Ever hear of a black clown?

[Dakini]

At the LFS one of the employees was telling us about his tank and said he had a pair of black clownfish. I've never seen any reference to black clowns, and as he didn't know what coralline algae was, I'm rather skeptical. What do you think?

[mastaJ]

Check this out.
http://www.keil.ukans.edu/ebooks/ch2.html
http://www.keil.ukans.edu/ebooks/img0063.jpg

[mastaJ]

Also, we have had BLACK saddle clowns. They look just like saddles but black instead of brown.

[michaelg]

Also, many clowns get dark with age- I have seen maroon clowns almost black, and my clarkiis are such a dark brown that they look almost black.

Michael

[Dakini]

Nice link, mastaJ, thanks, interesting that the black color is somehow linked to the host.

Michael, that's exactly what my 12 year son said to the guy, that some get darker with age. He would love to have that guys job :rolleyes:

[Ninong]

Usually when LFS employees speak of "Black Clowns," they are referring to a color morph of Amphiprion ocellaris that is common to the area around Darwin, Australia. These clownfish have dark black coloration instead of orange.

Ninong

[Aquaman]

My LFS has a pair of mated black clowns. I'm trying to talk him out of them.

[Guy]

Tank Bred True Percs with Black coloration are quite common...maybe that's what he's talking about :
http://guynterry.com/reef/pics/clown-mushroom.jpg

[ZippyBoy]

There was a previous thread about black percs (actually not perc at all). I posted pics of my mated pair.

They are from Australia but are being bred in the US (mine were bred on Long Island, NY).

[Rick O]

I've seen pics of a pair of black perculas. They were absolutely beautiful.

[DeathWish302]

Any clown can be "black." It's a variant phenomenom (usually related to location of specimen) and these fish are known as melanistic. Most common species are: A.clarkii, A.polymnus, and A.tricintus.

If anyone can find this variant: http://www.geocities.com/paintbust/per098.gif

If you know of any place selling this variant, please notify me as i have been looking for quite some time.

HTH,
DW302

[Rod Buehler]

I have a sweet pair of tank raised black percs. http://www.rodsreef.com/clowns.jpg

[Ninong]

Rod, yours appear to be A. percula clownfish. The black clownfish that ZippyBoy posted a picture of sometime back are A. ocellaris clownfish and they have no orange coloration at all, just black with white stripes. They come from Darwin, Australia and the color breeds true regardless of environment. In fact, there is a lady in Baton Rouge who has been breeding them for a few years now.

ZippyBoy, could you post your pic again? I can't pull it up from the previous thread as it has expired.

Ninong

[budhaboy]

The Darwin Clownfish(a melanistic variant of Ocellaris) are now banned from wild collection.(this fish is only found off the coast of Darwin, Australia) I've been looking for a tank raised pair for some time now...

[OrionN]

Marine Depot have a Black Ocellaris for 45 dollars each. The pictures of these clowns can be found here:
http://www.marinedepotlive.com/404634.html
You may want to give them a call.

[daghostryder]

they seem to be making there rounds as many shops have heard of them or had them at one time. (where was I) Anyway the color variation is key when mail ordering these guys make sure you request/demand only clowns with ALL black and NO orange as some have spots of orange pigments and they (lfs) will try to get rid of those guys first. Cost varies, but man are they sweeeeeeeeeet looking. So majestic.

[ZippyBoy]

Here is another pic of my black clowns......

[Ninong]

ZippyBoy, thanks for posting that pic again. Your fish look exactly like the ones that I saw that I was told were Darwin Clowns (A. ocellaris).

Ninong

[ranaman]

The two times I've been to Germany there was atank of them in the LFS near my sister in Stuttgart. So get a cheap ticket and head to Kolle Zoo. They said they came from Bali. Just remember Indonesia might claim areas that Australia claims. In the herp world frilled lizards exported from Indonesia were said to originate from an island just south of New Guinea. Wink,wink
The board says it dosen't want me to post this pic again of them , oh well.

