If you want to begin setting up your own aquarium, you may want to consult How to Start a Saltwater Aquarium or How to Set up a Marine Reef Aquarium before diving into breeding fish. Specialists usually don’t recommend breeding clownfish unless you want to start an aquaculture business. It’s important to think long term and not only on the cuteness of baby clownfish.
Many aquarium stores will sell mated pairs specifically for clownfish breeding. If your store does not have any in stock, they can probably special order a pair just for you. Don’t be afraid to ask!
Developing into a male or female fish only occurs as the fish get older. The sex of your fish will actually be determined by the dominance of the fish when fighting each other. The dominant fish will change sex into a female and the less dominant will become male. If you are keeping a lot of clownfish in the same tank, only one bonded pair will develop. The most dominant of all will become female and the second most dominant will become male. The rest will remain sexless. [2] X Research source If you want to keep the fighting to a minimum and make the fish change sex as quickly as possible, it is a good idea to get one clownfish that is larger than the other, that way it is clear from the get go which one is dominant.
The eggs should hatch in about 7 to 10 days. You will need to feed the fry live rotifers for the first week. Rotifers are plankton that many species feed on. After that, you can start to introduce live brine shrimp. Clownfish babies will only eat live food.
You must also provide proper lighting for the fry since they will be searching for food but their vision is not the greatest. The light shouldn’t be too bright, one light bulb is sufficient, and should be as diffused as possible.
Clownfish hatchlings should be fed live rotifers, which are microscopic aquatic animals. [5] X Research source These can sometimes be found at an aquarium store but you should check with your’s to make sure. Many clownfish breeders find it easier to breed rotifers for their hatchlings to eat, than it is to find them at an aquarium store. Make sure you have a steady supply of them before beginning the breeding process, otherwise your hatchlings will die at this stage.
To give them a good shot at developing, transition their food from rotifers to live brine shrimp so that they can get enough energy to grow rapidly. You can also add nutrients to the water, such as those sold for keep saltwater reef tanks healthy.
