Which are the most sought out pairs of clownfish ?

[Wilrok]

Tax season is coming and I would like to know what are some of the most sought out clownfish ?

[dsmhero]

The lightning clowns, but good luck.

Wyoming whites, the ORA Gold Nugget Maroons are going for a pretty penny right now on liveaquaria.

[Wilrok]

Yeah I saw the pair of nuggets and maroon flakes

[_shorty_]

Those are some of the pricy ones, but you guys really think they are most sought out by the general reef populous currently?

[jcdeng]

Bali P1 picassos

[shifty51008]

For your average sw aquarium keeper the regular percs or occ. clowns will be the fastest selling clown still.

[Wilrok]

I can never really afford the lightings , the Balis are becoming popular on a clownfish breeder forum on FBK , there's a guy selling them for $350 each .

[Lou Young]

I am looking for a P1 Bali Picasso Clownfish and also a Dalmatian clownfish. No luck with finding either.

[D-Nak]

Sought after by who? Breeders or the general public? If breeders then I tend to agree that Bali Picassos are now popular because they will add to the gene pool (assuming they originated from wild caught versus a big U.S. breeder). If the general public, I don't think there is one particular species or strain that everyone wants. There are so many to choose from now, designers and naturals alike, and most are now widely available. Many of my LFS keep the common varieties but also stock a pair of the designers.

With regards to the new maroons -- I see the gold nuggets going for high prices, but it doesn't mean that they're selling like hotcakes. Lightning maroons appear to still be auctioned to breeders, and the problem with those is that they may lose the lighting pattern as they mature. The fry look terrible IMO, and then will find a sweet spot where they look cool, then as the pattern fades, they may turn into normal looking maroons. Once more young are distributed, and this happens more and more, I'm not sure if there will be a high demand for them. We'll see what happens, I just know that I won't be shelling out the cash to be an early adopter.

[Wilrok]

@lou young pm me and I could put. You in contact with the selling the Balis .

[Mazzy]

Not to mention that even with the professional breeding places, markings will still be somewhat varied from fish to fish so someone who bought a really high end one under one name may have a fish that looks almost identical to, or even totally identical to, another falling under a 'cheaper' name. I don't know how many even experienced reefers could say with absolute certainty, "THIS fish is a Maine Blizzard while THIS one is a Platinum". They are both mostly-white clown fish, they both have a small amount of black outlining on fins, and they both have touches of orange still. So bottom line, if you're wanting to get a couple new clowns with your tax return I'd just pick out the ones you like best and give little credit to the actual name given to the color pattern (as far as "what's hot right now").

[Wilrok]

I agree mazzy , just wanted to see what everybody else thought got to get the ok from the misses first my friend , I won't be seeing any lightings soon .

[D-Nak]

Originally Posted by Mazzy

Not to mention that even with the professional breeding places, markings will still be somewhat varied from fish to fish so someone who bought a really high end one under one name may have a fish that looks almost identical to, or even totally identical to, another falling under a 'cheaper' name. I don't know how many even experienced reefers could say with absolute certainty, "THIS fish is a Maine Blizzard while THIS one is a Platinum". They are both mostly-white clown fish, they both have a small amount of black outlining on fins, and they both have touches of orange still. So bottom line, if you're wanting to get a couple new clowns with your tax return I'd just pick out the ones you like best and give little credit to the actual name given to the color pattern (as far as "what's hot right now").

I think naming is more just marketing and for ease of IDing morphs. Not being negative, just pointing out how it works. So in the case of white occis/percs, to clarify, here's how it typically works: Platinums are mostly white percs, while occis are called Wyoming Whites (both SA and Sea & Reef have their own Wyoming Whites, to name a couple). In the case of Maine Blizzards, it's the name given to mostly white percs from Sea & Reef. So, inherent from coming from different species, there are subtle differences such as iris color and number of dorsal spines.

