Trying something new...non coral experience :P

[Mr Cob]

I feed with rotifer for 3 weeks or so but start about 1 week I add otohime A1 Just a little at first until I see them all eating. Even with this I continue to feed rotifer. I have a fairly dense growth of Macroalgale in the fry tank. I also add a few LR with multiple bristle worms in the fry tank. They eat any extra food the clown babies do not eat. The algae keep nitrate down to non detectable level.

Thanks for sharing Minh, I saw this in your thread and definitely planning to do the same... with macro and live rock when I move the babies to new tanks with sponge filters after 20days.

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[Mr Cob]

A couple pics of the sumps I have running on two of the broodstock systems.

I run sumps with DSB, macro algae, live rock, skimmer, heater, sock filters, carbon, phosban pads and UV.

20791

20792

[Mr Cob]

Been awhile since I updated what pairs I have.

At the moment I'm working with 6 pairs. That seems to change pretty frequently as I seem to always sell a pair or swap out in trades. I'm undecided on a couple of pairs as I really only want to work with one hybrid pair.


1) Wild Caught Onyx female X Onyx Picasso male (Proaquatix) - currently spawning and rearing babies

2) Half Onyx Misbar female (Sea&Reef) X Black Ice Snowflake male (Sea&Reef) - *HYBRID offspring* spawning pair not currently in cycle

3) Platinum female (lineage?) X Midnight male (ORA) - *HYBRID offspring* female has spawned before but not with this male

4) Misbar Darwin female (lineage?) X Buckshot Black Snowflake male (Proaquatix) - not spawning but nesting and I'm expecting this pair to lay next

5) Black Photon female Hybrid (Sea&Reef) X Super Picasso (lineage?) - *HYBRID offspring* not spawning, bonded pair that should start getting serious soon

6) Snowflake female w/big blue lines (Sea&Reef) X Blacker Ice Snowflake (Proaquatix) - not spawning, bonded pair that just started nesting


Here is one of the two 4 stall systems that I have:

http://youtu.be/ijK9wTSWXAk

[Mr Cob]

Updates on the onyx X onyx picasso pair

-nest 6 was laid on 5/17 and is 13 days old and is in the middle of metamorphosis (last count was around 60 babies, only 1 has passed since starting meta)

-nest 7 was laid on 5/23 and is hatching right now : ) (has been a long evening, doing water changes, feeding babies, adding a second and third larvae tank, roti maintenance, pulling a pot etc)

[Mr Cob]

Pair number 2 just laid. Half onyx misbar x black ice snowflake.

Pretty big nest too. This is their first nest with me but they have been laying for years. I will probably pull this nest.

I shot some video that I will upload later.

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[Scutterborn]

I so want to do this someday. Congrats on the new clutch.


- Ben -

[Mr Cob]

Thanks Ben! It's very rewarding.


http://youtu.be/sEhif7u-0-E

[Mr Cob]

Onyx Picasso fry at day 19... you can see stripes on some, they are about done with meta.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8395/8951880934_9438cd9234_c.jpg

[Mr Cob]

a vid of the 19 day old onyx picasso clownfish babies :) They are so much fun to watch.


http://youtu.be/W52emglLjsE

[Mr Cob]

Updates on the onyx X onyx picasso pair

-nest 6 was laid on 5/17 and is 13 days old and is in the middle of metamorphosis (last count was around 60 babies, only 1 has passed since starting meta)

-nest 7 was laid on 5/23 and is hatching right now : ) (has been a long evening, doing water changes, feeding babies, adding a second and third larvae tank, roti maintenance, pulling a pot etc)



Nest 8 was just laid and it is the largest one yet. Huge nest. 6/4


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[Mr Cob]

Pair #1 with Big Mama laying down nest #8 lastnight, huge nest with very large eggs. The eggs were noticeably larger than her other nests.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7402/8959225151_f19e1345c9_z.jpg

[Mr Cob]

big Mama keepin it real with a fat ol' nest... 1200-1500 eggs! Looks like we have brown hair algae or something.

Vid:

http://youtu.be/lTWUDy-_Wk8


Couple pics:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5448/8973353679_7d191905b0_z.jpg



http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2886/8973355011_e73293033b_z.jpg

[Mr Cob]

Got another mil of rotifers in today and all sizes of Otohime. With pulling 3 clutches regularly we are thinking we might need to explore something a little larger than buckets for rotifers. The 2 buckets aren't doing it. We may first just add another bucket but we really can't pull more than 3 clutches pre-meta at a time.

[Mr Cob]

Pair number 2 just laid. Half onyx misbar x black ice snowflake.

Pretty big nest too. This is their first nest with me but they have been laying for years. I will probably pull this nest.

I shot some video that I will upload later.

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This nest is hatching right now.

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[allan]

Wow, sounds like a lot of work. And fun! :-)


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[Mr Cob]

Pair #1 with Big Mama laying down nest #8 lastnight, huge nest with very large eggs. The eggs were noticeably larger than her other nests.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7402/8959225151_f19e1345c9_z.jpg


Nest 8 is hatching right now. I pulled the pot about an hour ago. : )

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[Mr Cob]

Wow, sounds like a lot of work. And fun! :-)


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Keeping us on our toes that's for sure. Rotifers have been the biggest challenge in this entire project. We have 5 million that will be here tomorrow morning, going to increase the two 5 gallon buckets to 4 buckets to keep up with the fry.

No way I could be doing all of this alone without my wive's help, especially during the day when I'm at work.





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[Mr Cob]

Pair #2 Half Onyx and Premium Snowflake is laying their second nest right now : )

Their first nest is doing well and has not hit meta yet.

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[Mr Cob]

Here is a pic of pair #2 laying nest #2


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8263/9030280238_743bffec34_c.jpg

Vid...


http://youtu.be/d4jUc_n99UA

[Mr Cob]

First... the onyx picassos out of meta and looking sharp with their new stripes :)


http://youtu.be/GW7ni4bzLuQ

And next.. the rotifers. UGH! Like I said, the biggest issue for us throughout this entire process has been keeping up with rotifers. Well we finally decided to work with two 20g brutes and two 5 gallon bruckets. We will feed larvae from the 5 gallon buckets and will be using the 20g brutes as backup. Right now just one brute is going. After a week of not touching it we will split it into the other brute. Once we can get two brutes going full force we will remove the 5 gallon buckets. Hoping this does the trick.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7337/9037266489_39b25e7b63_z.jpg



http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3729/9039868468_c142ecabc8_z.jpg




Here is a vid of larvae tank with a week old fry and a new nest in pot hatching...to get an idea of what our larvae tank looks like and a feel for the phyto dosing in larvae tanks. Not everyone does it like this but it is working for us:

http://youtu.be/fRUAnJWFMkw

[Mr Cob]

Let's see if I got this down yet... Big Mama from pair #1 has a protruding ovipositor. Just noticed it today. I believe this means she will lay tonight... Every time I have seen it in the past she lays.

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[Mr Cob]

Let's see if I got this down yet... Big Mama from pair #1 has a protruding ovipositor. Just noticed it today. I believe this means she will lay tonight... Every time I have seen it in the past she lays.

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They be laying.. : )

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[OrionN]

Got a rough count on how may fry you got going right now? You seem to have a lot and likely busting at the seam, or rupture like the Hulk (as in shirts) :)

[Mr Cob]

Got a rough count on how may fry you got going right now? You seem to have a lot and likely busting at the seam, or rupture like the Hulk (as in shirts) :)

Hahaha...you nailed it. That is exactly what is going on which is the reason we have had so many issues with rotifers..still trying to find the right balance. I really think the two 20g brutes will put us over the top on rotifers once they take off. I'm hoping so because we have spent some money with Reed, several 1-3mil orders and most recently a 5mil order! One week we had two orders come in, in one week, just trying to keep up. That doesn't even count the orders of rotifers we brought in from Proaquatix and Sea/Reef along with Live Aquaria, all in the last couple of months.

I'm also thinking of doing a third 20g brute as backup. We will see.

The guesstimate right now is 400-600 hatched fry with a new nest tonight and one to pull in a few days. I can't get an accurate count on the last clutch because they are still so small and that nest was HUGE. The greenwater fry tanks also makes it hard to count.

In the process of setting up more tanks right now... Want to be able to pull up to 8 clutches pre-30 day at a time.

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[aquasport24]

Man your last post was at 2am, i hope you will get alot of reward at th end Rob.Thats seem too much work.

