Clowns - quick question

lilreefgirl

lilreefgirl

Reefing newb
I cant seem to find a real answer to this online. Thought I would ask here. Might be stupid question, but what the heck! I have a ocellaris (approximately 18 months old) from a reef club member, doing well. I added a smaller ocellaris, everything is fine. My question is....do clowns change their colour, or do they come in a variety of shades of yellow/orange? The older, larger one is "cartoon orange" - just like Nemo! The new, smaller one, is more of a yellowish/light orange colour. Will the younger one "darken/brighten" as he matures? Thanks for reading! :)
 
They can come in all diff shades of orange and their color can change depending on tank conditions and food.
 
There are tons of differant clowns out there. Differant shades of colors etc. While I'm not sure if clowns will darken they are a member of the damsel family and damsels usually lose some of their brightness as they get older. They either fade a little or may darken some. I would assume clowns are the same.
 
Usually the females are darker than the males. The smaller fish is a male, and the larger fish is a female. They will probably not change colors, because the male isn't going to "mature" to the size of the female. My two tomato clowns are very different colors. The little male is bright red, and the big female is a very dark (almost blackish) red.
 
From what I read.....

When they are very young,fry,there diet determines what color of orange will develop.In most conditions,the color won't change afterwards.
 
My clown fish have darkened their color, and started turning black as they have gotten older. They are still pretty young, but yes its normal for them to change colors.
 
wow! thanks everyone!
I now have another question...possibly a concern.
I looked at him late last night, and he almost seems to have a dark "mottleing" of colour throughout his whole body. I am not sure if I just didnt notice this before, or if it is just showing up.
I have read about "black ich" and now I am feeling like a concerned mom....I have not seen any articles on black ich yet, but the forums talk about it as single darkened "skin/flesh/scales" - mostly noted on clowns (ocellaris).

Do any of you know anything about this? - could it possibly just be him darkening?

What do you think it might be??

(The water parameters are fine, actually MUCH better than the LFS - out of curiosity, I tested their water before I acclimated the fish into my system. I wonder if he could also be in shock from coming from crappy water to good water...)
 
Can you get a pic?

It doesn't sound like black ich.Does it look like dark patchey spots.It could of been stung by an anemone.
 
Does the dark mottling only appear at night? If so, that's normal. Almost all fish will change color or patterns in the dark vs. the light.
 
reeffreak said:
Can you get a pic?

It doesn't sound like black ich.Does it look like dark patchey spots.It could of been stung by an anemone.
Click to expand...

I cant get one that shows the spots. It is dark and patchy, mostly behind the second white stripe. He has not been in the anemone yet, so I dont think its a sting. He seems healthy otherwise...mating dance and all...
 
Here is the clown in question....I took a video, hopefully you can see the spotty patches I'm talking about....

Okay, cant upload. I'll try and get a splice of the video from iMovie...not sure if it will work...
 
Lets see if this works....
It may be a bit hard to see but if you can ascertain what could possibly be the problem, it would be greatly appreciated. I hope it is just a normal colouring....

 
Last edited:
I honestly couldn't see anything except maybe the kaudern was a camera hog.

Beauty mark,birth mark,who knows?Maybe your clown had tried going to the anemone while you weren't looking.If your clown is eating than I think he/she is doing okay.
 
Wonton, those spots on the link are really dark. it doesnt really look like what mine looks like. I am hoping it is just stings...

And reeffreak, yes, the Bangaii - "Bruce" is quite the camera hog.
 

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