Clownfish : comercial interest and culture

     MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  Tutores: GradoenCienciasdelMar   MaríaAscensiónVieraRodríguez Curso2013/2014LucíaMolinaDomínguez UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA Clownfish:commercialinterestandculture Nombre:MaríaKristel Apellidos:OrtegaGarcía Titulaciónquecursa:GradoCienciasdelMar Cursoacadémico:2013‐2014 Tutor:MaríaAscensiónVieraRodríguez DepartamentodeBiologíadelaUniversidaddeLasPalmasdeGran CanariaCotutor:LucíaMolinaDomínguez InvestigadoraasociadaalIUSA MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía MaríaAscensiónVieraRodríguez LucíaMolinaDomínguez MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  1 Index 1. IntroductionPage2 1.1 HistoryoftheaquariumPage2 1.2 Ornamentalmarinespeciesofcommercialimportance Page3 1.3 ImportanceofPomacentridaefamily    Page4 1.3.1 Internationaltradeofmarineornamentalspecies Page5 1.3.2 Majorexportersandimporterscountries  Page6 1.3.3 WildcaughtanimalsandtheimpactontheecosystemPage7 1.4 FamilyandgenuscharacteristicsPage8 1.4.1 TaxonomyPage8 1.4.2 BiologyPage9 1.4.3 DistributionPage9 2. CultureofclownfishPage10 2.1 SexchangePage10 2.2 SpawningandhatchingPage11 2.3 EggdevelopmentPage13 2.4 FeedinghabitsPage15 2.5 ExperimentalworkPage16 2.5.1 InstallationPage17 2.5.2 MaintenancePage17 2.5.3 ParametersPage18 3. ConclusionsPage19 4. BibliographyPage21  MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  2 1. Introduction Theterm“ornamentalfish"isagenerictermdescribingtothoseaquatic organismssupportedinanaquariumwithintentionofornament,includingfish, invertebrateascorals,crustaceans,mollusks,echinoderms,aswellasaliverock(Panné &Luchini,2008). Thetradeoforiginalorganismsofthemarineworldisincreasing,nevertheless, oneofthecontroversiesthathasgeneratedthetradeofmarinespeciesisthatunlike theornamentalfishoffreshwaterwheremorethan90%isproducedinfarms,only2 %ofthefishand1%ofthecoralsareobtainedbymeansoftechnologiesofculturein captivity,sinceinthemainhisoriginisthecaptureofthenaturalway(near98%of morethan1.400commercializedspecies)(Wabnitzetal.,2003).  1.1. Historyoftheaquarium Thecultureofaquaticspeciesofornament,itarosewiththeupbringingoffish, activityasoldasourcivilization.Itisbelievedthatthefirstonesindevelopingthis interestweretheEgyptians,whoraisedfishinreservoirsformysticalandornamental reasons;whereastheChineseduringtheDynastySungperfectedthecultureofgolden fishandtents(koi),beingthefirstnationinrealizingexportsoffishofornamentto Japanintheyear1.500(Vieth,1998). Intheparticularcaseofmarineaquariumspecies,thisactivityhadhis beginningsinthemiddleofXIXcentury.Nevertheless,thecommercializationand exportoftropicalmarinefishforthetradeofaquariumsbeganinSriLankainthe decadeof1930,toverysmallscale.Thetradeexpandedduringthedecadebetween anincreasingnumberofcountries,favoringthatthequantityofpermissionsforthe compilationofspeciesdestinedformarineaquariumswasincreasinginexporting countriesasHawaiiandThePhilippines(Wood,2001b).Lateritturnedintoa multimillionaireindustrywhen,inthedecadeof1970,fisherieswereestablished acrossthetropicalIndianPacificOceanandtheOceansandtheAtlanticOcean. Nowadays,45countriesreplacetheglobalmarketswithestimationsof14‐30million fishperyearandavalueof20‐32millionofeuros(Bruckner,2005).   MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  3 1.2. Ornamentalmarinespeciesofcommercialimportance Theindustryofthemarineaquariumsdependsfundamentallyonthesupplyof ornamentalspeciesofvertebratesandinvertebrates.Fishandcrustaceansstandout amongthemarineorganismsofhighcommercialimportance,becausehiscolouring attraction,exoticformandparticularbehavior.Nevertheless,theinternationalmarket ofmarineaquariumspeciesisdominatedbythefish,withavolumeofannualaverage productionofapproximately20millionsoftropicalfish(Cato&Brown,2003;Wabnitz etal.,2003). Themajorityofthesaltwaterfishesdestineforhisexhibitioninaquariums,with theexceptionoftheseahorses,needlefishandglobefishthattheysellonthemarket ascuriositiesorarticlesforthehome,orareusedinthetraditionalmedicine (Bruckner,2005).Thepreferenceonthemarketisdominatedbyjuvenilemalesof targetspeciesduetothefactthattheypresentmajorcolorthatthefemalesandthey survivemoretimethattheadultorganisms,besideswhichhistransportturnsoutto beeasierandeconomic.Of1.471speciesoffishcommercializedintheworld,the familyPomacentridae,heunderstandsthespeciesofmajorcommercialappraisal,with approximately350species(Figure1).Themajorityofthesespeciesareoriginalofthe tropicalzoneoftheIndianOceanandwesternPacificOcean(Reynosoetal.,2012).  Figure1:ThemaincommercialspeciesofPomacentridaefamily.ImagestakenfromGoogle/Images. Thedamselfish(Pomacentridae),clownfish(Pomacentridae)andangelfish (Pomacanthidae),representapproximatelythehalfofthetrade(Figure1).Other specieswithrelevancyontheinternationalmarkettherebelongtothegroupofthe fishsurgeons(Acanthuridae),thewrasses(Labridae),gudgeons(Gobiidae)and butterflyfish(Chaetodontidae),whichasawholetheyconstitute33%(Wabnitzetal., 2003;Bruckner,2005).Insidethesegroups,tenspeciesofmajordemandare: Amphiprionocellaris(Pomacentridae);Chromisviridis(Pomacentridae);Labroides dimidiatus(Labridae);Chrysipterahemicyanea(Pomacentridae);Salariasfasciatus (Blenniidae);Chrysipteracyanea(Pomacentridae);Paracanthurushepatus (Acanthuridae);Synchiropussplendidus(Callionymidae);Pseudanthiassquamipinnis MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  4 (Serranidae);Acanthurusleucosternon(Acanthuridae),(Figure2)thatrepresent36% ofallthefishcommercialized(Wood,2001b).  Figure2:Showsthepercentagesofthemostdemandedfamilies.©MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcíausing dataofWood,2001b. FromthereferenceanalysisofIcanconcludethatthisisduetothefactthat thespeciesofclownfishwhobelongtothefamilyPomacentridae,areoneofthefew ornamentalspeciesthathavemanagedtobeculturedobtainingincreasingsurvival ratesinthelastyears.Nevertheless,otherspeciesfromotherfamiliesaremore difficulttocultivateuptonowduetothelackingknowledgeregardingitsculture, consequentlyexportingcountriesareobligedtocollectthemfromwild,inhigher numbers.Forthisreason,thefamilyPomacentridaerepresentsthemajorpercentage insidethetotal,sincetheefforttoobtainthesespeciesisverymuchminor,which facilitatesthatmajorquantitiesareexported.  1.3. ImportanceofPomacentridaefamily Thisfamilywasthefirstmarineornamentalfishestobecultured,but consideringtheirimportanceintheaquariumtrade(itrepresentsalmosthalfofthe tradedspecies,agreatamountofresearchisstillbeingfocusedonbreedingthese fishes.Thisfamilyincludesdamselfishes(Chrysipteraspp.)andclownfishes (AmphiprionandPremnasspp.),whichareperhapsthemostfamousspeciesinmarine aquaria.Althoughthereproductivebehaviorofdamselfisheshasbeendescribedfor sometime,mostavailableinformationisrelatedtoclownfishes(Molina&Segade, 2013).Someofthespeciesofthisfamilyarecommerciallyavailable,suchas Amphiprionocellaris,A.melanopus,A.frenatus,A.percula,andPremnasbiaculeatus. Thisisprobablythebestknownfamilyamongaquaristsandisthemosttradedfamily becauseoftheirgreatstrength,brightcolorandsmallsize(Molina&Segade,2013). MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  5 Clownfishesarethemostlongstandingandintensivelyculturedfamilyof marineornamentalsandarethebestrankedinmarineaquariumtrade.Alsotheywere thefirstreeffishspeciesbredsuccessfullyincaptivity(Madhuetal.,2013).  