[Mr Cob]

Man your last post was at 2am, i hope you will get alot of reward at th end Rob.Thats seem too much work.

Thanks bro, yes, it has been a lot of work and challenging but already very rewarding. It is so cool to see so many little fishes swimming around as a result of your hard work! Really man, I'm hooked.

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[OrionN]

At 3 months each fish require a lot more volume than at 1 week

[Mr Cob]

At 3 months each fish require a lot more volume than at 1 week

: )

Yeah, lol, I have considered growout... and have a lot of room for growout. If I do run out of space we will simply keep expanding like we did on rotifers. 50 gallons of rotifers are going to consume a lot of phyto! That should be an interesting purchase every month.




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[Southern Flame]

Just incase you need Rotifers quick in the future coral cove carries live Rotifers seen them today while window shopping

[Mr Cob]

Great info...! Thx! I was thinking about beefing our cultures up even more and offering the same.

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[Southern Flame]

No prob :-)

[Mr Cob]

Breeder Pair #2 (snow onyx maker) just put down nest #3 and it is huge like pair #1.

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[ramsey]

This is such an awesome thread full of so much win! Man, it seems like a lot of fun but you better have some free time.

[Mr Cob]

Thanks Ramsey, yeah it is a ton of work. The daily evening chores for the fry take an hour every single night. That doesn't include the rotifer feedings throughout the day along with rotifer maintenance a couple times a week and broodstock system maintenance.

My wife is a huge help and even handled everything recently for a week when I had a trip out of town for work. What a blessing... I think she even did better than I have...the systems were spotless, fish fat and the pairs continued their spawning cycles.

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[ramsey]

Thanks Ramsey, yeah it is a ton of work. The daily evening chores for the fry take an hour every single night. That doesn't include the rotifer feedings throughout the day along with rotifer maintenance a couple times a week and broodstock system maintenance.

My wife is a huge help and even handled everything recently for a week when I had a trip out of town for work. What a blessing... I think she even did better than I have...the systems were spotless, fish fat and the pairs continued their spawning cycles.

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You're wife and my wife need to hang out. LOL. I was terrified of the thought of my wife having to feed my TWO fish when I went out of town to Portland recently. :P She did ok, but i'd love it if she took more interest in it. Did your wife always help out with your tanks, or did fish breeding get her involved?

[Mr Cob]

haha Ramsey! Yeah man she was never too into it all. She has always loved the display tanks and enjoys looking into them with me from time to time but she has taken an interest in all the babies.


I had to snap a pic of pair #2's nest after being fertilized. You know if the male has done his job if the eggs go from orange to black.. this nest is huge.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3820/9148272698_fd0da51d09_c.jpg

[Mrs Cob]

They're my babies now...:wink_smile:

[kkiel02]

A nice little group of babies would look so good in a 375 gallon tank. ;). Looking good Rob glad you are having such great success already!

[KING]

?? Mrs Cob..:hypnotyized:

[Mr Cob]

When the Mrs. shows up you know it's for real. Lol.

Kevin, that's a lot of water! We have a lot of clowns.. lol

Big mama is also laying tonight. I forget what nest this is... I probably won't continue to document every nest since she's got it down now. Her first nest is doing well and is over 60 babies and starting to show some nice patterns.. growing slow though.

We are also in the process of converting our walk-in closet to a fish room, this should really help with maintenance since everything is currently allover the place. I will take pics when I get some time.



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[Mr Cob]

...busy converting a walk-in closet to a fish room for all the new babies. What a great wife I have :)


Pond liner is a great resource when the fish room is not permanent. The 20 gallon rotifer brutes will go here:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7390/9155306007_417df26911_c.jpg


For the fry post hatch up to 30 days.. this is where all of the 5 gallon tanks will go:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5525/9157528564_263c5c17f0_c.jpg


Storage, 10 gallon tanks for 30 days post hatch+ and the stand will have a 40 gallon breeder on top and a 20 gallon below for grow-out.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/9155338037_d025fa751f_c.jpg


More storage... can always add more 10 or 20 gallon tanks if needed.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/9155350181_313fcd8023_c.jpg

[ramsey]

They're my babies now...:wink_smile:

That's awesome! Maybe I need to start trying to breed and raise fry. I mean, I have a two year old out of water fry (my son), but maybe some less talkative and walkative. Would love my wife to get into the hobby!

[alton]

Rob no woman ever turns loose of a clothes closet, especially for fish tanks. Are you adding something to your wifes drinks at night? Anyway it looks nice and good luck on your venture.

[Mr Cob]

Alton.. fo real man. I tried not to act too surprised when my lovely wife offered up the closet as a suggestion for expanding the fish growout. :)

So, we got a new broodstock spawning pair in today! I'm pretty pumped about these clownfish. A bit of a change-up for me as they are not designer. BUT.. this pair is sweet and HUGE. Since I thought our wild caught Onyx was the biggest clownfish we would ever have and named her "Big Mama"... we could only use "Big Bertha" to trump that.

Here they are...

Big Bertha is a wild caught maroon and is a little over 5"!(I measured). The male is a captive bred gold stripe maroon (3.25") and the pair has been spawning for two years now. Hoping to get them back in rotation quickly. By the way...that pot is twice the size of my other pots!
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/9187199807_e7949ea80e_c.jpg


http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2851/9188169047_59f2ea523f_c.jpg





http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5502/9190960646_18be24a5af_c.jpg

[ramsey]

That clown is huge! Nice looking pair. How many pairs are you up to now?

[Paul28]

Wow Rob plz tell me your secret I could only wish for my wife like that

[Mr Cob]

That clown is huge! Nice looking pair. How many pairs are you up to now?

I can't believe how big she is. Really. This is my first time with maroons and I learned that they have cheek spines which on these two are huge. I thought it was some sort of deformity...they look like transparent whiskers. Pretty cool.

That makes 8 pairs but as you know I sell pairs. Once a pair lays they are no longer for sale.

Here are the pairs we are working with:

1) Onyx perc (wild) x Onyx Picasso perc (Proaquatix) - in cycle and spawning regularly

2) Half Onyx misbar perc x Snowflake ocellaris (both are sea and reef lineage and will make hybrid snow onyx) - in cycle and spawning regularly

3) Darwin misbar ocellaris x buckshot Black Snowflake ocellaris (Proaquatix) - has not laid but expecting them to do so soon... really digging this pair

4) Maroon (wild) x Gold Stripe Maroon (captive bred) - known spawning pair that shld be jamming soon

Those are the pairs that we are for sure going to keep and continue working with. The others we are unsure of.


Wow Rob plz tell me your secret I could only wish for my wife like that

She has a lot of input too and is great about helping to come up with ideas on automating so many of our chores. We just added digital Eheim feeders to the 10g fry grow-out tanks that have sponge filters. These fish are on otohime A and B1 and are still small and need regular feedings. The fish feeders feed every 4 hours. While they weren't cheap to implement it is nice to have something automated.



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[Mrs Cob]

Wow, seems like a pro-hobby wife is a real phenomenon here. :wink_smile:

But before anyone gets crowned with with laurels, I'll provide some perspective... Rob is an excellent husbandman (no pun intended, really.) He cares for our fish and coral meticulously & they thrive because of it. On a parallel, he is an excellent husband and father and balances work, home & hobby exceptionally well. It's taken a few years to find the right balance with the hobby, but he's managed to do it. As a result, neither family, fish nor coral are neglected. We're well provided for in all aspects, so we people and coral and fish get along quite well. :bighug:

[Mrs Cob]

Oh...and it was only recently, while Rob was away on a week-long business trip that I realized how thoroughly I enjoyed staring into 5 & 10 gallon tanks filled with little-bitty, flittery fish. Of course... the burden of responsibility for all marine (and mammalian :wink_smile: ) life that I assumed in his absence, might also have something to do with my new-found appreciation for rearing fish. :) Who knew that feeding phytoplankton to rotifers, rotifers to larvae & siphoning poop out of fish tanks could be so much fun?!

[Mr Cob]

See... I told you siphoning fish poop was fun!

My only problem is I can't siphon for nothing and I always get a little in the mouth. But... you know this Mrs Cob because you hear me gagging in the other room and I hear you giggle every time.

You did a great job Mama.. thanks for your help. Now I can kick back and relax : )

By the way... Pair number two should lay tomorrow. She lookin big.


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[moneytank]

Just be careful keeping the otohime in the auto feeder because the astaxanthin goes bad real fast when it's not refrigerated.

