My 1.5 ft Reef log

[teebs]

must be that lady boss lah... she quite mercenary type one..

I bought and got a 25% discount. go figure.

Anyway they posted the discount on the forum so you should have it.

Well, they said 25% discount only for zooplankton, rotifiers and phytoplankton. Others no discount...

[jackywongto]

Well, they said 25% discount only for zooplankton, rotifiers and phytoplankton. Others no discount...

their post:

25% off for REEFMAX CORAL FOOD

Rotifer

Zooplanton

Phytoplanton

Copepods

Artemia.

[teebs]

their post:

25% off for REEFMAX CORAL FOOD

Rotifer

Zooplanton

Phytoplanton

Copepods

Artemia.

Yeah I know. I pointed out to her but she insisted no discount...

[jackywongto]

if u going tomorrow let me know...

okie dokie

[jackywongto]

lol ........

need to change hamster bedding.... but feel so lazy now....

dang ... by the time I finish housekeeping and tidying up hamster cage, almost 3 am already .....

tml still have 2 conference calls in the morning.

these late nights have got to stop.

[raydiative]

2- 3 mini clams

zoas

rics

red male mandarin fish

single branch luminous torch

get octo instead.. nicer... we shall hunt for rics together!!!!!

[teebs]

get octo instead.. nicer... we shall hunt for rics together!!!!!

Where u going to hunt for rics???

[raydiative]

Where u going to hunt for rics???

everywhere... haha...

[teebs]

everywhere... haha...

Then u can go to the states and buy lor...

[raydiative]

Then u can go to the states and buy lor...

did asked before.. hahaha... =P

[teebs]

did asked before.. hahaha... =P

dunno whether those solid rics/yumas can be ordered in from the states or not???

[jackywongto]

dunno whether those solid rics/yumas can be ordered in from the states or not???

need to check AVA regulation.

you explore then let us know

[jackywongto]

you should try to place the small out in the tank and the bigger one in the isolation box.. =]

the small clown is in the main tank now.

How do i know that there is no more aggression and when do i let the bigger one out?

[comycus]

the small clown is in the main tank now.

How do i know that there is no more aggression and when do i let the bigger one out?

You can't curb the aggression. The big one is trying to assert itself. Unless they pair up, I don't see much chances for your smaller clown.

How small are they?

[raydiative]

the small clown is in the main tank now.

How do i know that there is no more aggression and when do i let the bigger one out?

what you can do is to leave the big one in the beta box for maybe 2 weeks? allow the small one to have time to get use to the tank/rocks and all before you release the big one...

when you release the big one, it will be a little lost and may not attack the smaller one... should there be any aggression, the smaller one should be able to defend itself by hiding..

[jackywongto]

You can't curb the aggression. The big one is trying to assert itself. Unless they pair up, I don't see much chances for your smaller clown.

How small are they?

less than 1 inch long.

they should pair up eventually right? or some clowns just don't pair up?

[jackywongto]

what you can do is to leave the big one in the beta box for maybe 2 weeks? allow the small one to have time to get use to the tank/rocks and all before you release the big one...

when you release the big one, it will be a little lost and may not attack the smaller one... should there be any aggression, the smaller one should be able to defend itself by hiding..

2 weeks... wow long time.

feel sorry for him

[comycus]

what you can do is to leave the big one in the beta box for maybe 2 weeks? allow the small one to have time to get use to the tank/rocks and all before you release the big one...

when you release the big one, it will be a little lost and may not attack the smaller one... should there be any aggression, the smaller one should be able to defend itself by hiding..

His tank is so small, where to hide? Sure will kena wack one. Can only hope 1 male, 1 female, eventually the female will wack the male into submitting to her. You will know when the male becomes 'domesticated' through its submissive behaviour:

First the dominate fish will rush or otherwise attack the submissive fish. The submissive fish will turn sideways to the dominate fish and tilt its belly towards the dominate fish and quiver like an epileptic seizure. The female should recognize this behavior and stop the attack short of actual damage. Sometimes in new pairings and old well established pair bonds the dominate fish will move to a parallel position to the submissive and quiver back to the submissive fish.

The main problem now is you don't know the sex of both your clownfish. If both are female, the smaller one cfm will die coz she cannot change to female and pair up. If 1 female 1 male, then still got chance of pairing up, but it's still abit of luck as the male might die first. If 2 males, the dominant one will change to female and start attacking the male. Tt's why I chose to get 2 juv true percs. This way, they mature into different sexes and pair up w/o much aggression. Of course it takes alot of time. Mine have been with me for about 3+ months, and the 3rd stripe is only beginning to show.

