Reef Hobbyist Magazine Q4 2007

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MASSIVE

EARLY WINTER 2007 | Volume 1

Favites pentagona War Corals

KLEIN’S BUTTERFLY

H ATC H I N G & R A I S I N G

& AIPTASIA CONTROL

BA BY C LOW N F I S H

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Features

Early Winter 2007 | Volume 1

RHM Staff President

Harry Tung

Executive Editor

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Jim Adelberg

Fragging Softies:

Richard Ross is a San Francisco Bay Area coral farmer and cuttlefish breeder. In this article, Richard describes two soft coral fragging techniques.

Image above by author.

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Hatching & Raising Baby Clownfish: Robin Bittner is a professional clownfish breeder in Northern California. In this final installment, Robin discusses the hatching process and feeding strategies for baby Clownfish. Image by Jim Adelberg.

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Art Director Tamara Sue

Graphics

David Tran

Klein’s Butterfly and Aiptasia Control: Matt Wandell has

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been an avid reef aquarium hobbyist for 8 years and is an aquatic biologist at the California Academy of Sciences-Steinhart Aquarium.

Matt here profiles his latest favorite: Klein’s Butterflyfish.

Greg Rothschild

The A-Team

Special Thanks gregrothschild.com

Norman Tom Richard Ross Gresham Hendee

Tell us what you think: comments@rhmag.com

Image by Richard Ross.

Copyright© 2007 Reef Hobbyist Magazine.

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On The Cover

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Steve Tyree’s AWESOME STONY CORALS Part 4

The Massive Favites pentagona War Corals Steve Tyree grows some of the rarest and most desirable corals in our hobby and has been an avid collector of rare corals for many years. In this installment, Steve shares the history of the War and Peace corals with our readers.

Photo by Steve Tyree.

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AIPTASIA CONTROL Klein s

Butterflyfish

A

By Matt Wandell Images By Richard Ross

h,, lovely Butterflyfishes. The family Chaetodontidae includes some of the most heartbreakingly beautiful fish on the reef. Unfortunately, many species make unsuitable prospects for captivity due to dietary restrictions. However, there are a few species that make excellent additions to a marine or reef aquarium. Chaetodon kleinii, the Klein’s Butterfly, is an incredibly hardy fish that makes a great choice even for novice hobbyists. The Klein’s Butterfly has one of the widest ranges of any butterflyfish, ranging from the Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii and Samoa; it is even rarely found in the Galapagos Islands. This fish is also one of the most common butterflyfish found on the reef in some locations, a fact reflected in its very affordable price at fish stores. Despite this, many reef hobbyists are unfamiliar with this fish and would not be able to identify it at a fish store. While it is not the most beautiful fish in the sea, it makes up for its relatively common appearance with an attractive star quality: It will readily consume Aiptasia anemones while leaving the majority of your corals alone.

Aiptasia anemones are a small asexually reproducing pest anemone that stings or overgrows corals and can reach plague proportions in some tanks. Some tanks may have a single individual anemone for years without problems, while other tanks support plague proportions of these pests. The most effective means of keeping them out of your tank is simply not

adding them in the first place, of course, but this is much easier said than done. It should be noted that these anemones will thrive in well fed tanks where they have abundant food to catch. In sparsely fed, well skimmed tanks with low nutrient water they typically will not become problematic.

There are almost as many “tried and true” methods for eradicating Aiptasia anemones as there are reef hobbyists.

These can be classified into manual, chemical, or biological controls. Manual or chemical means of killing the anemones in situ can be very effective when the anemones are present in small numbers. Typically this involves sealing the anemones up in two-part epoxy or smothering them in a caustic or boiling freshwater solution. Similarly, if the infested rocks can be removed from the aquarium the anemones can be killed with a soldering iron or small torch or scrubbed off with a stiff brush. With all due respect to the diligent “Aiptasia hunters” out there, when the anemones are present in greater numbers, these methods are arguably ineffective in the long term and undeniably a laborious chore. One of the most troublesome aspects of these anemones is their ability to reproduce their entire body from just a small portion of living tissue. It is all too common to hear stories of people “ridding” their tank of these anemones only to see them reappear in the same exact places within a few months.