If you're really into clowns, and these traits matter to you, then it does matter where the fish come from, and thus, what they're called. Like any other type of animal -- be it designer cat or high-end dog with a superior lineage -- people will pay top dollar for what they think is a superior product. This doesn't mean we all need to follow suit, we just need to know "what's up".

I completely agree though -- just get the ones that you like best (and are within your budget).

[Wilrok]

Thanks Dnak , and you forgot to add the ones your misses will let you buy .

[GreshamH]

Originally Posted by D-Nak

Sought after by who? Breeders or the general public? If breeders then I tend to agree that Bali Picassos are now popular because they will add to the gene pool (assuming they originated from wild caught versus a big U.S. breeder). If the general public, I don't think there is one particular species or strain that everyone wants. There are so many to choose from now, designers and naturals alike, and most are now widely available. Many of my LFS keep the common varieties but also stock a pair of the designers.

With regards to the new maroons -- I see the gold nuggets going for high prices, but it doesn't mean that they're selling like hotcakes.

They are selling like hot cakes in Asia. ORA gets the price from Asia, thus fewer are available here.

[D-Nak]

Originally Posted by GreshamH

They are selling like hot cakes in Asia. ORA gets the price from Asia, thus fewer are available here.

Good to know. Makes sense since many rare fish are sold to the Asian market, and clowns are no exception. I just noticed that the gold nugget has been sitting in DD for a while now, which is contrast to other DD items that are sold even before I see the email announcement.

[Mazzy]

Good - let them buy them up and hopefully bring that price down a little! lol Since we're still not very far out of the starting gate for all these color morphs it's kind of amazing how much clowns are going for. I mean, I get that it takes some serious effort to cross breed until you get the color morph you desire but I long for the day when these are all common place. I'd love a pair of snowflakes but the $200 price tag at my LFS is just too cringe-worthy for me to pull the trigger.

And I'd also like to see someone tackle the size of carpet anemone's, because I'd really like one of those too!

[Wilrok]

When my snowflakes produce mazzy , if you are in Chicago area I will give you a pair of babies .

[Mazzy]

lol, That's be awesome Wilrok. Too bad I'm about 4 hours from you (though that would STILL be less in gas money than the going rate for snowflakes here!).

And I don't know exactly how, since they are a wholesaler, but someone on my local forum set up a group buy with ORA, so on Monday (when he gets the price list) I *may* be able to get a couple snowflakes at cost. We'll see. They may still be too rich for my blood as I have no idea what this price list is going to look like.

[ClownChick520]

What about Headlight Clowns, or Spartan Clowns????
I have a pair at work that i take care of(Headlights), but I have only ever seen 1 Spartan and my gosh was she a mean one

[reefstew]

Originally Posted by Mazzy

Good - let them buy them up and hopefully bring that price down a little! lol Since we're still not very far out of the starting gate for all these color morphs it's kind of amazing how much clowns are going for. I mean, I get that it takes some serious effort to cross breed until you get the color morph you desire but I long for the day when these are all common place. I'd love a pair of snowflakes but the $200 price tag at my LFS is just too cringe-worthy for me to pull the trigger.

And I'd also like to see someone tackle the size of carpet anemone's, because I'd really like one of those too!

That's a lot of money for snowflakes. In Phoenix they are less then half that price & still don't sell many.

[Lou Young]

In my search to find a reasonably priced Bali Picasso I was told by a few breeders in Florida and New York that the Bail Picasso is from Doni lineage. That's why some of the Balis have face markings and partial helmets which originated in Doni's **name removed because of legal threat from trademark holder**s.

[Lou Young]

I guess you are entitled to your opinion but I heard this information from several breeders so I tend to believe them over the information you get from a person who is selling the Bali Picassos. If I was you local dealer I would say the same thing too. You seem to take this very personally. Are you the local dealer?

[Poomba]

Live Aquaria Divers Den has sold pairs of the Bali Picasso's.....as having been bred in Bali. And I don't think anyone in the hobby has a better reputation then Kevin Kohen.

[Lou Young]

No one said the fish were not bred in Bali. I think everyone agrees with that information. It's the true lineage of the fish that are in question.