[Mr Cob]

Meet "4h", the onyx picasso that we have been following since he is so easy to spot out of the hundreds of babies.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7427/9228891534_e88c87ae99.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/9226090159_90d9a47460.jpg

and the "h" side..
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2858/9228887414_4fd54824b7.jpg

[Mr Cob]

Picked up a new broodstock fish the other day and looking for a male to pair her up with. Kris from Alpha has some nice ones that we are looking at. Here she is.. Goldflake maroon:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3752/9273603212_ae19ae90a0_z.jpg

And a few pics of the babies...both snow onyx and onyx picasso. Just about every single fish is showing nice patterns as their second stripes come in.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7287/9274433066_5e0ef0a5be_z.jpg


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7458/9271727317_ed768b5780_z.jpg


http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2883/9271761113_a4e0346d54_z.jpg

[Mr Cob]

Ckeck out "T2" ("T square").. near bottom of pic. Onyx Picasso and Snow Onyx fry. He is an Onyx Picasso and the "T" is identical on both sides.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7389/9302843498_ee2e760584.jpg

A few fish we are following out of the hundreds..

4H (4H has the number 4 on one side and the letter H on the other, beauftiul Onyx Picasso)
T2 (T Squared has the letter T on both sides, another nice looking Onyx Picasso)
K (K has the letter K on one side or both.. I forget)
Little e (has a lower case "e", another awesome Onyx Picasso baby)
Jackson Pollock (This little dude has a sweet print that resembles the painting style of Jackson Pollock, amazing looking Onyx Picasso)
Mongrol (Mongrol is cull that is hyper and swims all over the place during feedings, we are attached to him and he has been crazy since before his stripes.)
Bird (Bird is another cull that has a beak looking face, lol and he looks as though he is flying when he swims. We love Bird too.)

[ducati996]

looking good those markings are crazy kool

[Mr Cob]

The other side of "T2":
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/9303287898_45d8578c6b.jpg


Here's "Little e":
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2857/9303287066_6bc34ce079.jpg


Investing in some camera equipment so Mrs. Cob can retire my cell phone pics.. lol

[KING]

Hey rob..its ok if you want to re name the k clown after me..aaa lol (( lil king ))

[Mr Cob]

Another shot of "T2"...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7426/9300502459_ea7f51179e.jpg

[Mr Cob]

Hey rob..its ok if you want to re name the k clown after me..aaa lol (( lil king ))

I will see if the "ing" is on the other side when I get home. lol

[Mr Cob]

Picked up a known spawning wild onyx female, she is about 3" and paired her with a black snowflake that I had with a large darwin female. We'll see how it goes. She was chasing him around a lot so I put them in a net with little water... problem solved. I think.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3791/9309419225_57d611f256_c.jpg

[Mr Cob]

Baby videos : ) These vids are a few groups we have of both Onyx Picasso and Snow Onyx hybrids. The snow onyx are easy to determine because their head stripe is cloud-like, much like a snowflake.


http://youtu.be/c6gyKzxF7wo



http://youtu.be/_P8wTpGo6xE



http://youtu.be/NeKG-pba_Ac

[ducati996]

How many babies total?

[reefreak]

Nice job rob!

[Mr Cob]

Thanks, Jeremy, it's so much fun. Forget about vacations though lol! There are so many of them... I stopped counting. Every corner of the tanks have little groups. When the lights go off they dart around feeding on all the pods that come out...but every morning the same ones always end up in their same little corners. So funny to watch.

[OrionN]

Very nice, I am glad you got your babies at last. They are a lot of worm and take/will take a lot of room.

[allan]

man, that's so cool.

I got gloria on board, she wants to have the little babies... I think she wants them all in the big tank. :)

[Mr Cob]

Very nice, I am glad you got your babies at last. They are a lot of worm and take/will take a lot of room.

Mine don't seem to like worms very much. Lol! Yes they surely are a lot of work! And they already do take a lot of room...working on two more 40g breeder setups with partitions for growout right now.


man, that's so cool.

I got gloria on board, she wants to have the little babies... I think she wants them all in the big tank. :)

Awesome Allan, you both will enjoy the entire process. Nothing beats watching the babies grow and colors come in, though I also really enjoy the pairing of the adults. That part was fun to bring in as many fish as possible and take the time to make some nice pairs. Of course buying a spawning pair is much easier. Lol


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[Mr Cob]

So while searching for a mate for our goldflake maroon I found this absolutely jaw dropping fancy snowflake at Alpha Aquaculture and had to get him. He will replace the black snowflake that we paired up with the new onyx female spawner (the female just wasn't taking to him):

This fancy premium snowflake is bred by SA

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/9330175181_1d8e348b92_c.jpg


http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3810/9332969714_da67f1aef6_c.jpg




...and here's the goldflag maroon that we will pair up with the goldflake maroon:

This goldflag is bred by FEA
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/9330175119_f931cc9dbe_c.jpg


http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3668/9332969638_2961dc1a72_c.jpg


Can't wait to get these two in. :)

[Mr Cob]

My fish came in from Alpha Aquaculture yesterday and they look great. Here is the premium snowflake and his new mate..


http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3762/9360023702_9483236aee_z.jpg



http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3820/9360021078_8317a6c155_z.jpg



http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2835/9357240475_f7f5de2e6f_z.jpg

[ducati996]

Sweet snowflake

[Mr Cob]

My wife took a shot of a few of the babies, I think this is like my first non cell phone pic in this thread. lol

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/9361417690_61793da719_b.jpg

[Mr Cob]

Got the cell phone out today :)

Pics of the Onyx Picasso babies and Snow Onyx..

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7379/9368987377_a4c78176c6_c.jpg


You can see T-squared in this pic, lower left...
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3708/9368993745_ffaae7630a_c.jpg


I really like the print on the one in the middle of this pic, helmet head and chin straps..way cool little guy
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3763/9371767588_08c3743270_c.jpg



And no update would be complete without a vid..

http://youtu.be/0rVZer5bxaY

[ramsey]

That herd of baby clowns is so cool!

[Mr Cob]

Thanks, Ramsey.


I really have been dreading this update because I want to just keep moving on, but in an effort to keep a good journal of our clownfish breeding project and hopefully help others I will take the time to post this update.

I will start with the lesson learned: It's not worth it to purchase cheap heaters and digital thermometers just because you have 10+ to buy. AT some point they will fail. PERIOD. We didn't even purchase the cheapest, but we didn't purchase the best either, which in this case I think it is most definitely worth the cost to purchase the best available.

Result of not purchasing the best heaters and digital thermometers: 100-150 fish dead.

What happened?: Thermometers were 2-4 degrees off and heaters did not shut off causing the water to heat up and kill the fish. Since the thermometers were not picking up the rising temps, it went unnoticed by me.

Moving forward: Will replace all heaters with more reliable brands and quality. Will also purchase digital thermometers that have built in alarms. Will also keep grow-out tanks at 81 versus 83 to give some more room for error should something like this happen again.


Heaters that failed: Aqueon Pro Heater - shatter proof (not the cheapest of all the heaters but definitely not the best either)
Thermometers that continue to fail: Coralife Digital Aquarium Thermometer


Now for the good news... still have 500+ babies of all ages in grow-out! :)

[ramsey]

That really sucks, Rob. Sorry to hear that. What kind if heaters are you thinking of getting? I use the Ehiem Jäger heaters and like them so far but really nice heaters don't seem to exist in the hobby. Even the pricey titanium ones have bad reviews. Making high end heaters might be a good niche market.

[stephaniegarcia06]

You have me ordering a new thermometer. I have two of those digital ones on my tanks.

Sorry to hear about your losses:(

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[kkiel02]

I use my apex to turn my heaters on and off at 76-78 degrees but have my heaters set to turn off at 80 in case the apex thermometer fails.

I agree with Ramsey. It's hard to find good heaters from what I've read. I'm not sure hat mine are but I also use two instead of one large heater in case one fails.

[ramsey]

I use my apex to turn my heaters on and off at 76-78 degrees but have my heaters set to turn off at 80 in case the apex thermometer fails.

I agree with Ramsey. It's hard to find good heaters from what I've read. I'm not sure hat mine are but I also use two instead of one large heater in case one fails.

I do/did something similar. But yes, there's a high end product for just about everything in this hobby, except heaters apparently. There's the titanium heaters that are more expensive, but they have terrible reviews. It's really strange!

