Pregnant clownfish?

[aquaman183]

I tried to get the best picture I could, but the thing never stays still! Lol.
Their is a slight bulge starting at the first stripe and ending right before the second stripe. The thickest part is by the front two fins that are underneath the fish.
Is my clownfish going to lay eggs soon, or am I just over feeding? The male clownfish is not bulging at all, which is why I don't think it is over feeding. The male often does the "clownfish dance", and the female will some times swim quickly toward the male.
What do you guys think? Thanks!

 

[frisbee]

If your not seeing the fish "go through the motions" so to say on a regular basis, it's probably just food. My female clown definitely looks more bloated than the male, but after about 4 years still no cigar. Sometimes they'll exhibit spawning behavior, but it just hasn't gotten to the point where you knew something definitely was going to happen. Good luck though.

 

[aquaman183]

Okay, thank you for the reply! I guess only time will tell!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

good advise ^ hard to tell, beautiful clown

 

[aquaman183]

Thank you!
Well, what does a "pregnant" clownfish look like?

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

mine spawn regularly

here a vid & pic

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/saltwater-fish/68886-my-clownfish-spawned-1st-time.html

 

[aquaman183]

Very cool! Is that laying and fertilizing the eggs? Can you tell the female will lay eggs soon by a change in the way she looks, or not really?

 

[Supermookik]

How can you tell if the clown is a male or female?

 

[frisbee]

How can you tell if the clown is a male or female?

Usually the females are bigger than the males, but these fish are Protandrous hermaphrodites though, so they can changes sexes if need be. I think there all born male, but as they mature they can change. Something like that.
If your trying to create a pair, it's usually recommended to buy one that is larger than the other.

 

[DianaKay]

Very pretty clown pair!! If you want them to start spawning, You might try feeding them Live White Worms.
Mine started spawning after I started growing a live white worm culture to feed them.
Now, I'm glad that they are healthy & happy enough to spawn but they won't let the snails clean the GHA off of their little clay pot where they continue to lay their eggs
My female is much bigger than the male but I never notice any belly size bigger right before a spawn.
Here's a picture I took last night of the male (he tends the eggs )

That's the only place the snails don't devour GHA & those clowns can roll the turbos over on their backs and attack them relentlessly.

 

[aquaman183]

Very cool Diana! I have been giving them frozen mysis shrimp every other day, and flake food on the other days. Have you been able to raise any of the fry? And where do you get the worms, just the local fish store or online?

 

[Supermookik]

Thanks for the info
Lear somthing new everyday
Diana that is very cool that they are laying eggs

 

[DianaKay]

Hey again
I don't try to raise my clownfish fry Reason being, I have no place to re-home them and no desire to do the maintance required to mature them in a seperate tank with special feedings. So, sad but the way it is....they become a natural source of "free food" for my tank. I've never seen them as free swimmers so I assume they get eaten quickly. Still, my clown pair spawn repeatedly & almost always have a clutch of eggs in their little clay pot.

The worms I raise started as a "white worm culture" that I bought from an eBay listing.
There are some on-line sellers of live worm cultures also.
My fish (all except for my midas Blenny) go crazy &
LVE live WHITE WORMS!

 

[aquaman183]

Okay, sounds good! Do you know anything good to read about raising the cultured white worms?
Thanks!