Biological controls for eradicating Aiptasia anemones from reef tanks are similarly problematic. In some cases the intended predator is difficult to acquire, difficult to maintain, or simply won’t eat the anemones. The peppermint shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni is a hardy and effective predator of Aiptasia anemones, but very large tanks would require several dozen of these shrimp to keep a rapidly reproducing population of anemones at bay. Unfortunately, many commonly kept fish, such as six line wrasses or flame hawkfish, will simply consider

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these small shrimp a tasty snack. In addition, these shrimp will occasionally attack zoanthids and clam mantles. The nudibranch Berghia verrucornis is a natural predator of these anemones but typically fails to control them or simply disappears in the majority of tanks. There are several butterflyfish that will consume Aiptasia anemones but all have the added risk of consuming other desirable invertebrates. One can hardly hear about Aiptasia control without the mention of Chelmon rostratus, the Copper Banded Butterfly, a fish that has a poorly deserved reputation for being “THE fish to buy” to control these anemones. The majority of specimens of this fish are reluctant to feed or otherwise do not adapt well to captivity. Some may eat prepared foods but refuse to eat Aiptasia anemones. Some may seem to do well for months and then perish for no apparent reason. Even healthy specimens may pick at corals, tubeworms, or clams. There are certainly cases of this fish doing well and controlling anemones for years but these are the exception rather than the rule in my experience.

The Klein’s Butterfly is a nearly bulletproof fish to add to your reef tank. Nearly all specimens will consume Aiptasia anemones with gusto. So what’s the catch? Are they going to eat all my corals? In the wild, Sarcophyton and Litophyton soft corals form a large part of the diet of this fish, and so I cannot suggest that all specimens will leave all other corals alone. At the Steinhart Aquarium we have 6 coral rearing systems that contain two dozen Klein’s Butterflies for Aiptasia control. The corals housed with them include several colonies of Acropora, Montipora, Porites, Nephthea, Rhumphella, Clavularia, Xenia, Actinodiscus, Zoanthus, and Sarcophyton spp.

There are 4 different species of Tridacnid clams in these systems as well. There is also a Klein’s Butterfly that has been kept in a large display reef system for over 7 years. None of these corals show any apparent damage; to the contrary, even the leather corals that are a part of the Klein’s Butterfly’s natural diet exhibit polyp extension and growth. One genus of corals that I cannot recommend keeping with the Klein’s are large polyped Palythoa spp., which they seem particularly prone to nip at.

Husbandry of the Klein’s Butterfly is fairly straightforward and easy—they simply need clean seawater of the correct temperature and to be fed a varied diet. They are not particularly demanding of water quality and will readily tolerate most disease treatments (such as hyposalinity at 14 ppt), although it should be noted that all butterflyfishes are rather sensitive to therapeutic copper sulfate concentrations. They get along with most tankmates but may be picked on by larger aggressive surgeonfishes or angelfishes. They are unlikely to be aggressive towards any other fish species and will get along well with conspecifics. Their diet should consist of a wide variety of omnivorous foods—fish eggs, mysid shrimp, macroalgae, chopped prawns, and nori will all be accepted by these fish. Nearly all Klein’s Butterflies will come out from hiding and accept flake food within hours (or even minutes) of being added to an aquarium. At an adult length of approximately 5”, a Klein’s Butterflyfish will feel quite comfortable in a 6 foot or longer tank. Given these simple requirements, I highly recommend this fish as a beneficial addition to a mixed community reef tank.

RHM sponsored Mid West Frag Fest is coming to Rockford, Illinois May 2008 – www.midwestfragfest.com

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STONY CORAL SERIES Part >> 4 The Massive Favites pentagona War Corals

By Steve Tyree

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n the early 1990’s, the science and art of maintaining Reef Building Stony Corals within captive systems was still in its pioneering phase. Early stony reef aquarists started to get excited about growing corals when Acropora and Montipora stony corals started to demonstrate long-term captive growth.

The propagation of these early SPS corals began to create a small incubator industry consisting of reef hobbyists scattered across the U.S. growing or farming these Reef Building Stony Corals. While this early success was occurring, there were also colonies of Favia and Favites closed brain corals being imported into the U.S. Unfortunately for the exotic captive market, these early imported closed brain corals were primarily colored brown or green. It was also difficult to achieve captive growth and when growth did occur for these massive corals, it was very slow. They did not initially appear to be easy stony corals to propagate in captivity. The first closed brain Favia and Favites to be imported had relatively medium to large sized corallites. In the early 1990’s the primary tools utilized to propagate corals were also still somewhat primitive. It was difficult to break away whole imported corallite sections of these massive brain corals. These factors forced early captive stony coral growers to concentrate on the more colorful and easier to propagate Acropora and Montipora SPS corals.

into the U.S. market. A red and green Favia speciosa and a pink and violet Favia matthai were some of the first colorful exotic closed brains. The corallites on these two closed brain corals were medium in size with respect to the normal size range of closed brain corallites. They were initially difficult to successfully fragment, but new rotary tools with diamond dust circular saw blades helped to make safe, accurate fragging much easier. The growth rates of medium-sized corallite Favia corals are slow to moderate and the production rates for these captive grown corals are fairly slow. Massive corals with smaller sized corallites produce new corallites quicker and will also produce more viable whole corallites when typical harvesting techniques are used. In 2005, a new massive Favites pentagona with smaller sized polyps and brilliant coloration was imported into the U.S. That coral was called the War Coral. We have also seen newer color morphs of the Favites pentagona coral imported in recent months and we will discuss some of these specific, new, small corallite Favites corals in further detail below. There will also be future articles appearing in this series that discuss other massive Favites and Favia awesome stony corals along with newer color morphs of the Favites pentagona corals.