[Zack]

I've heard colbalt neotherm were pretty good..

I have my heaters set to their 78 degree marks, and then plugged into the RKL to control heat. For my tank to over heat, both my RKL temp probe would have to fail, and the internal thermostats of both heaters would have to fail. Knocking on wood, I think its a pretty decent setup

[OrionN]

I use a digital Finnex Temperature controller to control my heater. This is not too expensive, and work well for me for years.
Rob, sorry to hear about your fish. What happen? What brand of heater fail. These day and reasonable heater, when it fail, usually the thermometer fail, it just won't turn on rather than cook the tank. I never put non digital heater in my tank, other than one that turn on full blast and control by a temp controller.

[Mr Cob]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Minh... I posted above the equipment brands that failed, both heater and thermometer. Have had others on 3 different forums express similar experiences with the same brands. Another breeder lost over 300 with the same heater failing. Love the idea of the finnex controller and actually I think I have one in the garage. Now to buy ten more..lol

Zack, RKL...have on broodstock systems and reef tank...would love to have on all the growout tanks as well but that's going to take some time ($).

Turned out to be a good opportunity for us to make some improvements and re-evaluate everything we are doing... Make some edits and keep on truckin.

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[OrionN]

Sorry I did not read everything as closely as I should have.

[Mr Cob]

Lol, no problem..I couldn't remember the names and I'm on my phone.

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[RayAllen]

Clowns are looking good Rob.

[Mr Cob]

THANKS, Ray!

Here are some Onyx Picasso larvae from lastnight's pot pull...right before tucking them away in their rearing tank:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3815/9408917035_8e7f11919f_c.jpg

[Texreefer]

cool!. they are ready to pop.. good luck

[Mrs Cob]

I think I like my version better ;) ...lol

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/9414273360_fe075d29fe_c.jpg

[moneytank]

The new coralview titanium heaters and basic reefkeeper lite works great (for me at least)

[Mr Cob]

Thx moneytank.

Update... Have a new pair that we paired up just a month ago and they put down a nest this evening at 6pm. The female has spawned before but fist time for us and first time with this male.

Wild caught Onyx female and Premium Snowflake male FEA lineage. Together this pair will make hybrid Snow Onyx.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utERX6WYEpQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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[Mr Cob]

Baby snow onyx in their fake anemone :)


http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5489/9694103855_1838c56a7a_c.jpg

[OrionN]

Rob,
So how big are your biggest babies. Pictures of these?
Nice Snow Onyx

[Zack]

Thread edited per OP request.

[Mr Cob]

Thread edited per OP request.

Thank you sir.

Minh, let's start over...

Yes. Those are the biggest we have right now. Lol.

They are half an inch.

:)


Check out our new pair...

Phantom 3" female black snowflake and a buckshot black snowflake male 1.75"
http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=22136&d=1378871634

22136


Can't wait to see babies from this pair!




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[Mr Cob]

Progress on the fish room build...

First.. Picked this system up from Tuan today. I bought a few components and Tuan made some mods for me and came up with a solution to make it all work together as one system : )

This system will dual as a coral frag growout system, clownfish growout and broodstock pairing up top. The coral will be lit by 2 Reef Spectrum BML LED fixtures which I'm in love with. One is a 48" fixture and the other is a 72" fixture. They will be hung above the system and are dimmable. The 72" is ultra bright! The colors are amazing and the fixtures have a very professional look and feel to them.


http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2828/9794770056_7c3857b4dc_c.jpg




12 chambers up top :)
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3692/9794809083_5d86833aeb_c.jpg




Sump... I picked up an acrylic kit off ebay and put this together. May be a little sloppy but it was very affordable.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3688/9794753134_bb0ff70bee_c.jpg

[BBQHILLBILLY]

thats awesome

[slm222]

Could you pm me the sump kit? That'd be perfect with petcos $1 a gallon

[Mr Cob]

thats awesome

Thanks, Shane.


Could you pm me the sump kit? That'd be perfect with petcos $1 a gallon

Sure, will send it to you right now. They make custom ones and can fit to most any size tank. I picked up the sump version but they also have a Sump/Refugium one too. I just needed the 40g sump for my large skimmer.

[Mr Cob]

This pair spawned and put down their second batch of eggs a few days ago. They are now fertilized as well http://www.austinreefclub.com//public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png Really stoked on them since they have only been together for like a month and a half.



http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7326/9736873746_a87307771d_c.jpg

[slm222]

Jeez..that skimmer makes the 40 look tiny. congrats on the second clutch.

[Mr Cob]

haha! I know. The first pic I took did not have anything near the tank for reference and the 40 actually looked like a 20g. That's why I put it up on that table next to the window, blinds and kid chairs.

[slm222]

what are those two clowns you have spawning? true perc, ocellaris...?

[Mr Cob]

what are those two clowns you have spawning? true perc, ocellaris...?


Yes.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7366/9736867946_3355309c9e_c.jpg



The female is a wild caught onyx which is basically a True A. percula with a lot of black and the male is a Snowflake A. ocellaris. I picked up the male from Alpha Aquaculture and his lineage is SA. He is still listed in their Hall of Fame. His markings are exceptional and both sides are pretty much identical. I love the lightning streak from the center stripe to the head stripe...same on the other side. The buckshot pattern also sets him apart from other snowflakes.

This pair will produce hybrid clownfish known as Snow Onyx.

[Mr Cob]

Got the new system in the fishroom....

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2880/9916825963_d75eb189f9_c.jpg




http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/9916770394_7e45716987_c.jpg

[moneytank]

Looks good

[Mr Cob]

thx dood. Those are the two 6 chamber stalls you had for sale. I had Tuan make some mods to them for me which included adding a 2" black lip all the way around to add some protection against jumpers and to hide the plumbing. Pretty excited about it all and can't wait to get water in them. Still need to purchase some plumbing parts to bring it all together.

[Mr Cob]

A cool update... Three pairs layed nests tonight. : )

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[Mr Cob]

Still working on the fish room... almost done with the big system...


Installed the BML lights... 72" fixture and a 48" fixture. Also installed IKEA led light strips above the 12 chamber system.

http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=22411&d=1381165076
22411

http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=22412&d=1381165152
22412

http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=22413&d=1381165169
22413

http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=22414&d=1381165182
22414

http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=22415&d=1381165197
22415




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[Dean]

Looks great Rob. The massive planning will soon pay off. :)

[Mr Cob]

That's encouraging, sometimes it feels like I'm not getting anywhere with all the little things that this build has required.

Just can't wait to get water in it!

Thx.

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[Ms. Mermaid]

Well Rob, Well I am on board here... When I have some spare time will go through all the pages.... I like how you did the sump you said you got the kit off of ebay do you have a link for it or was that the only one on there?

[Mr Cob]

Well Rob, Well I am on board here... When I have some spare time will go through all the pages.... I like how you did the sump you said you got the kit off of ebay do you have a link for it or was that the only one on there?

Hi Mary good to see you over here on MAAST : )

There were plenty of kits on eBay and the person I bought it from had all sorts of sizes and types of kits to include refugium sections too. I did not select one with a fuge as I only plan to skim heavy. I may sacrifice a chamber or two in the 12 stall area for macro. I also have 12 mangrove trees that I plan to add. I will try and pm you the link when I get to a desktop...remind me if I forget :)

My premium snowflake and onyx spawned tonight. This is their 4th nest now and have only been paired for a few months...


22475



Also made a new "keeper" pair tonight... Large 3" snow onyx female (known egg layer) and a premium Picasso with Doni Snowcasso and ORA premium lineage....



22476






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[Ms. Mermaid]

Hi Mary good to see you over here on MAAST : )

There were plenty of kits on eBay and the person I bought it from had all sorts of sizes and types of kits to include refugium sections too. I did not select one with a fuge as I only plan to skim heavy. I may sacrifice a chamber or two in the 12 stall area for macro. I also have 12 mangrove trees that I plan to add. I will try and pm you the link when I get to a desktop...remind me if I forget :)

My premium snowflake and onyx spawned tonight. This is their 4th nest now and have only been paired for a few months...


22475



Also made a new "keeper" pair tonight... Large 3" snow onyx female (known egg layer) and a premium Picasso with Doni Snowcasso and ORA premium lineage....



22476






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Will do...

[Mr Cob]

Our new black ice broodstock pair... :)


http://youtu.be/Sh8Q72CABiM

[Mr Cob]

Made some more progress on the fish room. Installed Reefkeeper, finished plumbing and got water running through the 12 stall system.

