There has been a lot going on – the Lightning Maroon actually came down with yet ANOTHER recurrent bacterial infection, we removed the Butterflyfish from the tank, I started treatments with Maracyn & Maracyn II back on Sunday night which restored the Lightning’s appetite and appears to have fought back the problem.  All the while they have been tending their nest.
So will the eggs hatch tonight?  I wasn’t planning for a hatch so-soon, but looking at the fact that the eggs showed eyes yesterday and are looking pretty silvery tonight, I’m seriously wondering.  It’s up in the air…clownfish hatch times can vary between pairs even if all other items remain the same.  That said, here’s a quick rundown of data scrubbed from the MBI (Marine Breeding Initiative Database) by simply viewing the “hatch” reports for Premnas biaculeatus – http://www.mbisite.org/Search.aspx?Species=17
83F = 6 days
28C (82.4F) = 8 days
81F = 5 days
30C (86F) = 5 days
78-80F = 7 days
78F = 8 days
79-80F = 6 days
So what does this all mean?  Well, the above data set is still pretty small, but it suggests that I could had a hatch as early as yesterday.   Other than the one odd 8 day one at 28C, the rest paint a pretty convincing picture of “higher temps” = “shorter incubation times”.  With the lovely data logging capabilities of my Apex Lite controller, I was able to log in and see that my temperatures have ranged pretty consistently between 79.5 and 81.2 – that all points to a high probability of a hatch tonight.  I’m not sure whether I will pull the tile, or wait to see the first hatchlings in the tank and THEN pull the tile.  Tough deciisons to make.
I’m off to prepare.