The War Coral: Favites pentagona

The exotic captive market for the massive closed brain Favia and Favites corals changed dramatically during the 2003 to 2006 time frame. We began to see colorful morphs of Favia corals imported

The success of a long-term, exotic captive coral market requires corals that have moderate to fast growth rates, bright colorful pigmentation and an ability to produce easily harvestable, viable fragments. A new Favites pentagona coral with small sized corallites and a brilliant red pigmentation was found in 2005 by Matt Juner of San Jose, California. The War Coral has all of the characteristics required to be a successful, long term, exotic captive coral (see image A). Its ridges located between the corallites are bright blood red in coloration. This red A | Image by Steve Tyree. This is a large section of the original War Coral pigmentation is easy to Favites pentagona. The imported coral colony was found by Matt Juner. maintain and the coral does Note the brilliant blood red pigmentation of the ridges located between corallites. These ridges can expand or puff-up when the coral is healthy best in low to intermediate and undisturbed. Feeding tentacles are extended on some of the corallight levels.

Corallite lites within this image. On the original colony there were some areas that centers are colored brilliant did not contain the blood red pigmentation. You can see those areas on fluorescing green. Large the far left side of this image. Captive coral farmers are primarily growing grown out colonies of the and distributing solid red sections of the War Coral Favites pentagona.

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War Coral can be a spectacular site in a captive reef display system. Although this coral has small sized corallites for a closed brain coral, it does exhibit feeding behavior similar to other LPS corals such as Acanthastrea lordhowensis. Polyp tentacles can extend during the day and the tips of this corals’ tentacles have a bright whitish pigment (see image B). This coral can be fed, but will grow fine without any targeted feedings. Corallites for a Favites pentagona are typically 6 to 10 mm in diameter and they are classified as small corallites within the Favites genus. This coral has been marketed under the name ‘War Coral’ because of its blood red pigmentation and its species name (F. pentagona).

The Purple War Coral Another coral similar to the original War Coral was found by Jimmy Tran of Alhambra, California. He located the coral in a display reef at a retail store within Pasadena, California. This Purple War coral has reddish colored ridges of a distinct and different shade of red.

It is not the blood red of the War Coral, but has a more purplish or maroon pigmentation (see image C). The corallite centers are bright fluorescing green. Corallites are very similar in size to the War Coral corallites, but appear to be just slightly larger. I have not seen this coral fully extend its polyps during the daytime photoperiod but currently believe that it is another morph of the Favites pentagona species. The ridges of this coral can expand and puff-up when the coral is healthy and not disturbed. This particular morph seems to require slightly more intense light to maintain its purplish coloration and we recommend moderate light levels. This coral grows at moderate rates and new encrusting growth appears along the edges of the colony.

B | A seed colony of the War Coral Favites pentagona maintained by the author. Close-up image by Steve Tyree. Note that the tentacles are partially extended. Captive grown, harvested fragments of this coral typically consist of 3 to 5 whole small corallites. It is best to utilize a Dremel with a circular diamond dust blade to cut out a section of whole corallites. New growth for this coral typically occurs along the edge as this massive coral quickly encrusts outward. The massive areas can also enlarge and clone or add new corallites.

The Pastel War and Peace Coral In early 2006, Matt Juner and Mike Obrian from the Bay Area of California found a new small polyped Favites coral that had a unique reverse pigmentation pattern. Instead of the bright green corallite centers found within the original War Coral, this new coral had bright green ridges with pinkish corallite centers.

This was a reverse of the coloration pattern found within the War Coral. This reverse pattern inspired Matt and Mike to market this coral as the Peace Coral. For a Favites pentagona to be classified as a Peace coral it needs to have green ridges and differing corallite center pigmentation. In late 2006, Hugo Zuniga of Southern California found an incredible morph of the Peace Coral. This particular coral has pastel pink corallite centers along with brilliant fluorescing green ridges (see image D). This coral is being marketed as the Pastel War and Peace Coral. Along with its pink corallite mouth areas, the coral also has bright red pigments

C | A seed colony of the Purple War Coral maintained by the author. Image by Steve Tyree. It is possible that this may actually be a different Favites species very similar to Favites pentagona. The corallites’ tentacles have not extended during the daylight photoperiod. This coral was originally named the Purple War Coral, but its coloration is more similar to Maroon. It could probably also be referred to as the Maroon or even Burgundy War Coral. Captive propagation techniques are identical to those of the original War Coral.

D | A seed colony of the Pastel War and Peace Favites pentagona Coral maintained by the author. Image by Steve Tyree. The incredible pigmentation patterns of the Pastel War and Peace coral are plainly visible in this close-up image.