Only thing left is to get another return pump to hook the main system up and more cable management.



22524



22525



22526



22527




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[Mr Cob]

Since Texas Tropical isn't doing consignment any longer and I can't stand paying cash for water I decided it was probably time to hook the RO/DI up. It's a 150g/day system with fresh reservoir up top and salt mixing station down bottom... both with float switches.



Just need a pump for bottom brute.



22531


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[koa25]

Those are some good looking clowns rob. Setup is looking awesome as well.

[Mr Cob]

Those are some good looking clowns rob. Setup is looking awesome as well.

Thanks Mike, it's been fun. I just can't wait to get it all completed. I almost cut a few corners in being anxious but have managed to keep trucking forward with all of the little details.

We have 6 pairs right now that I call "keepers", meaning they are part of the MCC program and not for sale. A great accomplishment for any clownfish. Lol.

1) Onyx (wild caught) x Premium Onyx Picasso = Onyx Picassos
2) Phantom black snowflake (Sea and Reef) x Buckshot black snowflake (Proaquatix) = Black Snowflakes
3) Onyx (wild caught) x Premium Snowflake with serious buckshot (SA) = Snow Onyx hybrids
4) White Stripe Maroon x Goldflake maroon = Goldflake maroons
5) Snow Onyx x Premium Picasso = hybrids (i think these will make black knights)
6) Black Ice x Black Ice = Black Ice :)



Still looking for 3 more pairs... A fancy snowflake pair and then a couple of more common pairs such as cinnamons or tomatoes. We shall see.



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[Mr Cob]

Goldflake pair put down their first nest tonight. The video shows the start of the nest inside the pot towards the top back. It took her an hour to lay the entire nest down, it's easily 2k eggs in comparing to a regular layer that we have which lays 800-1k eggs and this nest is over twice the size of their normal nest.

Can't wait to get some goldflakes!



http://youtu.be/OHF7Tvr4w9A

[Mr Cob]

So, this month equals one year since we jumped into clownfish breeding. Hands down this has been the most trying yet rewarding experience.

It's been a long last year and I/we have learned a lot in the process. Thank you to all that have helped out along the way and for the support.

Here's an update on the fish we are working with...


1) Onyx (wild caught) x Premium Onyx Picasso SPAWNING = Onyx Picassos
2) Phantom black snowflake (Sea and Reef) x Buckshot black snowflake (Proaquatix) (have not spawned) = Black Snowflakes
3) Onyx (wild caught) x Premium Snowflake with serious buckshot (SA) SPAWNING = Snow Onyx hybrids
4) White Stripe Maroon x Goldflake maroon SPAWNING = Goldflake maroons (the female will eventually be used for another project we have in mind and pair #7 will be our goldflake producer)
5) Snow Onyx x Premium Picasso (known spawner female) = hybrids (i think these will make black knights)
6) Black Ice x Black Ice (spawners not in cycle) = Black Ice
7) Gold Stripe Maroon x Goldflake Maroon (known spawners) = Goldflakes maroons

[Mr Cob]

Getting closer to being done with the fish room...



22582





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[Mr Cob]

And here is a shot of the two broodstock systems...



22583




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[Mr Cob]

It's amazing how long you can stare at two fish swimming in a pot. Seriously. lol Just a few of our mama and papa pairs...


(watch in HD for best viewing)

http://youtu.be/OyUmWyRGUb0




http://youtu.be/Qw3BCBSWBD4




http://youtu.be/kqhePIbU4ko




http://youtu.be/25QninGJX6U

[Mr Cob]

Some captive bred MCC Snow Onyx (hybrids) and Onyx Picassos (A. percula) clownfish in growout...



http://youtu.be/zJYgTakpaIU

[Ms. Mermaid]

Nice... They like the fake nem just as much as a real nem huh??? I need to take the real one out of my fry's tank and put in a fake one it is just not getting the proper lighting so it does not open up as much as it did when I first put it in there..

[Mr Cob]

Nice... They like the fake nem just as much as a real nem huh??? I need to take the real one out of my fry's tank and put in a fake one it is just not getting the proper lighting so it does not open up as much as it did when I first put it in there..

They love it... at night they sleep in/under it. I have a rigid airline running through the center hole of the anemone and I pulled a tentacle out so that air will flow through it. I did this so that the water would not be stagnant inside the anemone. It was pretty nasty after a week's time before doing this.

We have some cool patterns in this group and some more #4 Onyx Picassos (2 of them) :)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/10475836354_157357688f_z.jpg



http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7341/10475833834_a88678a2fd_z.jpg



http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3680/10475818155_20d04d80f2_z.jpg




http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/10475832416_ded7bc3aba_z.jpg


The Snow Onyx hybrids are the ones with snowflake type white bars and the Onyx Picassos (A. percula) are the ones with clean lined white bars. The hybrids also have more of a rounded body shape like an onion almost. Just an observation.

[Dean]

Man those are some great looking baby clowns Rob.

[Mr Cob]

Man those are some great looking baby clowns Rob.

Thanks Dean, appreciate it. They are so much fun to stare at. The bright orange anemones really make it interesting to watch all the little guys swimming around in it.

[Ms. Mermaid]

Thanks Rob I will have to try and find one of the fake nems and try that the little nem I have in the tank with them right now is not looking so good so I need to move it back to the main tank.

[Mr Cob]

Check out some of the babies in growout... you can see Snow Onyx and Onyx Picasso clownfish babies in this vid. Two of the onyx Picassos have the #4 on them and one onyx Picasso has the letter "t" on one side and the #7 on the other...calling him "t7".


http://youtu.be/FuYaL4ecluQ

[Zack]

Wow man that phantom pair is amazing..

[REBridges]

I saw the #7...pretty cool looking...so is that a $7 fish? lol

[Mr Cob]

lol Ryan

Spawn #2 for these two...

http://youtu.be/zf1Qhh_ZKK4

[Dean]

Is there a possibility for getting any lightening patterns from that pair?

[Mr Cob]

Is there a possibility for getting any lightening patterns from that pair?

Good question, I doubt it. But, we have bigger plans for the female eventually :)



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[Dean]

Ya just curious. Those are some incredible looking fish.

[Mr Cob]

Thanks, Dean. Have another update on the white stripe maroon and goldflake maroon pair...

Spawn #3 (she began laying around 6-6:30pm and finished around 7-7:30pm, takes her about an hour to do the whole process, I always see her ovipositor the evening she lays)


http://youtu.be/0-vuH3yd_t8

After the spawn the male stayed in the pot unlike the first two nests. Hoping they all get fertilized and make it to hatch but I'm not really expecting that until the 6th or so nest. We shall see.

[Mr Cob]

Well, looks like the male did his job and fertilized the eggs. About half of the eggs remain.


http://youtu.be/4ZUsmdbtj88

[reefreak]

Looking good! Haha and if you do get a lighting one that would be wicked those things are worth close to $1,000

[wiildmanzeke]

Hey, where did you get the black ice pair?

[Mr Cob]

Looking good! Haha and if you do get a lighting one that would be wicked those things are worth close to $1,000

Lightning maroons originate from PNG (papua new guinea), my female white stripe is wild caught but highly unlikely that she is from PNG and even more unlikely that she carries the gene that produces the lightning pattern...plus my male is a gold stripe (goldflake) captive bred from FEA (Fish Eye Aquaculture).




Hey, where did you get the black ice pair?

that's the only pair I don't currently have lineage for

[Mr Cob]

Only 5 eggs left from the 11/22/2013 spawn for the White stripe and Goldflake maroon pair, looks like I won't be collecting for probably a few more nests until they get more viable eggs. The male has done a great job on this 3rd nest by staying in the pot and caring for the nest.

[sean.f]

How big is the female white stripe maroon? She looks huge lol.

[Mr Cob]

How big is the female white stripe maroon? She looks huge lol.


Hi Sean, she is HUGE, over 5"! The male is 2" to give you some perspective of her size.

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[Ms. Mermaid]

Hi Rob can you think of any reason as to why my breeding pair of true percs are still eating their eggs? They have been breeding for a year now. I thought when I moved them from the main DT into their own tank it would help now the batches seem smaller and the male I am guessing is still eating them.

[Mr Cob]

Hi Rob can you think of any reason as to why my breeding pair of true percs are still eating their eggs? They have been breeding for a year now. I thought when I moved them from the main DT into their own tank it would help now the batches seem smaller and the male I am guessing is still eating them.