1.3.1. Internationaltradeofmarineornamentalspecies Thetrendsontheinternationalmarkethavedemonstratedtheexpansionof theexportsandimportsofornamentspeciesof.AccordingtoFAO(2007),from1976 to2004,thenumberofexportingcountriesextendedfrom28to146andthe importersgrewfrom32to120,ofwhich80arethosewhosupplytheworldmarketof ornamentalmarinefish(Gasparinietal.,2005).Nowadays,85%ofthemarinespecies thatarecommercializedcomesfromtropicalandsubtropicalcountriesoftheregion Indo‐Pacific,beingIndonesiaandThePhilippines,themajorexportersoftheprincipal marketsoftheworld,thoughTheMaldives,Vietnam,SriLankaandHawaii(USA)also supplyanimportantnumberoforganismsformarineaquariums(Bruckner,2005). AnothercountrythathasacquiredworldrelevancyinthelastdecadeisBrazil,turning intooneoftheprincipalexportersofsaltwaterfishes(Gasparinietal.,2005). Inrelationtotheimports,TheUnitedStatesisthemajorimporter,reaching near80%oftheexportsofhardcoralsand50%ofthesaltwaterfishes,respectively (Wabnitzetal.,2003).OtherimportantmarketslocateintheEuropeanUnion (Germany,France,UnitedKingdomandtheNetherlands)andthesoutheastofAsia (especiallyJapan)thatasawholeconstitutes26%ofthemarketoffish(Reynosoet al.,2012;Wood,2001b). Ontheinternationalmarket,themarinespeciesshowpricesverysuperiorto thoseoffreshwater,inspiteofthefactthat90%ofthecommercializedvalueis associatedwithspeciesoffreshwaterandonly10%withmarinespecies(Reynosoet al.,2012).Evenifexactinformationdoesnotexistwithregardtothevalueandthe internationaltradeoffishandinvertebratesofornament,itthinksthathisimport generatesearningsforapproximately204millionofeuros,ofwhichfrom20to32 millionofeuroscorrespondtoornamentalmarinefish(Bruckner,2005).    MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  6 1.3.2. Majorexportersandimporterscountries TheGlobalMarineAquariumDatabase(GMAD)wassetupin2000asa collaborativeprojectbetweentheUnitedNationsEnvironmentProgrammeWorld ConservationMonitoringCentreandmembersoftradeassociationsinexportingand importingcountries.Itcompilesaccuratequantitativeinformationontheaquarium tradethroughcentralizingandstandardizingsalesrecordsprovidedbyaquarium wholesalers.Relevantinformationfromtheserecordsisthenplacedinthepublic domain.AccordingtodataheldinGMADatotalof1,471speciesoffisharetraded globally.Mostofthesespeciesareassociatedwithcoralreefsalthougharelatively highnumberofspeciesareassociatedwithotherhabitatssuchasseagrassbeds, mangrovesandmudflats(Wabnitz,2003). Accordingtodataprovidedbyexporters,thePhilippines,Indonesia,the SolomonIslands,SriLanka,Australia,Fiji,theMaldivesandPalau,together,supplied morethan98percentofthetotalnumberoffishexportedbetweentheyears1997 and2002.(Figure3,Left).GMADtraderecordsfromimportersforyears1997‐2002 showedthattheUnitedStates,theUnitedKingdom,theNetherlands,Franceand Germanywerethemostimportantcountriesofdestination,comprising99percentof allimportsofmarineornamentalfish.Exporters’datarevealedTaiwan,Japanand HongKongtobeimportantimportingareas.(Figure3,Right)(Wabnitz,2003).  Lookingatthemostcommonlytradedfamilies,speciesofPomacentridae dominate,accountingfor43percentofallfishtraded.Fortheyears1997‐2002,the blue‐greendamselfish,theanemonefish,thewhitetaildascyllus,thesapphiredeviland thethreespotdascyllusarethemostcommonlygloballytradedspecies.Thetopten Figure3:Graphshowingthemajorexportersandimportersofmarineornamentalfishcountries.© MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcíausingdataofWabnitz,2003. MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  7 speciestogetheraccountfor36percentofallfishtradedfrom1997to2002, accordingtodataprovidedbyimporters(Wabnitz,2003).  