Onyx clowns

Oh and Melissa, I didn't see a tank size, but I'll warn you that unlike Ocellaris, Onyx Percs can be very aggressive. If your tank is small, I wouldn't try adding in the second pair of clownfish without a backup plan. You might have to have a dedicated tank for each, or possibly use a tank divider. The NICE thing about A. percula and A. ocellaris is they don't require a lot of space...my Black Ocellaris pair spawns in a 6 gallon nanocube and rarely, if ever, ventures more than a couple inches from their tile and anemone.

well matt i do know you are absolutely right but they do get sold as snow cassos and yes they get different grades, based on unique markings. I am not interested in breeding and dont care personally if it is just a color breed. I like pretty fish. If i cared to breed it would not be clowns anyway. Boring like you said everyone has done it. Names make me laugh really, i just like what i like. In all honesty i have been waiting for you to chime in and tell everyone i am an idiot.

Ha no, not an idiot at all. Overall though, I really think breeders should worry about preserving natural biodiversity and worry about creating "guppified" versions of fish when we can't get WC broodstock any longer. That said, technically, the Picasso variation is a naturally occurring (albeit very rare) mutation. But I absolutely dislike the renaming of something as something else solely for marketing purposes. I don't know if the thread / source linked above was Woodstock's fish, but Woodstock is the one breeder I know still using the name. While I don't like the name, she's at least honest enough to say that yes, it is just a grade, they're still "Picasso" percs. OTHER breeders however, have tried to rename things like Picassos and Platinums and Nakeds and claim that in fact they are NOT the same and are unique....it serves to create artificial rarity and a possibility for an overinflated price as a result, all the while confusing uninformed hobbyists and breeders alike. People do take this strong stance as to be somewhat in line with an opposed view to the naming of coral frags, but in truth, they are wholely separate scenarios and cannot be compared - frags are genetic copies, baby fish are not

you are a very knowledgeable man.

Matt, thanks for all the information. I like the blacks better as well. Whatever happened to "purebred" fish.
Melissa

Oh I forgot to add that I have a 75 gallon tank. Still too small?

seafishinmn wrote:Matt, thanks for all the information. I like the blacks better as well. Whatever happened to "purebred" fish.
Melissa

I'm not sure what you mean about "purebred" fish Melissa? If you elaborate, I might have a good answer for ya?

Matt

Oh and probably, in a 75, you could get a pair of Ocellaris and a pair of Percula to coexist, especially if they had hosts on opposite ends of the tanks and some sort of visual barrier in between. But there are certainly no guarantees...

I think what melissa ment matt was what you already said.

I really think breeders should worry about preserving natural biodiversity

and as for putting a pair of perc's and Ocellaris in a 75 together like you advided is questionable, but putting 2 pairs of Ocellaris in a 75 I've done it and know of many that have done it with never having a problem. but then again mixing any type of Damsel fish in to smaller area can be questionable? most Damsels are little demons....that's just natural behavior.
my Blacks defend there area more if I'm working in the tank around there area then if another Ocellaris go in there area..LOL.

icereefer wrote:but putting 2 pairs of Ocellaris in a 75 I've done it and know of many that have done it with never having a problem.

It generally WORKS with Ocellaris...the problem is that A. percula is a more aggressive species. So putting A. percula in with A. ocellaris, you run the risk of the Perculas causing problems for the Ocellaris more than anything else. Starting with juvies and hitting the criteria I outlined above would maximize chances for success, but as always, I suggest having a backup plan.

FWIW, I kept a single A. allardi with 3-4 A. percula in a 24 gallon tank..it worked because NONE of the fish were mature. Things change once the fish hit reproductive age and start wanting to breed...they become much more aggressive.