Hi Mary, do you have other nests hatching from other pairs? If you don't then maybe it's an issue with nutrition or water parameters and the male/female are eating the eggs since they are non viable.

If you can rule out the water parameters and nutrition because you have other nests hatching then I think you need to find out if these eggs are viable or not. I would try a "double down" which is taking their nest after being fertilized and putting with another pair. Normally this is done to encourage a non spawning pair to spawn (they either tend to the eggs or eat them, I read about Matt Pedersen do this in the Lightning project). In your case the "double down" would be done to see if another known pair can hatch them. The surrogate pair has to be a known pair from which you hatch other nests from. If they hatch then you at least know that the eggs are viable.

This may help narrow the list of possible problems. After a year I probably would have already swapped the male out, but I'm not so quick to blame the male as some breeders are and feel that in most cases the male is just doing his job and pruning the nest of bad eggs.

[Ms. Mermaid]

I only have this one pair that is breeding. I do have a new pair but they are not breeding yet and probably won't till next year. I was thinking it was their food causing the issue but I am running out of ideas of what food to feed them. I have fed them homemade fish food with garlic barley they barely eat it, I have tried Rods breeding food, new life spectrum +, mysis so I just don't know what else to feed them that they would gobble up... Any other thoughts on what foods to feed them?

[Mr Cob]

I feed Rod's Original (they tear this up unlike the other variants of Rod's food), Oto pellets C2, Ep1 and Ep2, live rotifers (yes, once a week I feed live rotifers and they swim around with their mouths open lol), live brine shrimp (only when I hatch some for babies, maybe once or twice a month), frozen brine, frozen cyclopeeze and a mix of high protein flakes mixed together.

I also feed 5-7 times a day. If it is difficult for you to feed this many times I would suggest purchasing an auto feeder to take care of some of the dry feeds. I originally fed 3-4 times a day but found much better results all around with 5-7 times a day.

Water changes are crucial in my opinion... I have heard of some big name breeders not doing water changes but I have to think that their broodstock are attached to "mega systems" unlike my 4-5 pairs in a 40g with a 30g sump. I try to do 1-2gallon water changes daily. When I slack on this I find that my nests are smaller and sometimes don't hatch, not sure it's completely attributed to the water changes but it seems like it for me.

[Ms. Mermaid]

Thanks. My rotifers died off since they were not laying any eggs after the transfer. I don't change their water that often u did it like every other week at the same time I do the water change for my DT. I will try to increase their feedings but some of the uneatten food just swirls around in the back corner of the tank. I am also going to get a bigger clay pot for them today it looks a little crampped in their for the two of them.

[Ms. Mermaid]

Rob what are you feeding your rotifiers? I have not ordered from Reed in a while and saw a price tag of $20 for the 12oz bottle for the RG Complete and I do not remember it being that high a while back. But I could be wrong.

[Mr Cob]

I feed my rotifers rotigrow plus. I'm not a fan of rotigrow complete at all.

The problem I see is this... Rotigrow complete has chlormax in it which is the reason a lot of people rave about it BUT it is not pre-enriched. So you have to enrich your rotifers every time you feed. That's a lot of work and you have to buy enrichments.

Rotigrow plus on the other hand does not have chlormax BUT it DOES contain enrichments so I never have to enrich rotifers before feeding. I only have to add chlormax or a product like PRIME once a week to my rotifer cultures. I'd rather dose something once a week versus something twice a day or more.


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[Mr Cob]

11/30/2013 Spawn night:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7343/11177403783_885ce0b8ca_c.jpg





12/02/2013 Eggs fertilized:
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2851/11177245386_ecc3ffe0b4_c.jpg

[Mr Cob]

Took a vid and some pics of some of the clownfish in growout. Also added some fake plants to a few of the stalls to possibly help acclimate the fish to coral for future reef systems.

Vid...

http://youtu.be/XWBSwySmvYE



Some pics...
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3833/11177984936_53b50c157d_b.jpg



http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/11178353684_4de063ee7a_c.jpg



http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3730/11178350184_113d352694_c.jpg

[reefreak]

Rob I'm speachless! That set up is great!

[Zen Reef]

Came together nice man!

[Mr Cob]

Thanks Jeremy!

Thanks Tuan, appreciate your help with the acrylic work. Really pleased with how it's all coming together.

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[Zack]

What lights are you using?

[Mr Cob]

Zack, I'm using IKEA LED strips with controllers over the 12 chambers, I leave them on blue 24-7 and rotate them to white when taking pics or vid.

Over the main system I hung a 72" and 48" BML led fixtures which I'm really enjoying. My corals have been doing very well under them minus a few chalices that I burned up leaving the fixtures on at 100%.

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[Ms. Mermaid]

Do you have any links to these LED fixtures?

[Mr Cob]

Do you have any links to these LED fixtures?

I'm on my phone right now...but BML is "Build My LED", company out of Austin Texas that builds affordable custom LED fixtures. The configuration part is customizable to your preferred spectrum. Both of my fixtures are reef spectrums. Google them and check out their website. Really Awesome lights and my corals are growing and happy.

My chalices did not respond well and most bleached out, these lights are stronger than most people realize. One of my chalices is doing really well though and is supposed to be my most sensitive...bazooka Joe.

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[Mr Cob]

Spawn #4 for the white stripe and gold flake maroon breeder pair. This clownfish lays down some huge nests!




http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5474/11246168253_e33819c009_c.jpg

[Mr Cob]

Vid of the nest from the other night...


http://youtu.be/qgAUSVA541o

[Mr Cob]

Maroon clownfish larvae babies hatching the other night on the 11th : )


http://youtu.be/xGWJhVqSvag

[Mr Cob]

Here's what the Wild Caught Onyx A. percula and SA Premium snowflake A. ocellaris are producing...


The breeder spawning pair:

http://youtu.be/OyUmWyRGUb0





Snow Onyx (some nice premiums too, the premiums are the ones with connecting bars, they are also producing regulars and then regular hybrids without snow onyx markings)


The babies...
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7318/11335304433_b0a25a3829_c.jpg



http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/11335174035_83e76030f0_c.jpg



http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2860/11335247296_2d34c9d329_c.jpg



There are some in other clutches that have the buckshot pattern like the father but we couldn't catch any pics. Really anxious to see how their patterns continue to develop.

[LuckySingh]

Nice

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[Dean]

Are those the parents of the clowns I recently purchased?

[Mr Cob]

Thanks, Lucky!

Dean, your MCC Premium Snow Onyx came from the last batch from my old snow onyx maker pair. The male had some very nice blues. This is the lineage of your lil dude:


http://youtu.be/fMO65-rHd5o

[Mr Cob]

Pleased to say that the Onyx and Onyx Picasso pair are back from their little break and in cycle again. :)

Was able to capture a great video of them laying lastnight (12/12/2013). You can see the female's ovipositor extruded and eggs coming out of the tube. The male is following along doing his thing fertilizing the eggs.

Watch in HD for the best detail.

http://youtu.be/hXu5bg8_p2s

[Mr Cob]

These clownfish are keeping me busy :)

The Wild Onyx and SA Premium Snowflake pair is laying right now. Started spawning at about 8:05pm (12/13/2013).


http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3692/11361357276_bf981a62cf_z.jpg


http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3711/11361304895_9534ed116b_z.jpg

[Mr Cob]

Onyx Picasso nest(12/12/2013) hatched last night (12/0/201)..


http://youtu.be/B9p4Q1rN_Wc

[Mr Cob]

So... I ended up purchasing Allan's clownfish pair from his recent tank tear down.

A little history on this pair (skip to the vid down below if you don't care to read the story)... the female was technically the first clownfish I was able to spawn after I started bringing fish in to breed. I originally paired her up with my darwin male which was from the first pair in this thread which kicked all of this off (the female darwin died). After a couple of months I sold the female snowflake and male darwin pair to another local breeder (really I was ready to call it quits). They were hiding all the time and became aggressive, obviously signs that they were up to something but I was a NEWB... needless to say she dropped a nest the next day after I sold them. Agh!

It was a bone headed move on my part but it gave me the encouragement that I needed to keep pressing forward. Just the fact that a pair "did it", was enough for me. I also learned a little about patience.

Ok... so after that, I made that female snowflake my avatar on the forums. A few months pass and I ordered some fish for Allan, we did a couple of rounds and he ended up with the blacker ice male you see in the vid below. I had no idea that he was also the new owner of the female snowflake shortly after (the one in my avatar for the last year, lol).

