Diet for breeding Clownfish
By Stanley Brown
The Breeders Registry
It is important to introduce a variety of foods once you have established
a pair. A variety will improve the overall nutrition of the diet.
Broodstock must be in top condition in order to produce spawns with high
hatchability and survival rates. Broodstock should generally be fed a minimum
of twice per day and some breeders feed four times per day!
I am personally fond of purchasing fresh/frozen seafood at the supermarket.
I vary my purchases (depending on season and what’s on sale!) so as to
offer a variety. Prawns, oysters, mussels, squid, smelt, octopus,
and clams are typically used. I will also add dried seaweed (Nori)
and supplements on occasion, such as vitamins or Selco. Prawns, mussels,
oysters, and clams are shelled and cut into smaller pieces and mixed with
the other seafoods. The mixture is placed in a sealable freezer-safe
plastic container that is allowed to freeze (in the freezer) into a solid
block. It takes in excess of 24 hours to freeze solid enough so it
will not come apart when you grate it, so prepare it well in advance of
when you will need it. Feedings are accomplished by allowing the
frozen block to slightly thaw (about 20 minutes.) The block is then grated
using a food ( cheeze ) grater until the desired amount of food is
ready to be fed. The grating method provides various sized morsels.
The frozen block, being a mixture allows for a constantly varying diet.
I will occasionally feed dry flake food (spirulina).
There are a variety of prepared foods available. Some are quite
excellent, however, all manufacturers do not practice a “truth in labeling”
and you are feeding unnecessary “fillers” to your broodstock, so some caution
is advisable. Regardless of whether you prepare your own feeds or
by commercially available products, variety is the key to good nutrition.
i- Fautine, Daphne G. & Allen, Gerald, R., 1994,
Anemonefishes and their Host Sea Anemones, Tetra Press, Germany.
ii- Personal communication, 2000, Joe Lichtenbert, Reef
Propagation’s, USA.
iii- Ibid. i
iv- Moe, Martin Jr., A., 1989, The Marine Aquarium Reference:
Systems and Invertebrates, Green Turtle Publications, USA
v- Wilkerson, Joyce D., 1998, Clownfishes: A Guide to
their Captive Care, Breeding & Natural History; ,Microcosm Ltd.,
USA
vi- Brown, Stanley D., 1998, Low Tech Larval Trap,
The Journal of MaquaCulture, Vol 6:1-17 |
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