The coral polyps are slightly extended and this coral can partially extend its polyps during the daylight photoperiod.

The dark red rings on the outer edges of the corallites’ mouths are also visible.

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that fade to pink on the inside of the inner corallite walls. This also appears to be a Favites pentagona coral and its captive propagation techniques are the same as those for the original War Coral.

The Martian Moon Coral The Martian Moon coral is another recently discovered exotic color morph of the Favites pentagona War Corals. This coral was found by Miguel Tolosa and it has bright green ridges located between the corallites (see image E). The corallite center mouth areas have a unique solid dark purple pigmentation. The size of this purple area varies as the corallite area opens and closes. We believe that this coral is also Favites pentagona. Polyps have not yet extended during the daylight photoperiod. This coral appears to require moderate to strong light levels.

Captive propagation methods are similar to the original War Coral.

Conclusion It should be noted with respect to the War Corals that there are quite a few similar looking corals being sold within the exotic captive market. Some whole colonies of corals that are similar, but not exactly like the original War Coral have been imported within the past year or two. These corals may not develop the intense blood red of the original War Coral and may not have the same corallite structure or polyp extension rates

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as the original War Coral. It is difficult for consumers to be sure that they are getting the exact coral as advertised. I recommend that the customer ask for an image of the actual fragment they are buying before they make their purchase. Compare the color, corallite structure and look for captive growth encrustation. Buyers should use caution whenever they see a very low price on an exotic and rare coral. Genuine lineages of these corals command a high market price. A legitimate coral farmer that has acquired a captive grown fragment within the past year or two, won’t be able to produce a lot of fragments for sale. They will have to slowly grow harvestable fragments. The price of their captive grown corals will be based on the costs involved to acquire the coral and the operational costs involved to grow the coral. Most reef aquarists are aware of the costs that occur in the acquisition and operation of a captive reef system. The demand that a particular captive coral generates can also affect its selling price. It should be noted that not all low priced corals are imposters because there will be farmers who are more or less being charitable. In addition to these factors, stony coral hobbyists are not trying to support a profitable coral farming business.

E | A seed colony of the Martian Moon Favites pentagona Coral maintained by the author. Close-up image by Steve Tyree. This close-up image shows the dark purple coloration found within the corallites’ center areas. This coral has the same basic pigmentation pattern of the Peace Corals. Ridges are green with a different pigment located within the corallite areas. When the coral is disturbed, its tissue will retract slightly and ridges will appear yellowishgreen in coloration.

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FRAGS

Cutting It Up –

Fragging Branching Soft Corals Article & Images

By Richard Ross

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ow that your tank is established and your corals are growing nicely, it is probably time to start thinking about fragging – cutting a fragment of coral from the parent colony to grow into another parent colony.

Growing out frags is a great way to generate corals to trade with other reefers, as well as lessen the pressure of coral collection on wild reefs. If you haven’t fragged a coral before, it can be a little intimidating. But, once you get used to the idea of cutting up the corals in your tank, you’ll see that it can be very easy.

While each species of coral must be handled in specific ways during fragging, I hope to give you a general overview of two methods which can be applied to a wide range of soft bodied, branching corals including; Nepthea (green tree coral), Sinularia (finger leather), Lobophytum (devils hand leather), Cladiella (colt coral) and Xenia.

The first thing you need to get used to is the idea of cutting up the coral you have spent so much time and effort trying to grow.

Just watching a coral pull in its polyps and shrink from being disturbed is difficult enough, but cutting up soft corals can seem extra disturbing because slicing into their soft flesh makes us think about cutting up our own bodies. Never fear! Hopefully, your corals have been growing so well that, like plants in a flower garden, they actually need pruning because they are growing into each other. Prepare yourself to do something that needs to be done. Once you are over your initial squeamishness, you will see that fragging corals can be fun and rewarding, and that the corals you care so much about recover very quickly.

The same colony of pulsing Sinularia after being removed from the show tank and placed into a bowl of tank water. Notice the retracted polyps and branches. The branch in the upper right of the picture will be cut.

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A colony of pulsing Sinularia “Bookfish Red” before fragging.

Before starting, it’s important to note that when disturbed or fragged, many of these soft corals will produce mucus as a defense mechanism. This slimy mucus can be toxic to other animals, so it’s best to take precautions to minimize the amount that gets into your show tank. The obvious solution is to remove the parent colony from the show tank before any cutting takes place. I like to place my parent colony in a bucket or bowl of tank water in my kitchen sink, and have another bucket or bowl of tank water standing by for the frags. After cutting, the corals go back into their containers where the mucus they produce can safely be contained. You can even continue to do ‘water changes’ with tank water in these containers, rinsing away the mucus. Generally after 15-30 minutes, the corals will stop producing mucus and you can safely return the corals to the show tank. To protect yourself from the corals’ mucus, you can wear latex gloves and safety glasses, and use tools dedicated to coral fragging. Thoroughly wash all surfaces that have come into contact with corals or coral mucus.