[comycus]

less than 1 inch long.

they should pair up eventually right? or some clowns just don't pair up?

They could still be sexless. I suggest you PM bro Fuel for some advice

Not all clowns pair up. They tend to kill each other. Tt's why paired clowns command higher prices.

[yikai]

all clowns start their lives as males, and will change sex into a dominant female in due time. in a pair, a female will emerge.

[jackywongto]

Excerpts from various sources on the web:

In a group the female is the largest, with the male as the second largest. All others will be juveniles and gender-neutral. When one of the adults disappears, the next biggest will take its place. Thus the male will become female and a juvenile will turn into a male. Once they are female they cannot change again. In certain species there are physical differences but it's not a real good idea to rely on this as they may have changed sexes but not markings.

Buying an established pair is perhaps the easiest way to go. Many aquarium/fish stores have these or can order them for you. Sometimes you get lucky and get a pair already spawning. Look for a pair that hangs out together as this is a good sign that they are a true pair.

Another possibility is buying a group of juveniles and raising them to breeding age. This takes a good deal longer as some species take quite a while to mature. Also certain species are more aggresive and you may have to remove unwanted extras. Basically, you watch as the group matures and they will pair up by themselves. The female will be the largest, with the male next biggest. The rest should stay juveniles.

Establishing an adult pair can be a little tricky, and a close eye needs to be kept on them to make sure that the female doesn't kill the male. Buying a large adult and getting two smaller ones from a group and letting the female pick one is an approach that has yielded a good deal of success.

==============================================================

In order to breed clownfish, you will need a mated pair. The easiest way to do this is to purchase a mated pair. Often times fish stores can order a mated pair or many online shops carry them as well. The second way you can be sure you have a mated pair is buy two clownfish when they are young. When clownfish are young, they are always males. Once they have determined the dominant fish, it will change sexes into a female. After some time, you will be be able to tell which is the female because it will always be larger. This comes after much fighting between the two fish.

Often times the female will nip at the males tail and the male will look like he is having a seizure. He will roll on his side and start twitching rapidly. This is his way of saying I give up to the dominant female. My fish took 6-8 months before the sex change was obvious. Any species of clownfish will work. I breed true perculas in my 150 gallon tank. Once they start breeding they will lay eggs every 12-18 days usually on a piece of live rock.

=========================================

Briefly, clownfish are protandrous hermaphrodites. They are hatched as sexually immature fish. Based on signals from their environment and being physically mature (12-24 months) they will either remain sexually immature, change into a male or change into a male then female. This is a one way trip, sexless to male never to be sexless again and male to female never to be male again.

A clownfish kept by its self will become a female in a short period of time if it is physically mature, in as little as a month.

Second two female clowns will fight. The tell tale sign that you have two females is fighting ending in the two locking their mouths together.

Clownfish pairing techniques:

There are a couple of proven techniques to pair the same species of clownfish. Mixing species of clownfish should be avoided and has very limited long term (multi-year) success (only one case that I know of and could be considered unsuccessful as at least one clownfish was killed by another clownfish in the tank).

Grow out technique:

With this technique two small juvenile clownfish are purchased at the same time and introduced into the tank at the same time. The fish will establish a dominate submissive relationship as they mature and eventually form a pair bond. This technique works the vast majority of the time.

Notes: Since the fish are going to fight and/or chase each other to establish who is the dominate fish and who is the submissive fish, it will often speed the pairing process and reduce fighting and potential damage to the fish by getting one of the two juveniles larger than the other.

This technique should not be applied to Premnas species (maroon) clownfish.

Add a new clownfish to an existing clownfish technique:

With having an existing clownfish in your tank adding a new clownfish to form a pair can be a little harder or in other words more dangerous to the new fish. The technique is basically the same as the grow out technique. You will want to find a small juvenile clownfish and add it to the tank with the existing tank. By getting a small juvenile fish you are not risking possible sex compatibility problems, e.g. two females.

Example: Existing 3" A. Ocellaris clownfish that has been in the tank by it's self for over a year. We can assume this fish is a female based on size, age and environment. A ¾" to 1 ½: juvenile from a community tank is added to the tank. The vast majority of the time the new fish will submit to the existing fish with little or no fighting at all.

