FISHERIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE,MOA,TAIWAN

The pink clownfish (Amphiprion perideraion)(Amphiprion perideraion) belongs to the subfamily Amphiprioninae of the family Pomacentridae. During March 17 to November 18, 2003, one pair of pink clownfish ovulated 21 times. Oviposition occurred after the brooders had cleaned the spawning substrate together, the abdomen of female was swollen, and the genital papillae of the female were observed to be protruded. The spawning interval was 8~27 days. The timing of spawning began at 09:15 and continued to 14:05 with a peak from 09:00 to 11:00, and the spawning behavior lasted for 1 h. About 300~700 eggs were released during each spawn. These adhesive demersal eggs are orange and ellipsoidal, and were about 1.68~2.18 mm long and 0.75~0.85 mm in diameter. The yolks were about 1.13~1.45 mm long and contained several oil droplets with diameters ranging from 0.03 to 0.28 mm. Hatching occurred at the accumulated temperature of 190.5~221.6 °C•day under dark incubation conditions. The newly hatched larvae were about 3.20~3.80 mm in total length and were phototactic; but the phototaxis decreased as they grew. The larvae, reared at water temperatures ranging between 24.5 and 32.0 °C, were fed rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) from days 1 to 11. On day 12, the feed was supplemented with copepods, the amount of which gradually increased until it had totally replaced rotifers by the 15th day. The 59-day-old fry were about 16.62~28.63 mm in total length and could be completely fed a pellet diet. On the 26th~30th days, the stripes formed, and the appearance of the fry was similar to that of adult fish. The 22-day-old fry exhibited aggressive behavior possibly as a result of territorial defense.