Potbelly Clownfish

[FishboyBT]

My female Ocellaris is plump with eggs. How long before they will spawn? (She strated getting fat last Friday) Is there anything I should be doing for the pair?(feeding, lighting etc.)-Blake

[vaporize]

Is she the only one in there?

At this point, I would be more worry about dropsy (bloated) caused by bacterial infection rather than pregnancy. If they are actually getting ready to spawn, you will see it quite regularly (~ every 14 days)

[FishboyBT]

She has her mate in there. They have been vibrating all over the tank. They have been in the tank for about a week, but they have been in another tank withother tangs, and damsles for about 2 years.

[vaporize]

If they are qurantined and well lived, then that will depend on 'when' they settle on a nesting side (if no anemone is present, if one is present and they host in it, it's usually around there).

good luck.

If you plan on breeding them, you should start thinking about starting your own rotifier culture, that takes some time for trial & error to get the culture correct without crushing.

[FishboyBT]

I'm sure that she is pregnant. Whenever I put my hand in the aquarium she bites it. Now I'll ask again: How many days until she spawns if she started getting fat on Friday?

[fingerwrinkles]

Fishboy ... telling when a clown is going to lay their first clutch of eggs is not like telling when a dog will have puppies or a cat will have their kittens. It is not unheard of for a female clown to reabsorb their eggs if they do not feel there is a suitable nesting spot or she is stressed about the envirnment. Also, nipping on your hand is nothing more than being indicative of protecting a territory. Many aquarists who have clown pairs would probably say they have been nipped by their clowns, even though those clowns have never put down a nest.

To better determine if your pair is indeed moving toward spawning, watch their behaviors towards each other and a potential spawning site. If you see them both (but especially the male) spending a lot of time at one location on the aquarium wall or rocks cleaning a spot with their mouths, then you can be fairly sure they are approaching nesting. However, it would be unlikley that they would put a nest down so quickly afer having been moved. Although it would not be unheard of, many established spawning pairs go off the spawning cycle for a few weeks to several months ... this has to do with them being comfortable in their new surroundings.

At this point, the best thing you can do for them is keep things as consistent as possible in terms of lighting cycles and feeding. Also, as vaporize suggests, you sould keep an eye on her health to make sure the swelling isn't due to some medical condition (she may also have a blocked intestine or some other internal malady, but this would be fairly uncommon).

Good luck, and hopefully you'll see a new nest in the near future.

[FishboyBT]

Thanks