not hatched when we went to bed. All are gone this morning.

This was an amazing thing to see. Thank you TCT for the viewing tips... it worked perfectly. We turned off the powerheads and pumps and shined a light on a spot 6 inches away or so and the next thing you know we saw all these tiny glowing dancing tadpoles. Absolutely incredible!

Wish I could have taken pics, but you have to have a real camera to focus on something that small!

[justahobby]

http://maast.org/forums/themes/smooth/editor/separator.gifMan, next time, I would love to see that... *Hint Hint* :bigsmile:

Did you witness what happened to the larvae, did you see fish or coral eat any of them?

[Kristy]

We did witness a few... saw one that decided to take a rest on our fully extended dendro coral, which swallowed it happily. Saw another get eaten by candy canes. Our pistol shrimp managed to snag one. And then the flame hawk noticed what was going on... and the rest was history! That seemed to draw the attention of the long-nosed butterfly and the two were swimming around jerkily after dark, pouncing on them. Who knows how many more fish joined in after we went to bed?

Even though I have not been able to see a single larva today, I wonder if there were still some about this morning, because our basket star stayed fully extended after the lights came on for a couple of hours, as if still feeding. She doesn't ever stay extended like that during daylight unless there is food involved... and she would be perfectly built to snare those little guys in her tendrils.

Hopefully this won't be a one-time event and then we can invite you to view a hatch in the future. It was really, really cool.
Ultimate fish-nerd moment! :)

[justahobby]

Dang, your fish had no trouble Finding Nemo.

[Third Coast Tropical]

What is your water temperature?...greater than 80F?.....

[Kristy]

Dang, your fish had no trouble Finding Nemo.

LOL! :bigsmile:


What is your water temperature?...greater than 80F?.....

Just checked it and it reads 78F. We are typically around 78 - 81. Does the 7th night seem strange to you? Maybe the eggs were there for a day before we noticed them?... but I didn't think so.

[Paul28]

now that they're laying eggs, they will lay eggs monthly. Well, that's what my pair does.

[Paul28]

mine are percs tho not shur on the maroons its cool tho look everynight with a flash light you will see them swimming for a few days at night

[Third Coast Tropical]

The warmer the water temp, the sooner the hatch. Trying to figure out why mine take an extra day at a warmer temp. Nothing to be concerned about, just curious.

[Third Coast Tropical]

If there is no zooplankton in your water column small enough for them to eat on the first day, they will not survive beyond that, and in your main tank...they would be really lucky to make it to daylight with all the predators, and the pumps running as well....

[versach000]

congratulations.
my clown has egg too.. 4th time

do you ready for Rotifer cultures?
or you just go other food

[Third Coast Tropical]

If you haven't had another round of eggs yet, you probably might want to start checking.....I would suspect, if they are going to continue spawning and it wasn't a one time deal, that you would have eggs soon. Mine have not spawned again since Halloween, but I have relocated them yet again so I don't really expect anything from mine for a little bit.....all this moving, it's crazy

[Kristy]

I've been checking every day, thinking the same thing. Nothing yet...

Are they likely to stick with the same location? They change loyalties as to which anemone they are hosting in (we have three in the tank) so they could be spawning just about anywhere!

[Third Coast Tropical]

More than likely, they will use same place,....but it is not for certain. The second spawn I had from my GSM's was different from the first and all the subsequent spawns. Five total spawns in the exact same location, only one different.

[Third Coast Tropical]

Anything???

[Kristy]

Oh no, I would have posted if they did. I keep checking each day and *nothing.*

The funny thing is, Mike and I were discussing the pair of maroons because we are in the process of setting up a FOWLR and will be moving over a couple of the livestock from the big tank. I had suggested maybe we should move the maroon clown pair and Mike said, "only if we move one of their anemones with them" as he felt it would not be right otherwise. I was not too excited about tearing apart the rockwork to do this and said, "Why, it's not like they are SPAWNING or anything!" The next morning there were hundreds of orange eggs. First and only time they ever spawned.

I think it was just an act of desperation to convince us not to evict them from the big tank. Also, I believe this confirms that they have excellent hearing for fish in another room and inside of 210 gallons of rushing water.

[Third Coast Tropical]

Just to let you know, as I was fairly confident mine would spawn on same substrate again (as it seemed they really liked the spot they had been laying them in), they decided to switch it up on me....this time on the back of the tank wall....This is the first time since the Halloween spawn, but they have been relocated since then and I didn't expect them to go their normal 3 weeks as they do when they are not constantly being moved....It was about 6 weeks since the move,...this is fairly consistent with the timing of their previous move up from the coast.....Not sure what this means to you, except maybe...don't trust them (lol), ....no, you just might want to look elsewhere....I usually get concerned if I can't find my male for a couple of days, and usually he is with eggs, to my delight...anyways...I am carrying on, enough...

[Kristy]

Well, when you're right you're right, Linsay (TCT)!

Last night we were doing our long-overdue tank chores and I commented for the second time that the GSM pair were spending an awful lot of time exclusively in the RBTA. I watched the male closely for a minute and he seemed to be doing some of the same sorts of movements that he did the last time we had a spawn, but this time it's in an IMPOSSIBLE location to see clearly.

Finally, I stood on the stepstool, leaned way over the tank, and angled a mirror in the water to reflect the backside of the rock. I am positive that I saw the swaying of a clutch of eggs. I would say based on the color that the fry will hatch tonight or tomorrow night.

So.... good news! They are showing some regularity and not just a one-time fluke!

[corruption]

Huzzah! Congrats on the fish food-to-be! :bigsmile: I still would like to attempt to pair off my black/white ocellaris at some point... This makes me jealous :)

-Justin