How to Set Up a Salt Water Aquarium for Breeding Clownfish

Unlike many marine aquarium fish, which are often wild-caught, you can breed clownfish in captivity. The vivid orange and white clownfish spawn relatively readily and there is a rising demand for captive-bred fish if you wish to sell them. They require a large aquarium for this, and breeding any kind of saltwater fish is a challenging task. However, if you have experience keeping marine fish, the next step is to try breeding them.

Things You'll Need

  • 50-gallon or larger tank
  • Heater, aeration, lighting with timer and filtration equipment
  • Protein skimmer
  • Salt mix
  • Live sand
  • Live rock
  • Carpet anemone
  • Meaty food
  • Pair of clownfish
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill the tank, install the equipment and fill with water made up to seawater strength with the salt mix, as with any marine tank.

    • 2

      Switch on the filtration equipment and leave the tank for three to four days.

    • 3

      Switch on the heating equipment, add the live sand and live rock and leave the tank to cycle for at least a week.

    • 4

      Set the lighting equipment on a timer to come on for 10 to 12 hours a day and switch it on. The anemone needs strong light, but clownfish breed in the dark.

    • 5

      Introduce a carpet anemone. Feed the anemone meaty food, such as chopped raw shrimp.

    • 6

      Introduce a pair of clownfish.