1.3.3Wildcaughtanimalsandtheimpactontheecosystem Aswhichanyuseofnaturalresources,thereareanumberofproblemsand issuesofconcernrelatingtothecollectionofmarineornamentalspecies.Thepotential environmentalandbiologicalimpactsofthesefisherieshavebeenrecognizedformany yearsandinclude:overharvestingoffishandinvertebrates,changestotheecologyof thereefduetocollecting,degradationofcoralreefsduetophysicaldamageinflicted bycollectorsandtheirgear,degradationofreeffromuseofcyanideandother poisons,lossofbiodiversityduetothesefactors(Wood,2001a). The90%ofthemarinespeciescommercializednowadaysiscapturedinthe reefsofcoralortheadjacentareasandthoughthereefscoverlessthan0,25%ofthe marineenvironment,isconsideredtobe'thejungleofthesea'duetohishigh biodiversity.Theyarethebiologicalmoreproductiveecosystemsoftheworldand receivetomorethan4.000speciesoffish.Inaddition,agreatnumberofspeciesuse theseecosystemsasareaofreproductionorbaby'szone(MolinaandSegade,2013). The20%ofthereefsofcoraloftheworldhasbeendestroyedbyefficiencyanddoes notshowimmediateperspectivesofrecovery(Veronetal.,2009). Thethreatsthatconcernthereefsofcoralaredivers.Betweenthemthereare theornamentalfishing,thejeweler'sshopandcuriositiesforthetrade,materialof construction,aswellastraditionalmedicinesandpharmaceuticalproducts.Onthe otherhand,thedestructive,suchtechnologiesoffishingliketheuseofdynamiteor cyanideofsodium,oftentheyareinuseforstunningandcatchingornamentalspecies, producingthesevereandlongtermhurtnotonlytothetargetspecies,butalsotothe surroundinghabitat.Theeffectoftheseharmfulchemistsforthehabitatcontinuesto beunknownstranger,thoughothertechnologiesofcompilationlikethedynamiteand theexplosivesaffecttoomanymorespeciesthatcanturndamaged,woundedor murdered.Allthesemethodsproduceserioushurtsinthepopulationsoforganisms andalsothedestructionofbigareasofthereefofcoral(MolinaandSegade,2013). Whereasitisrequiredagreatdiversityofspeciesforthetradeoftheaquarium, asignificantpartofthetradetendstobecharacterizedbyanextremelyselective fishingandthatcentersonafewspeciesofhighcommercialvalue(Wabnitzetal., MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  14 Thenewlylaideggisorangeincolor,ellipticalinshapeandslightlycurved aroundthemiddlepartoftheyolk.Thechorionistransparentandtheeggcouldbe seenthroughtheshell(Figure6,Day0)(Yasir&Qin,2007). Developmentisquick.Atapproximately24hourstheearlynurula(earliest stageofobviousbodyform)isevident.At48hours;eye,heart,brainandspinalcord arepresentandtheyolkisslightlyreducedanddarkerorange.Thethirdnight,the embryoreversesitsposition,byaligningitsheadattheunattachedendoftheegg.By thefourthday,darklypigmentedeyesandbodypartsareevident.Bydayfive,pectoral finsanddorsalandventralfinfoldsareapparent,alsomajorbloodvesselsand circulationareclearlyevident.Bythesixthdaysemicircularcanals,mouthandwell developedeyesconsistingofblackenedirisandsilvercoveringareapparent. Operculumflapsarebarelydiscernible.Daysevenissimilartodaysixexceptmore refined,vestigesofgillrakersanddevelopedgillflapsareevident,alsoyolkis considerablysmaller(Figure6)(Hoff,1996).  Duringearlydevelopmentthelarva’sheadislocatedattheattachedendofthe eggs.Whenabouttohatch,theyrotateinsidetheeggssothattheirheadisatthe unattachedtip.Athatch,theypushforwardwiththeirtails,breakingtheunattached tipoftheegg(Dhaneeshetal.,2009).Thelengthofthenewlyhatchedlarvaerange Figure6:Eggdevelopmentsincespawninguntilhatching.ImagestakenfromReefsmagazine MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  15 from2.5to3.0mmapproximatelyandthelarvaemetamorphoseintojuveniles12‐15 dayspost‐hatching(Figure7)(Sahandi,2011). SomedeterminantsforsuccessfulreproductioneffectsaredescribedbyBuston &Elith,publicizedin2011.Thesestudiesindicatethatchangeinmalelengthis negativelyrelated,andyearclutchispositivelyrelatedtotheprobabilityoflayingeggs andthenumberofeggslaidperclutch.Theseeffects,takentogether,aretheprimary determinantsofthetotalnumberofeggshatchedbypairs.Also,changesinfemale massandinitialfemalestandardlengtharebothpositivelyrelatedtothenumberof eggslaidperclutch.Theseeffects,takentogether,canbeconsideredthesecondary determinantsofthetotalnumberofeggshatchedbypairs.  