Freshly laid Saddleback Clownfish eggs, Koh Tao, Thailand.

Clownfish eggs are laid in a roughly circular patch stuck securely to the reef next to or slightly under the host sea anemone. The female lays the eggs and the male fertilizes them afterwards.

The parents continuously aerate the eggs with their mouths and fins to keep them oxygenated and clean as they grow. Any unhealthy eggs are picked off by the parents. The smaller male clownfish tends to do more of the work while the larger female parent defends the nest and her mate.

The eggs hatch in 7 to 10 days. As they develop the eyes become relatively large compared to the body. These eggs are quite mature and the larval clownfish babies probably hatch from the nest that night.

Check out our website & social media pages.