Clowns Are Laying

[RossW]

I was doing some maintenance tonight and noticed my clowns have laid egss! 

I don't know for sure which of the 3 clowns are responsible, maybe all play a role?!? 

[HappyGuppy]

Congrats for the lay!  However don't get too excitted.  You won't raise them - unless you separate the eggs to another tank and do all sorts of special stuff for them.

The largest fish of your three is the female.  Only two of them had anything to do with "playing a roll".  Your third fish is a third wheel, and in a sense it's kinda neuter in all this.  See, clowns are very weird.  All clowns are hermaphrodites.  One clown, basically the biggest &bossiest of the bunch, will transform into a female.  She will then pick one male of her choice to be the "male".  All other clowns in the tank remain gender neutral (until one or both of the sexual clowns die).  Yeah, I know, weird eh?

[gvv]

Welcome to the "club"!

http://ovas.ca/forum/index.php?topic=51627.0

What clowns do you have?

[RossW]

I have 2 onyx and a false. The false is the female, and the onyx fall in line behind her.

[redbelly]

Very cool!

[redbelly]

Do you have any pics for us Ross?

[RossW]

Not yet, but I will try and get one tonight.

[salvini55]

how territorial have they become? Does the third clown get to hang with the mated two?

[RossW]

The eggs are between 2 nem's, so no more territorial than before. The other fish don't want anything to do with the nem's ;-)

I will have to observe the third a little more. I don't think he is totally excluded.

[gvv]

It

I will have to observe the third a little more. I don't think he is totally excluded.

It depends...
I have several maroon clowns and only 2 participating in the process. 2 others understand that if they get into they will be instantly killed by "mother" without hesitation - looks like they remember the example, when one clown decided to show that he does not care about the existing authority and was fed to anemone

[RossW]

No eggs tonight when lights went on... I am going to try to remember to track this daily to see if it is repeatable and predictable.

[gvv]

What you will want to record is the number of days between the eggs were laid and the night when fry start to swim. This depends on the type of clowns temp, some other conditions, but in the same tank, this time will be very much the same. If this is the 8-th night, I know my maroon clown's fry will go for a free swimming...

[RossW]

Just noticed tonight there are new eggs.  These are very orange.  The other ones were more black, I think.

The lay between 2 nem's and when there are no eggs, the one nem extends over the laying ground.  Tonight that nem is not extended over the area.

[gvv]

Just noticed tonight there are new eggs.  These are very orange.  The other ones were more black, I think.

The lay between 2 nem's and when there are no eggs, the one nem extends over the laying ground.  Tonight that nem is not extended over the area.

I noticed that the first day, when the eggs are "fresh", they are orange. Even on the next day they become darker.
Also, anemone never harms the eggs. In my case anemone usually fully covering the eggs with its tentacles. Clown fry is developing inside not outside the eggs, so no harm can be done.