It is not always possible or practical to remove the parent colony from the show tank. The coral may be too large to safely move, or it may be encrusted onto some rockwork that is not removable.

In these situations, there are a few common sense precautions you can take if you do need to cut the coral in situ. First, minimize the number of cuts in the tank. Either cut a small frag or cut one large piece and immediately remove the cut piece to a container of tank water. Less cutting equals less mucus. Second, do your fragging on a day when you are going to do a water change, and change the water as soon as possible after you are done cutting.

Third, run some carbon in the tank, either in a mesh bag in the sump, or better yet, in a hang on back filter or canister filter. The carbon will help adsorb the toxins the stressed coral puts out.

Soft corals are actually pretty easy to cut because they are...well... soft. Sharp scissors are an obvious tool for the job, but in the process of cutting, they can crush tissue resulting in the creation of more mucus and extended healing times. A razor blade or exacto knife makes a great cutting tool, though in slippery hands they can be more dangerous than scissors. Regardless of what you choose to cut the coral with, one swift cut rather than a series of halting cuts will result in less stress on the animal.

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Choosing where to cut a branching soft coral is also pretty easy.

Look for a place where a decent size ‘branch’ connects to the ‘trunk’, and then prune the coral, like cutting a branch from a tree.

For aesthetic reasons, some people cut as close to the trunk as possible, while others will cut through the middle of the branch so that, after the coral starts to regrow, the branch will look similar to how it looked before it was fragged.

It is up to you to decide whether to cut the coral in or out of the water. If the coral cannot be removed from the show tank, you will be cutting underwater, and in my experience, scissors will be more efficient than a straight blade. Before you start cutting in your main tank, make sure to turn your pumps off; chasing a softie frag that is floating around in the current can lead to loss of the frag or damage to your other display corals. Even worse, in your attempt to catch an errant frag that is floating around, you could accidentally destroy your perfectly placed aquascaping, and rebuilding will never look the same.

If you have removed the parent colony from the main tank, and are using scissors, you can do one of two things - either cut the coral in the container of tank water or remove the coral from the water, hold it with one hand, and cut with the other, letting the cut piece fall into your extra container of tank water. If you are cutting with an exacto or razor blade, it is much safer to cut the coral out of the water and on an appropriate cutting surface like a hard plastic cutting board. This surface should be used only for your aquarium (preparing food on a surface that you cut potentially toxic corals on

is a bad idea). For practical purposes, you can think of the branching soft coral like a head of broccoli – much easier and safer to cut with a straight blade against a stable surface than in the air.

Once you have cut your coral fragment, you need to attach it to some kind of substrate so you can place it back in your show Pulsing Sinularia being fragged with scissors. A quick, definitive cut is best. tank or trade it for another coral. While super glue or epoxy putty is great for adhering hard corals to reef rubble or frag plugs, the mucus that soft corals produce, as well as the soft bodies themselves, make it an impractical solution for soft coral frags. There are many methods of getting soft corals to attach to reef rubble or other substrate, but I feel the two easiest and most surefire methods are the use of a settling area and the “sandwich” method.

A settling area is simply a place were the coral frag can rest against a substrate without being blown around by water movement.

Settling areas can be made in plastic or glass bowls or trays filled with a layer of reef rubble, frag plugs or other substrate for the coral to attach to. For aesthetic and flow reasons, settling containers are often placed in a lighted area of the sump or in a frag tank rather than in the show tank. It is important that there is still some water movement in the settling area - just not enough to blow the coral around. Once your frag has stopped producing mucus in your cutting bowl of tank water, simply drop it in the settling area and wait. Over time, generally a week or two, the frag will attach to the substrate it is resting on, and can then be moved to an area of higher flow.

The sandwich method involves making a coral and rock rubble sandwich, where the coral is the meat and two pieces of rubble are the bread. The coral frag is placed between two pieces of rock rubble, and the sandwich is held snugly together by rubber bands.

It seems like simply rubber banding the coral to some rubble would be easier, but in reality, it is quite problematic. It is very difficult to have the right amount of tension in the rubber bands. Too loose and the coral will slip out. Too tight and the thin rubber band will cut into the flesh of the coral, splitting the coral into two pieces which will then float around your tank.

Using two pieces of rubble gives consistent, even pressure along a large section of the frag resulting in fast attachment while minimizing the potential for the frag to split or Pulsing Sinularia parent colony and frag. Note float away. the clean cut and the water losing clarity due to mucus production of the stressed coral.

