Hi Folks, this is my first post on this forum. My professional background is in scientific and financial research. I breed and research aquaculture for hobby.
I'm hoping to tap into your collective experiences to resolve an inconsistency I have noticed. My question is regarding optimal broodstock set-ups for clownfish. I had always operated under the assumption that the various clown species would spawn most readily in an environment that was as “natural” as possible while containing minimal distractions/threats (
i.e. other tank mates).
My assumption was that certain ‘easy breeders’ (
i.e. ocellaris, percs, etc.) were typically housed in bare bottom tanks simply because this alleviated maintenance man-hours and expense. I assumed that professional breeders utilized BB tanks for their broodstock because this was more efficient and the fish would tolerate it, not because the fish preferred
BBs. This assumption was supported by anecdotal evidence – difficult clown species (
i.e. Latz) seemed to spawn almost exclusively in large, full-reef systems whereas hardy species spawned in both
BBs and full-reef systems. Additionally,
Hoff suggested that more difficult species could be “settled down” by placing substrate in their tanks.
Therefore, I was surprised to read in
Wittenrich’s most recent book ‘The Complete Illustrated Breeder’s Guide To Marine Aquarium Fishes” that he believes clownfish breed more readily in bare bottom tanks. Congruent with
Wittenrich’s observations, I have seen a few posts on various message boards from seasoned breeders who have suggested that pairs of reluctant fish spawned shortly after gravel was removed from their tanks and others stating that their fish seem to prefer bare bottom set-ups.
I have a hypothesis on this, but I wanted to gather as much information as possible. Do most breeders on this forum utilize BB tanks for their clownfish brood tanks? Do you have any evidence (anecdotal or otherwise) that suggests certain species prefer BB vs. tanks w/substrate? Do any members here breed clownfish successfully in broodstock tanks with traditional aragonite substrate (I am particularly curious about aragonite substrate due to its relatively high reflectivity index, does anyone here successfully use aragonite?)
I have seen this topic touched upon, but my goal is to compile enough data to reach a somewhat definitive conclusion. I'd appreciate any input or experiences you can share regarding this issue.
Best Regards,
Mark