Did you know that clownfish mating is very fascinating because these fish, during the mating season, will have their males as females and the juveniles will become males?

Clownfish have 3 main categories of schools, the largest is the female and the second largest is the male school and the third will be juvenile and gender neutral. Upon mating and if some of the adults are not present, male clownfish will become female and a juvenile will become male to cope with the process.

To raise clownfish, you will need to consider the following:

Prepare the hatchery. Keep a piece of pottery in your tank for the fish to have a spawning place. Have a heater and timer for the day and night cycle. Out of curiosity, the “stem” at the base of a clownfish egg is made up of adhesive filaments that hold the egg to the rock that served as a spawning site. So you will have to put in extra air stones for this reason.

During the day of hatching, keep the tank sufficiently oxygenated so that the males have enough oxygen when they are guarding the nest and fanning the eggs. The first laid eggs are bright orange, when the color fades, the eyes will start to appear, when it turns silver, now is the time to hatch. When the larvae hatch, don’t worry about infiltration because they are not harmful to the offspring.

You will have to stay up all night to catch the larvae or move the eggs to the larvae tank, if this is not possible be sure to leave the parents with a spotlight in the corner of the tank so they can catch the larvae.

Keep the eggs gently aerated with an air stone or else fungus will set in

For the larval tank, have a container filled with 5 to 10 gallons of hydrogen peroxide, install a heater and an air stone. Also, you need to monitor the ammonia content of the water, adding liquid ammonia and chloramine remover will be beneficial.

Having a steady light, on for the next few days will also be necessary, this will help the larvae to learn their hunting skills. The first ten days of the life of the larvae are very crucial and stressful due to the onset of metamorphosis. Be prepared for this event because these are the days when many larvae die. The fry will develop their rays after this stage, and you can now go back to your usual clownfish care.

Enjoy raising clownfish with the simple tips above, providing the fish with a suitable nesting place and the fry with a well-oxygenated and lit larval tank.