How to Breed Clown Fish in an Aquarium

Clown fish, also known as anemone fish, are a good choice for beginners interested in breeding saltwater fish. The fish have a reputation for being relatively simple to breed in captivity. Though clown fish require an anemone for breeding in the wild, if they are kept in a tank without any other aggressive fish an anemone is unnecessary. Clown fish in captivity will find another suitable site for spawning, such as inside a clay flower pot, in a length of PVC pipe or on top of an empty clam shell. The fish return to it each time they spawn.

Things You'll Need

  • 20-gallon or larger established tank
  • Heating system
  • Lighting system with timer
  • Filtration system
  • Artificial or live coral
  • Small clay pot
  • 3-inch length of PVC pipe
  • Small clay tile
  • 2 clown fish
  • Protein-rich diet, including clams, mussels and prawns
  • Flashlight or spotlight
  • 10-gallon aquarium
  • Air stone
  • Lighting for rearing tank
  • Ladle
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Instructions

    • 1
      Try a 55-gallon or larger tank with small, nonaggressive tank mates.

      Monitor your established aquarium to ensure the water conditions are suitable. The salinity should have a specific gravity between 1.020 and 1.026. The water temperature should be kept between 75 and 82 degrees. A 20-gallon tank is sufficient if the only fish that will be the mated are a pair of clown fish. Use a larger tank if the clown fish will be living with other nonaggressive tank mates.

    • 2

      Set the lighting timer to provide 12 to 14 hours of light each day. The strength of the lighting is unimportant unless you intend to keep an anemone. However, clown fish require regular periods of day and night to become comfortable enough to breed.

    • 3

      Arrange the decorations in the tank, such as live rock and coral, to provide sufficient hiding places for your clown fish. Place the clay pot, PVC pipe and clay tile in different locations throughout the tank. The clown fish will choose the site they prefer for spawning.

    • 4

      Introduce your pair of clown fish to the tank. When selecting clown fish for breeding, you will see the fastest results if you choose a pair that has already mated. Mated pairs that have already spawned typically are more expensive. If you prefer, you can choose any pair of one large and one smaller clown fish that get along. The largest is the female, the second largest is the male. Any other smaller clown fish likely are juveniles.

    • 5

      Feed your clown fish twice a day using a protein-rich diet including clams, mussels and prawns. Provide variety in their diet by including dried seaweed and flaked food. Keep the clown fish comfortable and watch for signs that spawning is soon to begin. Shortly before spawning, the male will waggle and lunge toward the female and may even chase her around, nipping at her fins. The male also swims around and cleans or rearranges the landscape surrounding the chosen breeding site.

    • 6

      Monitor the clown fish frequently as they display signs of mating. Soon you will see the female lay a large batch of yellow, pink or orange eggs in the chosen spawning location. Yellow eggs often are a sign of malnutrition and may not hatch properly. Depending on the breed of clown fish, you may see anywhere from 300 to 2,000 eggs.

    • 7

      Create a rearing tank by filling a 10-gallon aquarium with saltwater of the same salinity as the main tank. Place an air stone in the water to provide aeration and oxygenation. Keep this tank ready as you wait for the eggs to hatch.

    • 8
      The male clown fish typically spends the most time aerating the eggs.

      Leave the parents in the aquarium with their eggs. They will protect the eggs from any other tank mates by chasing them away if they come near the eggs. They will fan the eggs with their fins to aerate them. In three to four days, you should see the eyes of the baby clown fish through the shells of the eggs. In six to eight days, the eggs will become a silver color and will hatch within 48 hours of this color change.

    • 9

      Watch the eggs as frequently as possible as hatching begins. Most eggs will hatch within two hours after the light turns off and the tank becomes dark. Shine a flashlight or spotlight in one corner of the tank to attract the fry, or baby fish. Gently scoop them up using the ladle and put them in the rearing tank.

    • 10

      Care for and feed the clown fish fry in the rearing tank. Within 10 days, they should begin the metamorphosis or change into juvenile clown fish.