[sod]

Supposidly any clown can be a black clown. Malenistic clowns are clown that have a host and the darken up to show other clowns that they have a host. I read this in a book on clownfish and their behaviors.

[Ninong]

Originally posted by sod
Supposidly any clown can be a black clown. Malenistic clowns are clown that have a host and the darken up to show other clowns that they have a host. I read this in a book on clownfish and their behaviors.

If you read it exactly that way, then whoever wrote the book was overstating things. Melanism only takes place in certain species of clownfish and only with certain species of host anemones.

Ninong

[ZippyBoy]

Just because an idea is published doesn't necessarily make it true :)

You'll notice there is no anemone in the pic with my clowns. That's because there are no anemones in the tank at all. This pair has decided that a patch of LR in the upper right hand side of my tank is theirs. No corals, anemones, algaes (except coralline) or anything else is in the corner.

When these fish were a few weeks old, they had a little orange on their chins (you can almost make it out in this picture). But their bodies and fins have always been pure black.

[Pacific Intent]

I just picked up my long awaited pair of mated black percs. Best looking clowns I ever had. I'm going to buy those books on clown fishes this weekend. I'm going to give it my 1st try at breeding them. They are a really great looking pair. If anyone has any advice for a 1st time clown breeder, please reply. I have a 110 g reef, as well as an eclypse sys 6, with retro pc's. I think I should have most of the hardware. Now I just need the knowledge.

[Ninong]

Pacific Intent,

Congratulations! All you really need to get started is a copy of Clownfishes by Joyce Wilkerson: http://www.alldirect.com/book.asp?isbn=1890087041&cartID=957265306220011110 It is really quite comprehensive and covers all the breeding steps.

Another helpful book by Drs. Fautin & Allen is available FREE online: http://www.keil.ukans.edu/ebooks/intro.html

Good luck,

Ninong

[ronl]

Pacific Intent,
Where did you get the black percs? And how much did they cost if you don't mind telling?

Ron

[Pacific Intent]

Got 'em at LFS. believe it or not, the guy hooked me up; $20 for the pair. I was skeptical, but I did some research, and a lot of comparison. They are the real deal. The website is

coralconnection.com

[clownman]

ZippyBoy
I would love to get a pair like that. I have been always looking around and for some reason, in georiga, its Ocellaris all over. I hope somebody can tell me where can I get a pair like that.

Say ZippyBoy, are you selling those:p

[I_THE_PEOPLE]

i have seen tank raised percs all sorts of colours
i have seen one bright bright red while the other 15 were all orange. he really stuck out well. i have seen the half black and half orange ones.
even 1 time i seen one that was a greenish-yellow colour.
i belive these are inbreeding deformaties but im not sure

[dsb1829]

This is Natasha. Her and Boris were sold as a mated pair of black perculas. In our opinion they are saddleback clowns. Very pretty and a striking combination when placed in a rose anemone or other brightly colored host. They really don't ship or transfer well and have not the best survival reputation. Ours have been with us for just under a year.

http://home.earthlink.net/~dbrummett/72g_page/72g_natasha_in_rose4.jpg

[clownman]

I'm in love with Natasha!!:bum: :rolleyes: :p

I hope Boris will venture out more often to eat flake food, so I can spend some quality time with Natasha;)

God, she's beautiful! I would pay good money for a pair as dark as Natasha is!

But so far, no luck:mad:

[Pumba]

I have had a pair of these guys for ages.
There is a guy In Townsville, QLD, AUS that has been breeding them for a couple of years now that supplies to Australias largest Aquarium fish wholesaler. Problem is, some of them aren't all black, but have shades of orange still on their stomachs. They have yellow heads when juveniles, which turns black when they mature. The top pic is of my pair no tlong after I got them. The bottom is a pic taken by another aquarists here that is of a mature individual.

[clownman]

Now, that's a true beauty!