Fast forward to this past week and I see Allan is selling a pair, he shoots me some pics and I almost immediately recognize the female as my old female and my avatar! lol

I'm happy...


http://youtu.be/gqHiUUEoiIk

[Mr Cob]

Snow onyx babies, these clownfish larvae were hatched on 12/20 and are just about done with meta.


http://youtu.be/vCxdeEKmXUE

[Ms. Mermaid]

These clownfish are keeping me busy :)

The Wild Onyx and SA Premium Snowflake pair is laying right now. Started spawning at about 8:05pm (12/13/2013).


http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3692/11361357276_bf981a62cf_z.jpg


http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3711/11361304895_9534ed116b_z.jpg

I see here that you are cross breeding Percula & Occerlaious how are the batches & fry coming out?

[Mr Cob]

Hi Mary. They are looking great! 50% of every clutch is premium snow onyx mixed in with a few gems with full helmet heads. 25% regular snow onyx and the other 25% made up of misbars and regular hybrids.

I will attach some pics..

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/23/uhy2e2a5.jpg


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/23/3a8upuje.jpg


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/23/veny7uby.jpg


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/23/ygu6unep.jpg


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/23/vavutaba.jpg



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[Ms. Mermaid]

Rob they are really pretty. I really need to come to San Antonio so you can teach me the secrets of having sucessfull batches.

[Mr Cob]

Thanks! I would say my single best tip (post hatch) isn't at all a secret.... water quality. I do daily syphoning of all larvae tanks and small daily water changes after 3 days post hatch along with utilizing an ammonia remover.

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[Ms. Mermaid]

I think my pair are going down hill since I moved them into their own tank back in August last year. The last two batches have been bad. One batch of eggs half of it turned white and the last one would have been a decent size but by day five there was maybe 20 eggs left and day 8 maybe 10 or 15 left. I think it is past time to trade the male out. Going to s store today to see what I can find. Just don't know how to tell if the fish is going to be good at fertilizing the eggs.

[Mr Cob]

This pair that i recently brought in from Allan just put down a baby nest 2 days ago. The female was one of the first females we started with over a year and a half ago, so it was nice to get her back from Allan again :). The male fertilized the eggs too and they were dark today :)

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/13481534533_78b3c45c15_c.jpg

[Flyride95]

Very nice! Fingers crossed.


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[Ms. Mermaid]

Rob not sure if you have this posted anywheres but on the first 24 hours after the fry hatch do you leave them uncovered are covered with paper to difuse the light?

[Mr Cob]

Thanks, flyride, that last pair I posted is on their 4 nest. I have about 15 babies that made it from the 2nd and 3rd nests. Can't wait to see how they turn out.

Hi Mary, I posted pics in this thread somewhere. All of my 5g and 7g larvae tanks are covered in pond liner. I cut square flaps/windows out on each front so that I can peak. I also cut the back piece long enough that I can pull it over the top and make complete darkness. When I pull a pot I leave them in complete darkness until the morning. Then I pull back the top flap and if they all hatched I remove the pot. If they have not all hatched I leave the pot in and introduce light only to one corner of the tank for the hatched larvae to hunt rotifers. My lights are small LED desk lamps on a long arm that we purchased from IKEA.

Hope that helps.

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[Mr Cob]

Check out the nice thick blue lines coming in on the snow onyx as they mature... pretty sweet

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/05/va6a9yve.jpg

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[wiildmanzeke]

Beautiful!!!!

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[Mr Cob]

Thank you, it is so much fun to watch them grow and to see so many variations of their patterns and color.

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[Mr Cob]

New pair...
PNG FO (wild caught) White Stripe maroon X PNG S&R F1 (first generation from a wild caught pair) Morse Code clownfish


http://youtu.be/yzvJMSNjP6g

[Dean]

Beautiful pair Rob.

[Mr Cob]

Thanks Dean, I'm excited to see what they produce when the time comes. Hard to get fish out of PNG (Papua New Guinea) right now. This location is where the lightning maroons came out of which are essentially white stripe maroons with the "picasso" type pattern.

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[Dean]

Do you have any maroon offspring yet? I'd love to see some pics of those little guys. They are very striking, especially when they are tiny with the maroon and white contrast.

[Mr Cob]

I don't Dean...I stopped collecting on the maroon pair that was laying since it was a gold and white stripe mixed. I decided that i didn't want to release to the market what would probably be washed out gold flake maroons...and it would take over a year of growout to actually find out.

So, figured I would just get big Bertha paired up with a white stripe Morse code and put the time and effort into what I know will produce solid white stripes and morse code patterns. : ) I took the male gold flake and tried pairing him up with my female goldflake. ...not working out very well for them yet. She wants to eat him. lol

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[Dean]

I know those big momma maroons can be mean, poor little fella. lol
Where does the morse code pattern come from?
Do you think that breeding a white stripe to a morse code will render some lightenings?

[Mr Cob]

Morse code patterns are found in PNG waters, very few but it's a natural occurring morph (not hybrid, but color pattern). Currently it's very difficult to get any fish from there and has been for the last 4 years (2-4 yrs?). They had a young export program through Seasmart when PNG fish were being exported but the government in Papua New Guinea stop funding it. I don't know all the details but it goes something like that. Lots of very unique fish were coming out of PNG.

A couple of years ago, Sea and Reef picked up a pair of morse code wild caughts from PNG and currently that pair yields morse codes. The special thing about them is that they are F1 PNG and remain one of the few acceptable (per the MBI breeding community) fish to pair with Lightning maroon offspring, that and wild caught white stripe PNG or someone else begins offering F1 true PNG white stripes.

I kind of think that through selective line breeding... that you could potentially get a lightning....much like how you would get to a premium picasso or premium snowflake. But no one knows yet because no one has produced anything captivebred aside from Matt P.'s famous lightning clutch and now Soren's (sea and reef) Morse Code offspring.

Very interesting to follow.


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[Mr Cob]

If Soren did get any unique or lightning patterns out of his pair, he didn't go public on them as of yet.

I think a PNG FO white stripe crossed with a PNG F1 morse code will yield normal white stripes and morse codes. I'm more interested in what happens by taking it further to see if you can get to the lightning pattern through taking the ones that resemble that lightning type look in the lines of the morse code and seeing if they will develop further much like picassos.

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[Dean]

It is all extremely interesting. Have any of the big breeders tried spawning other breeds with Maroon Clowns?

[Mr Cob]

I don't know. I just spent 2 years reading about png fish and rotifers lol

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[Mr Cob]

Here is one of the few onyx picasso juveniles I have in growout right now. The parents stopped laying in December of 2013 and started up again May 1st 2014 and they layed their 2nd consecutive nest yesterday 05/18/2014. I plan to start pulling their nests again.

They really produce some very unique picassos that are very dark (ie onyx).


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/20/4erejuge.jpg


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/20/u7e2enaj.jpg


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/20/unuzyhus.jpg

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[Dean]

They are very pretty fish. I have one about 1/2" long that has insane marking that I got from you back in October I think. Probably not the same parents. One side even has a "buckshot" in the white band and very dark coloration. Amazing little fish, I can't wait to see what it grows into.

[Mr Cob]

Glad he is still swimming around Dean. Would love to see an updated shot of him. Feel free to post one. Curious how the coloring and pattern has developed.

I know you got both snow onyx and onyx picasso from me and I have only had one pair produce onyx picassos. When you picked up the snow onyx, he came from a pair that I shipped up north and unfortunately the pair did not make the trip : ( My new snow onyx maker pair throws some amazing patterns though.

Post a pic and I will tell you what it is and who the parents are

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[Mr Cob]

Here are a couple shots of the wild caught White Stripe maroon from PNG and the S&R Morse Code F1 (1st generation) with wild caught morse code parents from PNG.

I'm really loving the PNG fish. They look much different than my other gold and white stripe maroons. They appear to be shaped like a football and are more narrow than the other maroons I have and have seen. Their orange is very vibrant as well.



http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/20/epahupyg.jpg


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/20/aby7u8ys.jpg

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[Dean]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/20/e8a5azuh.jpg
Onyx picasso

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/20/ra6agu9e.jpg
Onyx Picasso

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/20/yjyretaq.jpg
Snow Onyx

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/20/vysa3e4u.jpg
Onyx misbar. Can't really capture the true mocha sheen of this one thru the pic. Very pretty though.

