Amphiprion Milii
 

The only time I had heard of A Milii before was from Lil Wayne a decade ago.
Yesterday, while browsing the net, I came across a pair of fish that looked like black Clarkii from Australia. They were described as A. Milii clowns by the seller (PIA). I really like the colors and more importantly they were Australian import. So I ordered the clowns and they were shipped the same day for today's delivery (talk about great customer service!)
I know some people will have opinions regarding the correct ID, taxonomy, etc. and those are welcome. But please realize I invested in the animal and not the scientific or common name. It's one of those instances where I will defer to the knowledge and reputation of the seller rather than speculation.
Picture from seller's site (photo credit Pacific Island Aquatics)
https://i.imgur.com/kvCHoz9.jpg?1

In my reef tank (female)
https://i.imgur.com/NS8aqtz.jpg?1
Somewhat shy male
https://i.imgur.com/r8w8df4.jpg?1

Nice catch!
If they are from Western Australia then they are certainly A. milii. There are quite possibly up to 16 district species lumped together under "A. clarkii" and for conservation reasons it is very important that genetic analysis clarifies this.
BTW, do they have more or was that the only pair?

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Thanks, that was the only pair

Now those are beautiful fish! Congrats on the acquisition. Good luck with them.

Thanks 🙏

My initial observations so far are as follows:
A.
They have shown clear interest in H. Magnifica anemone but are not too eager to accept it as a host. My suspicion is the flow might be a little strong for them. If I were to guess, they were most likely hosted by S. Haddoni in the wild based on their melanistic traits; S. Gigantea or S. Mertensi to lesser degree of probability due to their preference of higher flow. The ones that are found in BTAs in the wild have more brownish color.
B.
They are not as bold as Clarkii or even Percula clowns. This particular pair is still a little shy when I come closer to the tank to feed them. However, they eat both frozen and dry foods (LRS and TDO). With that said, the smaller male is already chasing away a Fridmani dottyback and a Blue Devil Damsel when they come close to "his" cave but he does not harm them.

When using a google images search for A. Milii one result shows them in what appears to be S. Mertensi. It’s not 100% clear but I’m positive it’s Mertensi.

This kind of fits a suspicion I have: the individual species that have been lumped together under "A. clarkii" are not as accepting of all host anemones as it may appear when seeing them all together as A. clarkii.
Once examined individually it is more than likely that a somewhat different picture emerges and certain "local varieties" turn out to have more restricted host preferences depending on the local competition.

Based on videos from the wild, A. milii should definitely accept S. haddoni.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Those are beautiful, congrats!:thumbsup:

Thank you!

Very possible

More pictures:

Male aka The Chaser
https://i.imgur.com/d70tCHp.jpg?1

Female aka Boss Lady
https://i.imgur.com/PQxrHcV.jpg?1

It's like with my Darwin "ocellaris", the female is the captain and the male the X.O. who keeps the crew in line...

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

They both have a little bit of blue hues on the first white band behind the head. It’s more pronounced on the male.
The sellers picture show a little bit of it

He has calmed down a bit. Everyone probably figured out the hierarchy.

Kos kesh clowns

Buffalo Gold clowns

Midnight snuggles. I'm hoping to get them a Haddoni in the near future.
https://i.imgur.com/8KgWqj5.jpg?2

The Petco in Hayward had 2 haddoni last week. California Reef also had a few the last time I was there.

It’s just a matter of making space or upgrading the tank but thanks for the leads.

There might soon be no Milii left in the wild. Australian Academy of Science has a grim outlook for its reefs

https://mobile.twitter.com/science_a...b02bc6bb372c4a

Well, looks like they have better chances in captivity than in the wild. It's pretty sad actually. In 10 to 20 years the reefs as we know them may be gone.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S1T7wsOV5Ks" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Beautiful fish

Based on some photos taken in Exmouth and Ningaloo in Western Australia, it appears that A. Milii is hosted by one of the Heteractis anemones in the wild. I am having a bit of a hard time identifying whether it is H. Crispa or H. Malu. I am leaning towards the latter due to shorter tentacles. My first impression was they were both BTA but upon closer look I became convinced they were Heteractis anemones.
https://i.imgur.com/dufvRzG.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/HaupIxt.jpg?1