Clownfish breeding is one of the most accessible marine breeding projects. Pairing: a smaller juvenile + larger adult will pair-bond into female (larger) + male (smaller). Allow 6-12 months for the pair to mature. Conditioning: feed varied diet 2-3x daily with frozen mysis, brine shrimp, pellets, with Selcon vitamin soak. Spawn site: provide a flat tile, inverted ceramic pot, or anemone. The pair will clean a spot and lay 100-1,000 eggs. Egg care: male tends + fans the eggs for 7-10 days. The night before hatch (eyes visible in eggs), move the tile to a separate rearing tank. Hatching: eggs hatch on the night of darkness - dim light cycle helps. Larvae are pelagic and tiny. First food: rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) for the first 7-10 days. Add live phytoplankton to keep rotifer culture alive. Days 10-20: transition to baby brine shrimp (Artemia nauplii). Days 20-30: add crushed flake + Otohime A1 powder. Settlement: at day 9-12, larvae metamorphose into mini-clownfish. Provide a small mound of rubble for shelter. Time to sale-ready (1"): 6-8 weeks post-hatch.
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