[Mr Cob]

Thanks for posting the pics Dean, it's nice to see them again. Yes, your onyx picasso comes from the same parents as the one I posted earlier. Here is a vid of mom and dad for your onyx picasso and misbar:

http://youtu.be/hXu5bg8_p2s



Here is a vid of mom and dad for your snow onyx: (I don't have this pair anymore)

http://youtu.be/fMO65-rHd5o

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[Dean]

You're welcome. Sorry for the cruddy pics. lol

[Mr Cob]

FO (wild caught) PNG White Stripe Maroon white stripe female clownfish broodstock (3" fish)


http://youtu.be/QN203jdVAQY



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[Mr Cob]

And...A couple show size female PNG maroon clownfish. One is a PNG FO White Cap and the other is a PNG FO Morse Code. Almost impossible to find wild caught PNG fish these days.


http://youtu.be/_N6PjpbILlg

[Mr Cob]

Ooops double post. "Hi"

[Mr Cob]

PNG Maroon White Stripe FO female X S&R PNG Morse Code F1 make clownfish broodstock pair:


http://youtu.be/3X2cF3ifmdY

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[kkiel02]

Very interesting stuff rob! Cool to see how breeding different morphs/species makes different colors and patterns. I'll try and get some updated pics of my clowns tomorrow so you can see them. It's interesting the "runt" has its full bars and coloring while most are still developing theirs even though they are much larger.

[Mr Cob]

Thanks Kevin! I'd love to see some vids or pics to see how they are turning out. I could not make out much via texting. Just curious. ...did any of the culls get better/worse?


Another update on broodstock. .... just got these 2 to bond :)

PNG White Cap FO X PNG White Stripe FO broodstock clownfish bonded pair:


http://youtu.be/nmuxrHi5-2U

[kkiel02]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/16/hu9ana8u.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/16/y6aba2uh.jpg
These are the best shots I could get right now. It's so blue right now I can't capture color very good.

Edit those come out blurry on here. I'll text them to ya.

[wiildmanzeke]

You guys know where to get tangerines?

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[Mr Cob]

Proaquatix

[Mr Cob]

Originally we had this male paired up with the PNG white cap maroon white stripe from above. But he is sooooo big, gotta let him go female. Very friendly fish that likes to eat from my hand.

PNG Wild Caught ( FO ) Morse Code Maroon clownfish:


http://youtu.be/YH2BG2af6xs

[Mr Cob]

I wanted to take a moment to post an update on our Papua New Guinea (PNG) clownfish collection of wild caught broodstock.

We have been very blessed to acquire a great collection of PNG broodstock over the last year and are very thankful for the friendships, support and favor we have received from a couple industry leading businesses.

We have been told that this collection represents the single largest USA gene pool of true wild caught (FO) PNG adult maroon clownfish pairings. We have a total of 9 wild caughts making up 4 true PNG FO large show size broodstock pairings. We also have 1 smaller pair that is made up of a PNG FO female and a beautiful S&R PNG F1 Morse Code male.

It's taken some time but the fish have finally made their selections. Really, we did not put a lot of effort into forcing the pairings and instead simply swapped males around until the females were happy. It was definitely a bit of a juggling act.

Once these pairs start producing offspring, this gene pool of wild caught PNG fish will represent a large contribution to broadening the pairing options for F1 lightning maroon owners. This gene pool will also offer other PNG owners looking for non sibling related pairing options for their PNG maroon white stripe clownfish to include Sea and Reef PNG F1 Morse Codes and other PNG offspring....the obvious one being F1 lightning maroons and other siblings without the lightning pattern.

We have wild caught morse code, white caps, horned, normal white stripes and unique white stripes with horizontal extended lines coming out of the vertical bars...ALL wild caught PNG.

The following are the final results of pairing these beautiful clownfish:

PNG White Stripe Maroon FO (F) X PNG Unique White Stripe Maroon FO (M):

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/jubape6y.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9qdWJhcGU2eS5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/ejase2yn.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9lamFzZTJ5bi5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/qyvy8yqy.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9xeXZ5OHlxeS5qcGc%3 D)





PNG White Stripe Morse Code Maroon FO (F) X PNG White Stripe Maroon FO (M):
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/mana7uzu.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9tYW5hN3V6dS5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/hedy9uqu.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9oZWR5OXVxdS5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/a5u9ygug.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9hNXU5eWd1Zy5qcGc%3 D)





-Rob

[Mr Cob]

PNG White Cap Maroon FO (F) X PNG White Stripe Maroon FO (M):

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/8agegaha.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC84YWdlZ2FoYS5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/de2ejuhy.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9kZTJlanVoeS5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/derehyme.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9kZXJlaHltZS5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/jymydyqe.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9qeW15ZHlxZS5qcGc%3 D)



http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/u3yveqam.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC91M3l2ZXFhbS5qcGc%3 D)

[Mr Cob]

I'm really liking this pair the most and I think it has the most potential for picasso type patterns which could potentially lead to lightning patterns. ...who knows. Beautiful clownfish. http://www.austinreefclub.com//public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png

PNG Unique White Stripe Maroon FO (F) X PNG Horned White Stripe Maroon FO (M):

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/ny3y8a8e.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9ueTN5OGE4ZS5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/bunase7a.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9idW5hc2U3YS5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/y8aqeryd.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC95OGFxZXJ5ZC5qcGc%3 D)


Here is the horned male PNG, I especially like this dude, between his horned head and flag pattern on his tail, he really is a special fish. Wild caught too http://www.austinreefclub.com//public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/yhyre4av.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC95aHlyZTRhdi5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/uqydabys.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC91cXlkYWJ5cy5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/ajabyhub.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9hamFieWh1Yi5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/janytave.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9qYW55dGF2ZS5qcGc%3 D)

[Mr Cob]

PNG White Stripe Maroon FO (F) X S&R PNG Morse Code White Stripe Maroon F1 (M):

Another great PNG pair with what I feel is one of the best sea and reef morse codes I have found yet. Pretty much a perfect clownfish.


The female PNG wild caught:

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/temyjy5y.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC90ZW15ank1eS5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/jetyga7u.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9qZXR5Z2E3dS5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/a4uqaha4.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9hNHVxYWhhNC5qcGc%3 D)




The male morse code captive bred first generation F1:

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/ymy5evy2.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC95bXk1ZXZ5Mi5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/e9e4egeb.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC9lOWU0ZWdlYi5qcGc%3 D)


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/29/thumbnail/u4ede2e2.jpg (http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image.php?img=aHR0cDovL2ltZy50YXBhdGFsay5 jb20vZC8xNC8wNi8yOS9vcmlnaW5hbC91NGVkZTJlMi5qcGc%3 D)

[Dean]

Hello Rob. Any updates on your Maroons??

[Mr Cob]

Oh yes...thanks for Asking Dean.

I took a bit of a breeding break a few months ago and downsized my broodstock to prepare for a move but I'm back up and running.

Here's a shot of my wild caught PNG Morse Code white stripe female that just came out of quarantine from a recent brook break out. She is looking much better and still has some dorsal fin damage but it's healing. I paired her up with one of Sea and Reef's PNG Lightning Maroon offspring :)

The 2 bonded in no time.

[Mr Cob]

Here's a pic when she had brook a few months ago. I thought I was going to lose her. Was nerve racking, not only was she up for sale but she's an irreplaceable fish. The whole reason I was selling her was because I did not want to risk losing her to my negligence of a move...and she got sick anyways. Ugh.

Needless to say, she is no longer for sale.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/09/ed16efbcb39030da26948d959137b078.jpg

[Dean]

Wow man I am glad you were able to pull her through that. From what I have read, that is not an easy task as the disease kills very rapidly. Just another testament to your expertise. :)

So you haven't had any maroon clutches yet?

[Mr Cob]

Thanks Dean. I did some aggressive formalin dips. I had 4 PNG wild caughts catch it. Odd because they were quarantined prior to introducing them. The good news is I keep my broodstock systems separate to control surprises such as this. I also didn't lose the other 3 :)

The morse code female had it the worst and I could not follow through on selling her and one other fish. The other 2 fish that had it were sold but delayed while I communicated the issue with the buyer who was eager to wait it out. Positive end for all of the fish which really is a tough disease to get through just like you mentioned.

And..... yes. I have maroon babies... Once I know what I'm looking at I will share, could be a new fish...and maybe not. :)