Clownfish behaviour

Oiler3535 · 02/18/2018, 07:56 PM

Hi all!
Started my reef tank in July. Going really well besides the occasional algae fight (all parameters -don’t test Mg- test within ideal ranges). Question about my Ocellaris pair. I decided against an anemone in my little 46g, but have a nice frogspawn (I think) that they mostly live in. Just barely big enough for both to hide, but mostly they just spend their days nuzzling in it a bit, then swimming around and through it during their travels. But to my question:

Would a clownfish ever lay eggs under a soft coral? About 4 inches from their frogspawn is a big mushroom-like coral (guy who gave it to me called it something else, but looks like a big folded blue gray mushroom to me). And the bigger Ocellaris seems to spend a lot of time sideways, nuzzling under the flesh of the coral. Might it have laid eggs under there? Where it is means I can’t see that angle. Not a ton of room underneath makes me think a full clutch of eggs unlikely, and the Oci doesn’t spend as much time as I’d think it would were there eggs there. If not eggs, any idea what it might be doing? Besides the frogspawn, it’s the only coral it goes near for any purpose.

Dmoody · 02/18/2018, 08:20 PM

It’s possible, they don’t need a nem to lay eggs. I would be surprised if they did so this early on though.

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Uncle99 · 02/18/2018, 08:42 PM

Anything is possible inside the tank.
I have ocellaris eggs quite frequently, mine love to lay them on a broken piece of pottery at the base of their nem. Their usually pretty easy to see, close to the nem, but open enough for them to aerate them with their tails and occasionally pick out a dead (assumption) egg.
Maybe she is "cleaning" the area before, mine go through this pecking function before each spawn...if she is spawning, your going to get many chances to see over the next few months, then they will take a break.....making 400-500 babies is hard work...

Oiler3535 · 02/18/2018, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmoody

It’s possible, they don’t need a nem to lay eggs. I would be surprised if they did so this early on though.

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What do you mean by early? Do they need to be together in a tank longer than 6 months to spawn?

Dmoody · 02/18/2018, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oiler3535

What do you mean by early? Do they need to be together in a tank longer than 6 months to spawn?

I don’t have any experience with breeding fish at all but I’ve been in the hobby for 17 years and most stories and posts that i have read just make it seem like most pairs have been together for years and years is all. That would be cool if you could have the same results in 6 months for sure. I honestly don’t know how long it takes for spawn by and everything else though.

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Oiler3535 · 02/18/2018, 09:16 PM

I’ve been in the hobby all of 7 months

. I have no idea, hence the questions. Thought that’s what you meant, but thought maybe there was some inside info that pairs won’t breed until together a year or something. Cheers!

02/18/2018, 07:56 PM	#1
Oiler3535 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Ottawa Valley, Canada Posts: 90	Clownfish behaviour Hi all! Started my reef tank in July. Going really well besides the occasional algae fight (all parameters -don’t test Mg- test within ideal ranges). Question about my Ocellaris pair. I decided against an anemone in my little 46g, but have a nice frogspawn (I think) that they mostly live in. Just barely big enough for both to hide, but mostly they just spend their days nuzzling in it a bit, then swimming around and through it during their travels. But to my question: Would a clownfish ever lay eggs under a soft coral? About 4 inches from their frogspawn is a big mushroom-like coral (guy who gave it to me called it something else, but looks like a big folded blue gray mushroom to me). And the bigger Ocellaris seems to spend a lot of time sideways, nuzzling under the flesh of the coral. Might it have laid eggs under there? Where it is means I can’t see that angle. Not a ton of room underneath makes me think a full clutch of eggs unlikely, and the Oci doesn’t spend as much time as I’d think it would were there eggs there. If not eggs, any idea what it might be doing? Besides the frogspawn, it’s the only coral it goes near for any purpose.

02/18/2018, 08:20 PM	#2
Dmoody Artillery Drill Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Fairbanks AK Posts: 841	It’s possible, they don’t need a nem to lay eggs. I would be surprised if they did so this early on though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." - Theodore Roosevelt Nuvo 38: Radion GEN 3 w/ Reeflink, MP10w ES, Tunze 9004, Tunze 3152, InTank media basket, Eheim 2000+, Custom stand

02/18/2018, 08:42 PM	#3
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	Anything is possible inside the tank. I have ocellaris eggs quite frequently, mine love to lay them on a broken piece of pottery at the base of their nem. Their usually pretty easy to see, close to the nem, but open enough for them to aerate them with their tails and occasionally pick out a dead (assumption) egg. Maybe she is "cleaning" the area before, mine go through this pecking function before each spawn...if she is spawning, your going to get many chances to see over the next few months, then they will take a break.....making 400-500 babies is hard work...

02/18/2018, 09:16 PM	#6
Oiler3535 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Ottawa Valley, Canada Posts: 90	I’ve been in the hobby all of 7 months . I have no idea, hence the questions. Thought that’s what you meant, but thought maybe there was some inside info that pairs won’t breed until together a year or something. Cheers!