hatched baby fish

Question
My son called in a panic, he has two fish, don't know what kind (solid blue, with a blunt nose) and a clown fish. He noticed that the two blue fish had dug a hole all the way to the bottom of the tank. When he got home this evening, there are a ton of little fish swimming around, and the two blue fish are keeping the clown fish cornered in the bottom of the tank.  Question..what does he do about the babies and how does he keep them alive and well?

Answer
Hi Becky. Wow! I am guessing that the fish your son has are damsels only because they are one of the easiest salt fish to get to breed in captivity. Breeding saltwater fish in a tank is a little difficult and your son has done it without even trying! However breeding them is not really the problem, its the rearing of the fry that has proven to be more difficult. Unfortunately if your son was not planning for this or ready for this there is not much you can do. The fry need to be raised in a separate tank, 5 or 10 gallons, with a heater, very gentle filter, preferable just an airstone, and very high water quality. The light cycle on the rearing tank should be the same as the breeding tank. They can be caught using airline tubing to siphon them out or by using plastic cups to catch them in. Very small frequent partial water changes in the rearing tank is a must and ammonia must be very carefully monitored. Since they are so small after hatching it can be very difficult to find a food source for them. Most people who intend to breed damsels often have a tank set up just to culture their own planktonic food source to feed the fry. Usually these foods consist mostly of live rotifers. The fry are also very delicate and will not live through drastic changes in water quality or any temperature swings. Don't worry if you can't save this batch of fish. The two fish you have are a mated pair and will most likely, if water conditions remain the same, breed again. Next time your son can be ready for them. There are people out there who are very experienced fish keepers who have a difficult time in rearing the fry of saltwater fish. Your son may one day soon be one of the few who are successful!