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For the sandwich, I like to use one larger piece and one smaller piece of clean, live rock rubble because I think it makes the end product look less obtrusive. However, any size rock rubble will work. If the frag is going back into your show tank, take a minute to think about where the frag will go and try to pick some rock rubble that will fit that spot. If you use two larger pieces of rock rubble, you can double your number of frags; after the coral has attached to both pieces of rubble, use your straight blade to slice the coral down the middle, leaving coral attached to both pieces of the ‘‘sandwich’’.

Once you have chosen your rock rubble, it’s time to make the sandwich. To help minimize stress on the coral, dip the two pieces of rock rubble you will be using in tank water before making the sandwich. Try to put the branch inside the sandwich while leaving some of the polyps exposed. Don’t be surprised or worried if the coral continues to contract during the process.

Hold the sandwich in one hand and wrap the rubber band around the rock rubble with the other. You want the rubber band to hold the rocks against the coral snugly, but not crushingly. I like to use one rubber band to loosely hold the sandwich together, so I can make sure the coral is positioned to my liking. Then, I use a second rubber band to tighten everything up. When you are done, put the coral sandwich back into your container of tank water. Once the coral is done generating mucus, generally after 15 -30 minutes, you can place the sandwich into your show tank or frag tank. After a week or two, the coral should be attached to one or both of the pieces of rubble and you can glue that rubble to your existing rockwork (see ‘The Art of Frag Gluing’ in volume 1, issue 2 of RHM for details).

Pulsing Sinularia Sandwich. The top piece of rock rubble is much smaller than the bottom for aesthetic reasons.

Now, take a deep breath, calm yourself, and get fragging!

Pulsing Sinularia frag sandwich several hours after being cut.

Pulsing Sinularia parent colony after being fragged. The coral will extend its polyps and infl ate its branches within a day.

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13

CLOWNFISH

Hatching and Raising

Baby Clownfish

By Robin Bittner

O

ver the course of the past two articles, we’ve spoken about the various reasons that clownfish have become a favorite staple of hobbyists the world over. We also discussed how you, as an inspired hobbyist, could undertake an effort to breed these engaging and attractive fish.

For this final installment in the clownfish series, let’s assume that you’ve successfully acquired a breeding pair of clownfish, have your breeding and grow-out setup in place, and are now ready to collect the babies once they hatch. To raise the fish to market size over the coming months, you’ll need a lot of patience and time, a dedicated commitment to your fry (they are babies, after all!), and a bit of luck.

No Timers To Tell When These Eggs Are Done The first step in the process of raising clowns is of course the collection of the eggs once they’re laid. Ideally this process is accomplished by training your pair to lay their eggs on a piece of tile that can be transferred to a hatching tank without injuring the eggs. Unfortunately, for most hobbyists, the clown pair will not be quite so helpful as they will inevitably choose a nest site that is not only hard to reach, but may also be out of view. Since the tank décor on which the eggs are laid usually cannot be removed from the display tank, the only option in this situation is to collect the fry from the tank after hatching. This will require your close observation during the evenings near hatching, since the fry must be collected quickly to avoid being eaten or swept away.

Generally it is a good idea to turn off all powerheads on the nights when you think the eggs will hatch in order to keep the currents in the tank as gentle as possible.

Most clown eggs will hatch in the early hours of total darkness on the 8th to 12th day after they are laid. Gauging the exact night of hatch is a bit of a learned art since each clownfish pair is different, but a good rule of thumb is to look for the silvery sides (not eyes) of the fry through the egg casing. The eyes of the fry will appear a few days after the eggs are laid, but the silver lining of the abdominal wall will appear only a day or two before the fry are ready to hatch. Hatching typically occurs in spurts, with the fry popping out of the eggs as they are fanned by the male clownfish or, if hatching artificially, a light stream of bubbles.

Upon hatching, the new fry will dart to the surface of the tank where they will remain suspended in the water column until

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IMAGE BY MARK RICKERT

being eaten by hungry and alert tank mates, swept away by powerheads, or hopefully, collected by you for the grow-out tank.

Fortunately, newborn clownfish fry are positively phototropic (attracted to light), so if the room with the tank is dark, they will collect under a flashlight held at the surface of the tank. Once the fry gather in one place, you can collect them by dipping a cup or specimen holder into the tank and gently allowing the water (with the fry) to flow into the cup. The water with the fry can then be carried to the holding tank where it should be gently placed under the surface of the water so the fry may swim out. Since the fry are very fragile at this state, any swirling water or rough handling could cause internal damage that may result in death 1-3 days later. For a typical nest of 300 - 800 eggs (or 2000+ eggs for the larger clowns!), this collection process may take an hour or more, but it is one of the easiest and best methods for safely transferring fry from the display tank to the grow-out tank.