Fromthestudyofarticles,Ibelievethatonhavingincreasedthesizeofthe male,amajorenergeticexpensetakesplaceinhisownmaintenanceandthat therefore,ancompensationeffecttakesplaceandthatway,theenergyusedinthe reproductionmeetsreducedunleashingaminorquantityofsatisfactorilyhatched eggs.Incaseofthefemale,anincreaseinhersizeandmassgeneratesanincreaseof histhoraciccavity,whichmakespossibleamajorproductionofeggsandtherefore,a majorindexofitssatisfactoryappearance.  2.4. Feedinghabits Anemonefishareclassifiesasomnivorous,opportunisticfeeders.Thismeans theyconsumeawidevarietyoffooditemsconsistingofplantandanimalmatterand donottravellongdistancestopursuetheirfood.Feedingisgenerallyconfinedtothe surfaceareaandwatercolumnimmediatetotheirhostanemone.Tidalflowandwave actionsupplybitsoffloatingdebris,mostlyalgae,intotheirwatercolumn.Most feedingventuresarealongbottomsubstratesanddonotexpandbeyondthreetofive metersfromthehostanemone(Hoff,1996). Hoff(1996)examinedthestomachcontentsof74specimensfromEniwetok.By volume,91.8%oftheirfoodconsistedofanaverageof34.8%copepods,33%algae, Figure7:  Larvaedevelopmentfromhatchingtothejuvenilestage.ImagestakenfromReefsmagazine MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  16 9.7%worms,6.4%crustaceanfragments,5.2%tunicatesand2.7%amphipods.The remaining8.2%consistedawiderangeoffooditemsincluding:isopods,barnacle nauplii,Amphiprioneggs,shrimps,crustaceanlarvae,barnacleappendages, unidentifiedeggs,crabs,nematodes,ostracodsandpolychaetes.Itisimportanttonote thatcopepodsandmacroalgaeconstituted67.8%oftheirdiet.Butitisimportantto rememberthatfeedingpreferencesinclownfishisprobablyforceduponthembytheir tendencytoremainisolatedandsomewhatsedentary. Clownfishlarvaeandjuvenileshavebeenrearedsuccessfullyonhighly integratedanddiversefeedssuchasrotifers,smallparticulatedryfeed,smallArtemia, krillmeal,followedbylargerdryfeedparticlesandmixturesofnaturalfeeds(e.g., chickenheart,fishroe,shrimptails)(Gordonetal.,2000).Whenthelarvaestarting swimmingtheyfeedonrotifers.Rotiferfeedwouldbeusedforaperiod12‐20days. Fromthe5thdayArtemianaupliiwereusedbesidesrotiferfeed.Wheneverpossible, enrichmentofrotiferorArtemianaupliiwithOmega3andprobioticswouldbe effective.Thisenrichmentwouldimprovethedigestivetractbioprocessesand consequentlythelarvaesurvivalandhealth(Sahandi,2011). Undermypersonalexperience,thefeedadministrationoftheclownfishesin captivityiscarriedoutusingfishfeedelaboratedbydifferentnaturalingredients addingvitamins,mineralsandpigments,andthatthencrimpingtoobtainpelletsof adequatesizeaccordingtofishsize.Inturn,fourdifferentfishfeedareused,oneof themcommercialandtheotherthreeformulatedandelaboratedinourlaboratory.In thesehandmadedietsdifferentproportionsoftheingredientswereused,changing thiswaytheproportionsofproteinsandlipidsprincipally.Thiswillmakepossibleto knowwhichisthemostadequatefoodforthisspeciesaftercomparingvaluesof growth,inweightandsize,colorationandrateofreproduction.  2.5. Experimentalwork DuringmytrainingperiodIcanseeoffirsthandhowtocarryoutmaintenance andrelevantcaretoanumberofbreedingpairsofclownfish(Figure8).The experimentused24breedingpairsofthespeciesAmphiprionocellaris(Cuvier,1830) feedingondifferentfishfeedduringthespawningperiod.Themainaimwastoknow whichdietwasmostadequateforthisspecies,tostudytheperiodofpre‐spawning, spawningandpost‐spawningandfinallytostudythedevelopmentoftheeggsand thelarvaesurvival. MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  17  Figure8:Experimentalaquariumshowingoneofthebreedingpairswithflowerpotusedtocollectthe eggs.©MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía.  2.5.1. Installation Theinstallationconsistsoftworacksofaquariums.Thesystemofsupportof lifeofeveryrackisintegrated(biological,mechanicalandultravioletfilter)andit includesaclimatefortheregulationofthetemperature.Intotaltheinstallation presents: ‐2racksofglassaquariumswith12unitof30land3unitof90l. ‐ 6unitof90laquaria(3unitsforrack)usedassystemofmechanicaland biologicalfiltration. ‐ Systemofultravioletfiltrationintegratedtothesystemofpipelinesthat allowstheseawaterinlet.  2.5.2Maintenance Thecircuitisclosed,waterinletpassthroughanultravioletsystemusedfor watersterilization.Itisnecessarytoverifythewaterlevelofthesystemdailysince alwaysthelevelofthewatermustbeaboveorintheadequate,ifnotwatermust beenrefilleduntiltheadequatelevelisreached. MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  18 Closedsystemsutilizewaterexchangebutitisusually20%permonth.A distinctadvantageofsemi‐openorclosedsystemsiswaterstability.Waterstability andbalanceisnecessarywithinallaquaticbodiestokeepanimalsgrowing,sexually matureandhealthy.Recirculatingsystemsofferthissecurityandbalance(Hoff,1996) whenadequatefiltrationsystemswereused. Thesupportlifesystemisthemostimportantpartofanyaquarium.Itisthe systemofmaintenanceoflifeandmustbeconsideredtothebeginningofthe assemblyoftheinstallationtoselectthesystemmostadaptedtothetypeoffishthat isgoingtobecultivated(Sandford,1994).Maintenanceofwaterqualityisthemost criticalfactorforclownfishesundercontrolledconditions.Asameasureforthis,the seawaterneedtobefilteredthroughaseriesofsandfiltersbeforebeingtakento tanks(Madhuetal.,2013). Inourcase,thefiltrationsystemiscomposedbyasystemofbiologicalfilter acrossbioballsthatprovidingsurfacesfortheinstallationofthebeneficialbacteria thatcarriedthenitrogencycle,asystemofphysicalfilterbasedonofspongesthat allowtoretainparticlesinsuspensionaccordingtotheirsizeandaskimerthat eliminatesthepresentammoniuminthewaterandthatistoxicfortheaquatic organisms.Inourfacilitiestheseparametersareautomaticcontrolledbymeansofa PowerboxthatregistersthedatainPC. Thecycleofthenitrogendevelopsinanybodyofwater.Duringthiscycle,the productsofwasteoftheaquaticorganisms,whicharetoxicfortheaquaticlife,turn intoinnocuousnitratesthatthenareabsorbedbytheplantsoreliminatedduringthe regularchangesofwater.Intheclosedecosystemsoftheaquariumalsothiscycle existsandtherefore,isneededofaskimmertokeepthelevelsofammoniaunder control.Therefore,forthecorrectfunctioningoftheskimmertheperiodiccleanliness isnecessary,speciallyoftheinteriorpipeoftheglassofskimmedoff,topreventthat theairbubblesofthefoamthatascenddonotexploitonhavinghitagainstthe residuesdepositedinthewallsofthisone(Sandford,1994). Asforothermaintenances,thecleaningisnecessaryusingfreshwaterforthe metallicelements,systemsofpipelinesandglasseveryweek,sincethehigh evaporationoftheroomproducesanaccumulationofgreatquantityofsaltinthese zonesthatitmustbewithdrawntoavoidthecorrosionandthedeteriorationofthe structures.Inaddition,thedailysiphonedoftheaquariumsisnecessarytoavoidthe MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  19 accumulationofexcrementsandremainingfoodinthebottomandinthisway diminishthequantityoftheammoniainthesystem.  2.5.2. Parameters Oxygencontentisthekeytotheefficiencyofbiologicalfiltration.Theoverall rateofoxygenconsumptionforasystemisthesumoftherespirationrateofthefish, oxygendemandofthebacteriabreakingdownorganicwastesanduneatenfood,and theoxygendemandofnitrifyingbacteriainthefilter(Hoff,1996).Inaddition,salinity ofthecultureenvironmentisanimportantabioticfactorthatinfluencesmarinefish eggsandlarvalphysiologyandhasadirecteffectontheirdevelopment,growthand survival.Byinfluencingtheenergyrequirementforosmoregulation,salinitydirectly affectstheefficiencyofyolkutilization,larvalgrowthandsurvival(Dhaneesh,2012). Forthesereasons,themostimportantenvironmentalparameterssuchas temperature(26to29ºC),salinity(33to35ppt),dissolvedoxygen(4.6to6.2ml/L)and pH(8.1to8.4)aretobemaintainedinalltanks,andalsothewatermustbein movementtoassurethegoodqualityofthewater(Fernandoetal.,2006;Madhuet al.,2013).  