Raising Nemo Part 2: Growth and Survival

By: Vince Vacco

In Collaboration With…

What is Ornamental Aquaculture?•Hatching/rearing of marine ornamental fish; such as clownfish, damsel fish, and scorpion fish•Controlled conditions for raising fish

Food web/nutritionWater quality

•Produces thousands of fish for the aquarium tradeReducing the need to capture wild specimens

•Fish are usually more robust and better adapted for aquarium life

Obtaining FishAll fish were received from Roger Williams University as either nests or larvae

Estimating Clutch Size•Estimate egg count using A=πxR1xR2, then multiplying by the # of eggs in 1 cm2

Example:•R1 = 3 cm•R2 = 2 cm•24 eggs per cm2

•A=πx3x2x24=452.16•Total Count: 505 Eggs

Clownfish Life Cycle

Clownfish Growout and Survival•Three main factors that determine larval survival:NutritionWater qualityStress

•Metamorphosis is a very stressful event for larval fish

Survival Rate Calculations•Obtain total count of fish•Divide by starting batch size•Multiply by 100

Example:•Received 101 Clark’s Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii)•9 survivors after metamorphosis•9/101=0.0891x100= 8.91% SR philly.com

Data for Species Cultured• Amphiprion clarkii

(Clark’s Clownfish)• Batches Received:

Nests: 0Larvae: 2

• Dates Received: 2/25, and 6/26

• Total Growout: 136

Data for Species Cultured•Amphiprion frenatus (Tomato Clownfish)• Batches Received:

Nests: 1Larvae: 1

• Dates Received:2/23, and 4/6

• Total Growout: 6

Data for Species Cultured Continued…• Amphiprion ocellaris

(Ocellaris Clownfish)• Batches Received:

Nests: 1Larvae: 3

• Dates Received: 4/28, and 8/9

• Total Growout: 79

Data for Species Cultured Continued…• Amphiprion percula

(Picasso Clownfish)• Batches Received:

Nests: 0Larvae: 1

•Dates Received: 4/28

• Total Growout: 6

Total Hatch Rates

Amphiprion frenatus (2/23) Amphiprion ocellaris (8/9)0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

28

38

477

62

MortalitiesSurvivors

Species/Day Received

# of

Egg

s

Total Survival Rates after Hatch

A. frenatus (2/23)

A. clarkii (2/25)

A. frenatus (4/6)

A. ocellaris, A. percula (4/28)

A. ocellaris, A. clarkii (6/26)

A. ocellaris (8/9)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

49

2

49

130

26

2492

128

81

120

11

Survivors Mortalities Species/Day received

# of

Larv

ae

Potential Causes of Low Survival Rate

•Transportation•Stress•Poor nutritional quality•Poor water quality•Infection/disease

suggestkeyword.com

Possible Solutions• Minimizing

transport time of nests and larvae

• Obtaining a breeding pair

• New methods of cleaning larval tanks Stephen Chernin/Getty Images

Future Internship Projects•Culturing eggs from Mystic

Aquarium; from species such as:Lactoria cornuta (Longhorn

cowfish)Rhinopias aphanes (Lacy

scorpionfish)•Designing and constructing a

larger copepod culture• Establish breeding pairs and

conditioning adults for spawningrichard-seaman.com

Special Thanks To…•Dr. Paul Anderson•Cris Sodergren and Tiffany Dellaventura•Marine Science Magnet High School Staff: Dr. Nick Spera, Eric Litvinoff, and Serge Medvedev •Roger Williams University and New England Aquarium•F&I•RAVS

Questions ?