This technique should not be applied to Premnas species (maroon) clownfish.

Paring Premnas species clownfish (maroon clownfish):

Pairing maroon clowns is much more problematic than pairing Amphiprion species clownfish. Maroons are notorious for being very aggressive and very territorial towards other clownfish. They are pretty much fearless and will only back down from an all out fight when presented with the overwhelming threat of death.

Separation Technique:

The only technique I am aware of that works the vast majority of the time with the least amount of damage as possible to use a separation and slow acclimation process to introduce a poetical mate to a maroon clownfish.

First you need to have a large female already established in your tank before trying a pairing. The clownfish should be at least 3" from nose to start of the cardinal fin. Next you will need to do a little preparation before buying a potential mate for your maroon. You need something to securely separate the two fish in the same tank while still allowing the fish to see each other and the new fish to get water flow. You can use a clear plastic specimen container with holes drilled in it for example.

Now go to the LFS and find the smallest juvenile maroon from a community tank that you can find. It should be no larger than 1" nose to start of cardinal fin. Acclimate the new maroon just as you would any other fish. Once the new maroon is acclimated to your tanks water, place the new maroon in the specimen container. Let the two fish see each other, place the specimen container near the females territory. Carefully watch the female's behavior. If she is trying to attack the new fish through the container, it is not safe to release the new maroon. Give her time to cool off from the disruption to her tank and addition of a foreign clownfish in her tank.

Now that the female has cooled her temper it is time to try an introduction. Get your favorite fish net ready and release the new maroon to the tank. If the fighting gets too bad you will need to rescue the new maroon and place it back in the container and try the next day. If after three failed attempts you can write off the new maroon as incompatible and you will need a new juvenile to try with.

Submissive behavior in clownfish:

As a part of pairing you need to know what submissive behavior is. You will know that you are well on your way to a successful pairing when one fish submits to the other fish. This is especially important behavior to observe in maroon clownfish.

Amphiprion and Premnas species submissive behavior goes something like this.

First the dominate fish will rush or otherwise attack the submissive fish. The submissive fish will turn sideways to the dominate fish and tilt its belly towards the dominate fish and quiver like an epileptic seizure. The female should recognize this behavior and stop the attack short of actual damage. Sometimes in new pairings and old well established pair bonds the dominate fish will move to a parallel position to the submissive and quiver back to the submissive fish.

In Premnas species there is an additional submissive behavior that is unique to maroons. When the submissive fish is rushed or otherwise attacked it/he will duck the attack, slip to the side of the female and tenderly kiss her cheek spines and pectoral fins of his beloved female.

Signs that you have a pair bond in your clownfish:

There are a couple of signs that a pair bond has formed and is maturing in your clownfish in addition to submissive behavior. Typically mated pairs (pairs that have a pair bond) will sleep in the same area. They will also host in the same host or stay in the same territory if there is no natural host present. The two fish will stay close to each other the vast majority of the time.

The pair bond is a developing thing. It starts out as a general acceptance of each other. Then slowly develops into a closer relationship were both fish are together most of the time. There is a bickering phase too where the female will make sure the male knows who is the boss. During this time it is not uncommon to find the poor little dejected male cowering near their normal host/territory. But don't worry this is normal and the male will be accepted back sooner or later. The ultimate end of the pair bond is seen in a spawning event such as nest cleaning or laying of eggs.

[teebs]

wow...Jacky is going to breed clown fishes...

[jackywongto]

wow...Jacky is going to breed clown fishes...

lol you pulling my leg again.

I am just trying to get them to pair up and stop fighting.

Seeing fishes fighting is not good for my girl's development. kekekeke

She still has to take care of her sibling.

PS: anyone has any news about those bloody clams in CF?

[teebs]

lol you pulling my leg again.

I am just trying to get them to pair up and stop fighting.

Seeing fishes fighting is not good for my girl's development. kekekeke

She still has to take care of her sibling.

PS: anyone has any news about those bloody clams in CF?

Ahhh...anyways, my 3 maroons in my tank have stopped fighting... When I added the third one in, they fought like crazy for more than an hour before stopping... Now they just chase each other when they encroach into the others territory.

[jackywongto]

Ahhh...anyways, my 3 maroons in my tank have stopped fighting... When I added the third one in, they fought like crazy for more than an hour before stopping... Now they just chase each other when they encroach into the others territory.