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.
The full Q&A library answers the most-searched aquarium questions. Browse calculators and disease database for related help.
Whatever specific topic brought you here, four fundamentals govern long-term aquarium success: water quality, parameter stability, biological filtration, and species-appropriate husbandry. Skip any one and the others struggle to compensate.
Water quality: ammonia + nitrite at zero, nitrate under 30 ppm freshwater + 10 ppm reef. Test weekly with API or Salifert kits. Use our water parameter checker to score your readings against your tank type.
Parameter stability: stable wrong parameters beat fluctuating ideal parameters. Most fish tolerate a wide pH range if it's stable. Sudden swings of 0.4+ pH or 5+°F kill fish faster than chronic suboptimal values. Use temperature controllers (Inkbird) + automated dosing for consistency.
Biological filtration: the bacterial colony on your filter media + rock + substrate is the engine. Never replace all media at once. Use our filter turnover calculator to size correctly.
Species-appropriate husbandry: research adult size, territoriality, diet, and tankmate compatibility before purchase. Use our tank stocking calculator + compatibility guides.
How long does an aquarium take to set up? 4-6 weeks for full cycling + first stocking. Use our cycle ETA calculator + how long does cycling take.
What's the best aquarium for beginners? 20-gallon long. Big enough for parameter stability, small enough for budget + space. See beginner picks.
How often should I do water changes? 25-30% weekly. See water change frequency Q&A + water change calculator.
Why does my fish keep dying? 5 leading causes: uncycled tank, wrong species pairings, no quarantine, undersized tank, neglected water-change schedule. See full diagnosis.
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