Unknown but NOT an egg mass

[forepaughs]

Can anyone suggest what this cluster might be? It is not an egg mass as it has been there for over a year. It is ALIVE, as it does both retract into the stone and also changes color from a bright orange red to a silver metallic look. The clown fish flutter next to it on a regular basis, sometimes even picking at it, but I never detect any harm.

This is the only patch that exists in the 75 gal tank. It does not appear to be spreading, or if so, it does at an incredibly slow pace.

One pic shows the orange red mass as close up as I can get without an underwater camera. Other pic shows the silver mode. At various times, it may be so withdrawn into the rock as to be unfathomable.

Any ideas ???

 

[smlacy]

Its an egg mass.

Really.

They start out orange, and as the fry mature, they turn silver, at which point they hatch, and completely disappear. Repeat every 2-3 weeks.

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Yup. You can even make out two silvery eyes on some of the eggs in the first pic. The clowns flutter on it to keep the eggs aerated. I'm guessing the smaller male clown does most of the fluttering?

 

[liquid]

Yup, definitely an egg mass. Clowns regularly spawn like that.

Shane

 

[forepaughs]

I knew when I said it was NOT an egg mass that a few of you old saltys would take a look. Thanks for the diagnosis.

Quite honestly, I did start out thinking it was an egg mass, but I have never seen any fry. And it just seems that the egg mass is there all the time and in the same place, month after month after month. I will keep an especially close eye on it now! Is it pragmatically possible to capture and rear the fry without making significant changes to my 75g tank??

And my sincere thanks to all of you for helping out.

 

[liquid]

If you're interested in rearing the fry, I'd highly recommend Joyce Wilkerson's Clownfish book (info at http://www.reefs.org/library/reading/ ). Excellent book on rearing clownfish. If you don't want to purchase it, you can get it from your local library on interlibrary loan.

Shane

 

[John_Brandt]

forepaughs,

The fry hatch in the night and go directly to the water surface, and then probably directly into the filter.

You must not have been watching that patch of eggs daily, because you would have noticed a few days when there weren't any eggs in between batches.

 

[Anonymous]

This is classic. I try for years to get my clowns to spawn using all of Wilkerson's tips with no luck, and then I see this.....

 

[forepaughs]

Matt:

I am not sure you would want the spawn of this she-devil cinnamon clown and her spouse... without fail, every time I put my hand anywhere in the tank she attacks. She has even jumped out of the water to bite me! And she has teeth enough that she once bit thru the skin (now I wear gloves). I have had clowns for 15 years and never have I been so mistreated. LOL
But then again, I guess I never had a mating pair before these.

If you pass by Cincinnati, you can have the pair!

 

[Anonymous]

Great Pic's. 8)

 

[Anonymous]

Hehe, I feel your pain. My maroons didn't need to be spawning to bite me. That 6" female drew blood once, and she could move tennis ball sized pieces o' live rock by herself. I can't imagine how bad she would be if she had eggs to care for.

The spawning pair of ocellaris I also help care for are like meek children....the bites tickle!

Good luck raising the fry.
Matt