send in the clowns

So, can your fish balance eggs on their nose?  just saying ...

Orcas spawning

I've removed the tang that I suspect was eating the eggs.  Hopefully this will be the first clutch of the Orcas.

Black Os

Finally, these f1 Darwins are starting to spawn.  Looks like I'm not the only one who noticed.  That red cardinal is in the next tank, eyes fixed on the pair.

YWG

Looks like Fred and Wilma are at it again.  Maybe these eggs will have a chance since Sylvester has a mouth full of eggs already.

Fish fornicating

I just cleaned the tanks, and normally that might discourage spawning.  Not these two. Within minutes of my intrusion I saw this.  It always seems that there are more eggs than the male can fit in his mouth.  You can see a string of eggs hanging from the female.

Patricia and Pepe

And a bunch of eggs too!  I've finally got these two potty-trained (to lay in the pot).  Patricia is just fine with letting Pepe tend the eggs while she guards the nem.

Orcas spawn

These are the 2 "Orcas" I kept from the offspring of my original Darwins.  I want to know if a misbar like this will be more prevalent in f2.  They just spawned for the first time.

This just in ....

Actually, out.  Look what just popped out!  Hard to believe that these little guys fit in the mouth of the male Banggai Cardinal.  He just spit out 17 after 23 days.

The Bench

I've got a lot of fish sitting on the bench.  Either they are young or just will not spawn for some reason.  After crossing the Ocellaris and Percula and having fertile offspring I believe the family classes are questionable. We know the clownfish can hybridize in the wild and I'm curious to see what combinations are possible. Also I don't care for inbreeding so I'm working with what I have.  I can pair them up, but it's still up to the fish to spawn.  Here is a look at some of the potential next generation.

The Spawning Pairs

Here's a look at the fish I'm working with this summer.  I can't seem to grow enough food fast enough for all the larvae,  so I only hatch out one or 2 a week.  These pairs are all actively spawning, and Jane's Addiction still rocks.

Small fish

It's August and the tanks are starting to fill up with little fish.  So how about a little G Love and Special Sauce.

Never Nudes

Yeah, I love me some Arrested Development.  I used to call these the Nearly Nakeds, but now...
This odd couple is finally about to spawn.

Ball-O-Percs

Double duty

This time of year is great for a fish breeder.  Temperature is a bit more stable, and all the fish are getting fat and spawning.  If Alice gets any bigger she'll explode.  Looks like she's ready to start laying any minute now.

And look who else wants to play in the double header.   Pepe and Patricia haven't spawned in months.

Tango?

These one month old Perculas have got the moves.

The first time

It's been a pretty crappy winter here, and we are all glad that Spring has sprung.  No more so than this proud pappa!  This is the last little gold-striped Maroon that I bred and saved to pair up with a wild-caught white-stripe from Bali.  I was beginning to wonder if these two would ever spawn, but today was the day.

Pretty girl

Don't tell the others, but Patricia may just be my favorite.  Love me some XTC too. enjoy

mmmmfmeggss

Did your Mom ever tell you not to talk with your mouth full?

A good man ...

As goes the saying, with the Bangaii Cardinals a good male is hard to find.  These mouth-brooders will hold the eggs and young in their mouths for almost a month.  The male will get emaciated during this time and will be reluctant to go through it all over again next month.  The female has been eating normally and already is producing eggs.  This guy has been holding for 3 weeks and looks terrible.  He's on the right looking very thin. I'm going to help him release the fry today.

Hatching time

These Picassos have been giving me a hard time.  The eggs develop slower than most and were hatching on day 10 or 11.  Last time they must have hatched on day 9 because I missed them.  Tonight is day 9, so let's hope.

Picassos Spawning

Here's a sight I love to see. Sorry for the dirty glass!

Quick change

I'm definitely going to have to clean the glass and even get out the video because these two are fascinating.  Who knows who wears the pants with these gobies?  I've always called my MFSG "Jack" because he has one eye.  My YWG "Fred" turned out to be a "Wilma" when I found him/her a mate.  Jack is quite a bit larger than Jill and he's only got one eye, so... no mixing up the two.  Jill has shown the fastest and most drastic color change I've ever seen.  She can completely wash out in a second and then color back again.  Also with a odd shaking motion I believe it's submissive behavior.  Neat-o.

Jill?

I don't often order fish anymore, but I check in with L.A. Divers Den everyday just to see.   And there it was!  The magnificent fan shrimp goby.  Well, I've had one for a few years and have always been looking for a mate.  Jack seems a bit lonely since his shrimp died, so I just had to try.  As soon as I placed her in the tank, Jack was out and about.  So far so good.  They are in the tank in my house, so I'm sure there will be many jpgs to follow.  I may even clean the glass.

Sylvester

I usually have names for all my pairs of spawning fish, but the Bangaii cardinals really look so similar I use codes of tank and generation or wild caught etc.  So here is a pic of A4 WB with Fred and Wilma the gobies.  The cardinals spawned Jan 4th and the gobies Jan 18th.  So I'd hatch the gobies on the 24th and get the male card to release the next day.  But all is not well.  I think I can see a little yellow feather poking out of the male cardinal's mouth.  He sure looks smug, and the goby eggs are gone. Actually they are in his mouth!  I'll call him Sylvester from now on.

Oh, you card!

It's cold in Georgia and I let my clowns have a break while the rotifers outside are dormant.  I feed seafood heavily and all the Cardinals are starting to spawn.  The young can take baby brine shrimp as their first food, so it looks like I'll be working with the Cards this winter.

The Young Percs

These are a few of my favorites.

Percula Fish-Ball

These guys are really cracking me up.  I've never had a batch school quite like this.  Half of these 3 month old fish are from the Onyx Percs and half are from the Picassos.

Pile-O-Percs

These little guys just got moved out front to the A system.  They really are making the fish-ball.

f2

The first of my clowns to make it to the next generation are the Darwin Black Ocellaris.  They haven't really gotten into peak performance, but they are starting to spawn regularly.  These 2 are from a spawning 3 months ago.

little Pearly Picasso

I love the look of these guys, I just wish they weren't so few and far between.  This variety comes from the Picassos, just not very often.