Are allardi clowns rare in the hobby?

[cody6766]

i ask because I never see anything mentioned here or anywhere of people actually keeping these guys. I've had a pair for over a year that I got for $30 with a green BTA, so I never imagined them to be anything special.

so, are they uncommon in the hobby or are people with them just quiet?

 

[t4zalews]

I've seen them at some LFS labeled incorrectly as clarkii's so, people might not know they have them...cool fish though, my roommate used to house a pair

 

[Ron Popeil]

ive had a few pairs in the past. great looking fish that maintain their bright yellows and blue stripes, in my experience. i think what happens is most people dont want to spend an additional ten to twenty dollars for a fish that looks very similar to an inexpensive clarkii....

 

[hottuna]

nope . my favorite store gets 'em all the time... i dont see the big deal with allardi's anyway...my veil fin vanuatu clarkiis look more spectacular....anyday

 

[Ehudd]

prob one of the most availible fish where i am, they are everywhere.

 

[cody6766]

I guess they just don't make it to Oklahoma. I've only seen one pair in the local stores here (the pair I bought), but I haven't actively sought them out either. I do see a lot of clarkiis, skunks, percs and tomatos, but never these guys. At $30/pair I just couldn't imagine them being rare, but I was just curious. I bought mine when I was brand new to reefing, so I didn't research the species. I just got lucky and stumbled across what looked like a deal a the LFS. After looking around, these are one of my favorite clown species.

 

[Ron Popeil]

have any pictures to share?

 

[Snail-po]

i have a pair and there names are bonnie and clyde. and yes i got them in oklahoma.

 

[krominix]

Here's my little guy in my old tank. Still have him hes awesome. They are rare down here.

 

[FishyMel]

Very nice allardi!

 

[DeathWish302]

I think the hype of rarity is that they are almost all wild unless a local breeder is supplying a LFS. None of the commercial breeders I know of (Inland Aquatics, ORA & C-Quest) are currently breeding them as a 'staple' clown. I like them as they closely mimic my other fav. A. Bicinctus. OK... I like them all!

 

[TheOtherReefer]

nice pic krominix

lol

 

[cody6766]

here is my pair

Female

male

 

[jubjub]

hummm i've never seen them in sacramento(california) area...go figure but then again i got this clarkii a while back and some people say yes some say no im not sure

 

[Ron Popeil]

jubjub, most certainly a clarkii clown.

and cody, im very tempted to say you have bicinctus clowns. krominix definitely has an allardi.

 

[criccio]

^
Agree 100%.

 

[cody6766]

and cody, im very tempted to say you have bicinctus clowns. krominix definitely has an allardi.

I just checked the pics online and I'm still thinking they're allardi clowns. My male looks REALLY light in that pic, but nither are quite as black as krominx's clown. The fin, body and facial structures just don't match up with the bicinctus like they do the allardi. The bicinctus are also (for the most part) a lot lighter in color. The dorsal fin is also much more like the pics of the allardi clown.

I could still be convinced otherwise, but they look more allardi than anything.

 

[criccio]

Sorry cody, yours aren't A. allardi. They are A. bicinctus, without question. And they are most likely ORA CB.

 

[cody6766]

not trying to argue, but what leads you there? These were sold as "clownfish pair" so my allardi conclusion came from just looking at pictures. I have no emotional attachment to that decision, nor am I an expert

They did come from a fish store that sold a lot of ORA stuff and often got fish 'extras' tossed in with their coral orders since they sold so much of it. They I bet they got 2-3 ORA shipments each month.

So...what (aside from the white stripe extending to the rear dorsal section) says bicinctus instead of allardi?

 

[Ron Popeil]

these are the things i notice when i see your fish:

the headband touching the eye.
the tanish yellow color.
the forked tail.
the lack of a thick white stripe on top of the tail and dorsal fins.
and they have the look of captive bred fish.

those are my red flags for identification.