3. Conclusions   Thecultureofornamentalspeciesconstitutesaveryoldactivitythatinthe 19thcenturyextendedtomarineornamentalspeciesconfinedinaquariums. ThecommercializationofthesespecieshadhisbeginningintheIndo‐Pacific OceanandTheAtlanticOceanthatwasconsolidatedasexportzones.Hereby, therearelocatedintheseareastheprincipalexportingcountriesoftheworld.   The90%ofthecommercializedspeciesiscapturedofthemarineenvironment, andduetotheselectivecaptureofespeciallyofhighcommercialvaluespecies, agreatlossofdiversitytakesplaceinthezonesofexploitation.Inaddition, collateralhurtsproducetothemselvestootherspeciesoradjacentecosystems duetothetechnologiesoffishing,whichbringswithitseriousconsequencesto themarineenvironment.  MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  20  Onthemarket,theprincipalmarinecommercializedspeciesbelongtothe familyPomacentridaebeingthedamselsandtheclownfishestheyarethemost out‐standingspecies.Thisisowedprincipallytothatthereareoffew ornamentalspeciesthathavemanagedtobecultivatedincaptivityby satisfactoryresults,whereasofotherspeciestherearenotknownmany aspectsofhisculture.   TheclownfishbelongstothefamilyPomacentridaeand27speciesareknown tillnow.Duetohissymbioticrelationshipwiththeanemones,theyhavea geographicaldistributionconcentratedintheregionIndo‐pacificwestern.Of suchthat,hisdependencetotheanemonesdoesthathisdistributionistiedto thegeographicaldistributionofthese,whichitislimitedbydiverse hydrographicfactors.   Thefactofbeingprotandricspeciesassuresthecontinuityofthespeciesafter adversesituationsasthedeathofthefemale.Toliveinsmallgroupsfavorsthe protectionofpredators,thoughalsotheviolentbehaviorispromotedbetween individualsofdifferenthierarchicranges.   Theypresentpreviousbehaviorssinceitisthecourtshipandthemorphologic changes,whichmakepossibletofeeltheperiodofspawning.Therehasbeen verifiedthatpreferablytheyputhiseggstotheafternoonandthatthesuitable conditionsgivethemselvesbetweenthem26‐29ºCoftemperature,33‐35ppm ofsalinity,4,6‐6,2ofdissolvedoxygenand8,1‐8,4ofpH.   Thecareoftheeggsiscarriedofbothprogenitorsandtheytakechargeofthe aerationoftheeggsandeliminationofthosewhohavenotsurvived.Finally,in approximately12‐15daysafterspawning,themetamorphosistakesplaceto juvenileorganisms.Anegativerelationwasobservedbetweenthesizeofthe maleandtheeggshatchedandapositiverelationwiththefemale.Hereby,it comesneartotheconclusionfromwhichtomajorsizeofthemale,major energyforhiscorporalmaintenanceandminorenergyforthereproduction, whereasinthefemaletomajorsizeofsame,majorquantityofeggsinhis thoraciccavity,andtherefore,majorpossibilitiesofsuccess.   Theyareconsideredtobeomnivorousorganismsthatarefedongreatvariety ofwildfood.Forthismotive,themostefficientdietsforthecultureof MaríaKristelOrtegaGarcía  21 clownfishareelaboratedbynaturalingredientstryingtoemulethe compositionoftheirdietsinnaturalconditions.   Abouttheexperimentalwork,therewereoptimizedthevaluesofthesuitable parametersforthereproduction,aswellastheinletandoutletsystem, ratifyingtheideaoftheclosedsystemsasthebestoptiontosupportthe stabilityoftheparametersthatmakepossiblethereproductionundercultured conditions.Besides,differentdietsmadeexperimentallytoestablishthemost suitablesetforquality,aswellassurvival,growthandcolorationadequate specimensweretested.  4. 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