On the other hand, if you’ve been able to successfully “train” your clowns to lay their eggs on a flat piece of tile or clay flowerpot, the hatching process will be far easier for you and much safer for the fry. In this case, all you really need to do is closely watch the eggs until you think they are ready to hatch, then transfer them to the hatching tank an hour or two before darkness. Once placed in the hatching tank the nest should be very lightly aerated with a mist of bubbles from a fine air stone to simulate the tending of the nest by the parents. This approach of keeping the eggs in the tank until the last moment will ensure that the nest will be well cared for by the male clownfish, while the transfer of the eggs will not expose the fry to any potential damage caused by the post hatch transfer process described above.

Fry Feeding Time!

Once the fry are in their grow-out tank, the #1 item of business is food. Clownfish fry typically have one to two days of nutritional reserve upon hatching. Since they must learn how to eat, it is important that they are presented with suitable food items as quickly as possible. Because the fry are visually stimulated predators, make sure that (a) the sides and bottom of the tank

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are covered with dark paper to remove distracting light (remember they are still highly attracted to light!), (b) the density of appropriately sized prey is sufficient to always have a food item in sight, and (c) the prey stimulates their feeding response by moving around. On this last point, some breeders have had very limited success with preserved or artificial food items, but these instances are very rare since the fry generally need live prey to learn how to hunt and eat.

Rotifers, often described as planktonic food containers, are clownfish’s first choice of food. Rotifers themselves have very little nutritional value, but they reproduce very rapidly and move around the tank, which stimulates the feeding response of the fry.

If fed properly with highly nutritional foods, the rotifers essentially become little bags of food that the clown fry can chase down and eat. Thus, the clownfish fry gain nutrition from the rotifers’ food, which would otherwise be too small for the fish to ingest.

Feeding rotifers to clownfish basically consists of filtering them out of the rotifer culture container (which may be 5 gallon plastic buckets as shown in my previous article) and then placing them into the grow-out tank. As noted above, proper density of prey is important for the fry, so you want to be able to observe a light dusting of rotifers in the water when shining a flashlight into the side of the tank. This will help ensure that plenty of prey crosses each fry’s path, giving the fry frequent opportunities to perfect their hunting technique. Once a fry has learned to eat (usually by the second or third day after hatching), you should be able to see them curl their tails and shoot forward in quick spurts each time they chase a rotifer.

The debate over what to feed rotifers has been well documented in a variety of texts and on a number of hobbyist websites. What it really comes down to is what your schedule, budget, and personal preferences allow. Live algae (such as Nannochloropsis) is preferred by some since it is truly living and therefore considered to be fresher than “non-live” algae. A live alga has the added benefit of helping purify the water in the grow-out tank since it will consume some of the biological byproducts produced by the fry and rotifers. However, the culture of live algae requires a separate setup with lights and a series of culture vessels to ensure a constant supply of food for the rotifers. Assuming that you have the space, time, and desire to maintain an algae culture set-up, then the live algae culture approach may be for you.

inserted into a length of flexible airline tubing serves quite well as a small bottom vacuum and will help you avoid sucking up the fry while you’re cleaning the tank. Another useful item is an “ammonia badge” which will help monitor water quality and alert you to any deteriorating conditions before the water becomes toxic. A final hint about water changes is to feed the new water into the growout tank with a drip line to gradually acclimate the fry to the new water. Although the temperature and chemical makeup of the old water and new water will presumably be similar (water from the parent’s display tank can be used for this purpose), this method will prevent rapid addition of the new water and allow the fry to transition to the new water parameters without going into shock.

The Dangers of Overfeeding Rotifers should be the sole food of most clownfish fry for the first 5 to 7 days post hatching. As the fry begin to approach metamorphosis, where they will change shape and settle out of the water column, the usefulness of rotifers as their sole food source declines. At this point, the fry expend as much energy catching a rotifer as they get from eating one. Now it is time to make the step up to the next sized food item, which is typically newly-hatched baby brine shrimp (BBS).

It can be said that clownfish fry display a classic example of “one’s eyes being bigger than one’s stomach”. Unfortunately for the baby clowns, this can result in fatal consequences. Left to their own devices in a tank full of BBS, the fry will quite literally

An alternate approach favored by many is the use of concentrated algae paste (also Nannochloropsis), which can be stored in the refrigerator or even frozen if needed. While algae purists will argue that these concentrates are not live and therefore not as nutritionally sound, in reality the quality of the concentrates can be exceptional. Their rich nutritional profile, combined with the ease of taking a bottle out of the refrigerator rather than running an entire algae culture center, makes a very compelling case for the use of these concentrates.

Regardless of which approach is used, it will be important to also keep a close eye on water quality. Clownfish fry can be quite sensitive to water impurities and given the high concentration of food in the tank, and without any filtration, water conditions can deteriorate very quickly. Therefore it is a good idea, at least for the first few weeks, to vacuum the bottom of the tank and perform a daily 25% to 50% water change. A small piece of rigid airline tubing with one end cut at a 45-degree angle and the other end

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IMAGE BY KHEM KASEMSRI

eat until they explode. Another related hazard is the increase in size of the BBS as they molt. Older BBS also have more spines.

