A. percula color fade with H. magnifica

[OrionN]

I had mine with a H. magnifica since the first week of October, 2008, the color faded some, but not too bad. The fish are about 2.5 years old (got them 9/2006). They were great onyx with dorsal fins black, but now the dorsal fins are orange, with the black faded to orange, not clear border from black to orange like before.
I wonder if anybody else have their A. percula with H. magnifica. In the past I had A. ocellaris with these anemone, not Percula.
I know that A. percula are blacker with S. gigantea in the wild but have not heard that they fade with Magnifica (like BTA).
Anybody with this experience please reply. TIA
I will try to post some picture before and after later when I have some time.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody.

 

[elegance coral]

Merry Christmas, Minh!

Have you changed their diet at all?

 

[OrionN]

No diet is the same. Some mysis but mostly flakes. There was no anemone in this tank until 2.5 weeks ago. Otherwise, everything is the same. We moved from a rental house back to our home in August, but everything stay the same.
The tank is a 20G high with no sand bed so even with the move (only take several hours), there were no change other than about 1/2 of the water. The fish was very colorful and very black when I put the anemone in.
I know this is only a 20G tank, but this anemone is small, only 6 inches, and this is not a permanent home for this anemone. I am setting a 30 inch cube for this anemone. If I find that the fish do not get dark again, then I will change the clown to another species. Somebody asked for a full tank picture in my other thread, I will get one this weekend.

 

[SVXH6]

This happened to my WC Onyx pair as well.. have had them for over 1.5yrs. while in S. Haddoni and S.Gigantea they remained black, put them in a E. Quadricolor and they faded.i also had fading of a different A. Percula pair in a H. Magnifica as well.

 

[Flighty]

Yup, mags seem to change the color in the same way that BTAs do, but to a lesser extent for me.

 

[OrionN]

I wonder if anybody have them in H. magnifica and not have them fade in color?
I hope everyone who keep A. percula with H. magnifica reply.
TIA

 

[Ron Popeil]

i have a pair of perculas in three magnificas. the female is quite large, over four inches and is many years old. i purchased her from steve weast a year ago. i believe she was in gigantaes in his tank. the male was introduced to her a year ago.

i do not believe their color has changed significantly since i have acquired either of them. these are the best two pictures i have with the longest time in between. there looks like there could be a slight darkening by the dorsal fin....


june 21st 2008

october 27th 2008

 

[mobert]

My darkest clowns live in the Mag:

Same pair 4 months ago when Mag was first introduced:

These live in BTAs:

They are in the same tank.

 

[OrionN]

Mona,
I think it is hard to decide in your case. I think we need to show color change when me move them from one host to another (or with no host)
I think there are very well documentation that A. percular may fade with BTA, but I think they may also faded with H. magnifica. I just want to get an idea as to how often this happen, or how likely percentage wise does this happen.

BTW, my H. magnifica also have the dark spot at the very tip of the tentacle like your's

 

[OrionN]

Ron,
I see that you ahve some Allen damsels in your tank. Sre they peaceful and a good community tank fish? Thanks

 

[Rod Buehler]

I think that it will be "hit and miss" with coloration fading in H. magnifica just like it is with BTAs. I have seen some onyx that excepts BTAs as a host stay very black (I have a pair) while others have gone from being jet black to looking like a faded ocellaris (in an older maintenance account of mine) within 2 weeks.

I have a pair in a mag since they were very young juvies. I didnt think that they would ever color. After 3 years, they are getting a lot darker, but still nothing like all of my other onyx that have carpets/euphyllia/green fuzzy shrooms, etc.. as hosts.

Another factor that may come into play is the area of which the anemones were collected?

 

[Ron Popeil]

Minh
the allens damsels are great. their intense color is incredible. they dont bother anybody else except other allens damsels. such great fish.

ive tried to add more to the original three, but they just chase them to death. so if you were to add some, add as many as youd hope to have all at the same time.

 

[maxxII]

Minh,
I've got pair of Rod's onyx that are being hosted by an H.magnifica. The female initially had the gorgeous black that Rod's clowns are famous for. Then approx 2.5 years ago, the female faded to a dirty brown with just a little black. She stayed that way for about a year or so. They bred the entire time, so werent stressed or anything. Then early this year, the female darkened back to a deep beautiful black. During this time I started feeding meaty foods more often, so that could be a part of it.

I'm at work, but will try to post pics showing what I'm talking about later.

Nick

 

[OrionN]

Thanks Ron and Nick

 

[maxxII]

Minh,

Here are the pics.

These are from Sept 07 and is the first time they spawned. You can see the female is brown with very little black.

These are from earlier today.

sorry the pics arent the greatest...the whitish glare in the newer ones is my T-shirt.....

It should be noted that this is the same anemone and the samw clowns in all pictures, (H. magnifica and A. percula).

I suspect the difference is feeding as the clowns are getting more whole uncooked shrimp and uncooked scallop now then they used to in the past.

Nick

 

[mobert]

Thanks Nick! I will try the feeding more uncooked shrimp and scallop but do you think the color change could be just natural maturity? Since all clownish darken with age, I would have to hope they darken up with better food and see if they fade back to dirty brown with just fish pellets. Thanks for the pictures. Your clowns are looking nice!

 

[maxxII]

Thanks Mona, (I've been following your thread as well!).
I dont think so since the female was a gorgeous black initially, (before the first set of pictures). I'd had her since late 2004.

Here is the earliest picture I have of her....She's on the right, I lost the one on the left when he jumped out of the tank....

This picture was taken 1-22-06

Nick

 

[OrionN]

Nick,
I think she lost some color but not too much. if you look at her dorsal fin, it was black before, now it is somewhat orange. My pair, the female lost lost of color, from onyx to no longer onyx. The male only have minor color lost like your female. for my fish, the feeding is the same. I have them in my son's 4th grade classroom for 1 year, only getting flake food with minimal water change. I go in to his class room in the weekend maybe four time that year. They did not grow well (smaller than my other pair which was ordered from Rod at the same time). Since May last year, I have them at home and was able to care for them much better. They grow allot, and still very colorful until I put the H. magnifica in the tank begin of October, 2008.

Why does the fish got put into my son's calassroom?
Essentially, my son's teacher asked for a fish tank. My son told her that I keep reeftank and so I set the 20 g reeftank in the classroom for the year. My son have to lug RO water for top off water. He feed the tank, and maintain the skimmer. I help him change the water sometime in the weekend. The tank did well, nothing died including a Crocea, Atlantic anemone, Orchid dottyback, some SPS and Xenia.

 

[maxxII]

I'm suspecting it could be food related. Flake food may not have whatever is needed to maintain the vibrant black for the Onyx clowns. Another thing to remember is that Rod's broodstock clowns are kept with S.gigantea aanemone's and clownfish have been observed to get darker while being hosted by Carpet anemones.

Nick

 

[OrionN]

I got mine when they are less than 1 inch long. I think Rod have them in grow out tank that does not have any anemone in it. As the god older, they are as black as black can be including the dorsal fins. Here they are after a few months. The third and fourth one are the two I have with my Magnifica at this time.