When an overexcited clown fry tries to eat the older BBS, these spines become lodged in the throat of the fry and can cause it to suffocate.

Despite these eating challenges, it is quite easy to help the clownfish navigate their way through their culinary evolution. Care should be taken to provide young (7 to 21 day old) clowns with live BBS that are only 1-2 days old and have been enriched by placing the BBS in an algae or vitamin bath for a few hours before feeding. During fry feeding, only small portions should be placed in the grow-out tank so that even the most aggressive eaters will not reach the “popping stage”. More frequent feedings of smaller portions are better than larger, less frequent feedings since this will regulate the intake of food and help prevent disastrous accidents.

If your schedule does not allow for 3 or more feedings during the day, a morning and evening feeding of modest proportions will suffice. The clown fry will not grow as fast if you feed less, but they also will not expire from eating too much extra food. When in doubt, feed only as much as the fry can consume over a 5-minute period.

Growing Up & Moving Out The final major transition in the feeding process is from live to frozen or prepared (dry) foods. This transition is important because it eliminates the need for the hobbyist receiving the young clowns to maintain multiple live food cultures. Additionally, many of the commercially prepared fry foods have a superior nutritional food profile to most single, live foods. Once the fry are eating dry flakes or pellets, live or frozen food may be given occasionally as a treat.

However, avoid the use of BBS or rotifers for a few weeks after initial transition to non-live foods in order to avoid regression back to eating only live food.

The entire process from hatch to a strictly dry food diet can be accomplished within a period of 2 weeks, although one may be more successful by extending this period to 3-4 weeks. The process varies slightly depending upon the species of clowns

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being grown, but generally speaking, newly hatched fry should be fed rotifers for about the first 10 days post hatch. Enriched BBS may be introduced as early as day 5, but it is better to wait until day 7 or 8 in order to allow the fry to grow a bit larger (and thus be able to eat the larger BBS more easily). During this same period, the fry will be going through metamorphosis (changing body shape, pigmentation, and settling out of the water column to the sides or bottom of the tank), so it is best to keep the food supply consistent until the fry have completed this transformation.

Once metamorphosis is complete, they are much more accepting of different foods and will also attack food items more vigorously.

The introduction of dry foods will initially require increased attention to water quality since the majority of food items will fall to the bottom uneaten. Therefore, you should plan to conduct tank cleanings about 30 minutes after feeding in order to remove the uneaten food. Usually within a day or so of introducing a new food item, one of the fry will try the food. Even if the fry spits out the food, other fry will see the first one tasting it and will try it as well. Eventually one of the fry will swallow the food and start chasing other food items. Once this occurs, none of the fry want to miss a meal so they will all start gobbling the food as fast as they can ... for those of us that are parents, we could only hope that our children would treat vegetables the same way clownfish fry treat their food!!!

Once the transition to a dry diet has taken place, the “patience” part of the breeding process takes center stage. The frenetic pace of late night fry collection, around the clock feedings and water changes, rotifer and BBS culture (not to mention algae) tending, and general aquatic mayhem gradually subsides into the calmer, gentler process of grow-out. Water changes can be reduced to once or twice a week (if the feeding regimen allows) and feeding can be done just once or twice a day.

Some species of clownfish (ocellaris, tomato, and clarkii) will reach a market size (minimum of 1”) within 4 to 5 months, while other species such as percula clowns take much longer and may not be market-ready for 9 months or more. For this reason, it is important that the hobbyist decide early on the goal of the breeding effort. With spawns as frequent as every 2 weeks and a

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NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

(continued from page 16... Clownfish) While you may not be able to guarantee a steady supply of young clowns (this is where your breeding pair and “luck” come into play!), it is important to know that you have someone who will help you clean out your “old” babies in order to make room for the new ones that are already looking for more space.

Final Thoughts

IMAGE BY KHEM KASEMSRI

grow-out period of 6 months, it is easy to imagine the number of tanks one would need to grow out the thousands of fry collected during this period! As discussed in the second installment of this series, it is also important to set up in advance the relationships with your LFS or others who might want your juvenile clowns.

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Over the course of these last three articles, we’ve looked as some of the reasons why clownfish are so popular, talked about how to provide a natural environment for the fish, and examined some methods for raising clown babies. Hopefully this has provided some insight into the process of raising captive bred marine fish, and perhaps even inspired a few of you to “give it a go” the next time your clowns put down a nest. There is nothing quite so rewarding to an aquarist as successfully raising the offspring of their tank inhabitants. Even if you choose to let the eggs hatch without raising the fry, you’ve already achieved success. Keep up whatever you are doing, and know that if your pair of clowns are putting down nests, they feel completely at home in your little slice of the ocean!

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