Black and Whites

[bassking16]

Hi All,
Looking for some info here. I would like to add a Black and White Clown to my 75g and I have a couple questions.

First, which one is a True Black and White? Is it the Perc, False Perc, or Oc. Clown? I have seen some with a little orange on there noses, and some without. If I want an all Black and White with no orange, which one am I looking for? Also, do they start out as a brownish orange and get darker with age?

Second, do you think this clown will host my GBTA. This is just out of curiousity.

Thank You.

 

[HulaDad]

B & W clowns are Darwin's and they all have the orange nose, but will go away with age to where they are just black and white.... Don't know about the GBTA mine hasn't even looked at my RBTA but they sure do like my trumpet..... lol

 

[brich1027]

My B&W hosts an RBTA but it took about a month. black and white clowns are ocellaris, when they are young they usually have an orange nose and are a dark brown, they darken up as they get older.

 

[Jersey Bounce]

...black and white clowns are ocellaris, ...

Agreed.

However, I've seen some large (didn't know how old they were) specimens that still had an orange nose, and I've seen some small (<1") specimens that had no orange or brown or anything other than jet black and white anywhere on them. If your LFS has a tank full of them, you might be able to find some without any coloration on their nose at all. Several of the LFSs around here seem to have recently received shipments of ORA B&W Ocellaris and I was surprised at how many had jet black snouts.

 

[bassking16]

Thank You

Thank You

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately my LFS is not the greatest as far as selection, so I was planning on ordering online. Probably from Saltwaterfish.com. They have a good sale right now on Yellow Tangs which is also on my wish list. They have the Balck and Whites listed as False Percs, and in the picture they have orange noses. I'll probably just take my chances, or call them to request one that is all Black and White.

At any rate, thank you again for the info. I really appreciate it.

 

[velvetelvis]

Before you do that, I would check out Diver's Den at LiveAquaria. This week they've been listing pairs of ORA black ocellaris almost every day (and they sell out fast). The pair they had on Monday sorely tempted me--both less than 2" long and both already jet black and glossy white. I've ordered fish from them many times before. The packing is impeccable and the fish always arrived in excellent condition. They usually post the new livestock for the day around 6 PM EST (yes, I'm on the alerts list--I like to window-shop!).

Here's a pic of the pair they had on Monday:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/itemdisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=77024

 

[WDLV]

IME, black Os start out black or at least dark brown being almost fully colored after only a few weeks. Percs tend to be very orange and can take a year and a half before they are fully colored up. Even then they typically have orange faces and fins. They only get fully black between the first and third bars.

Here's some examples.

Percula sub adults

Percula juviniles

Ocellaris full grown adults

Ocellaris juviniles

 

[E.intheC]

I agree with what most have been saying above. I'd like to add a few more thoughts/opinions:

Black and whites tend to be more aggressive than the orange clowns, and from what I've read/heard (and experienced on my own) are less likely to host anemones. Of course that is a set of generalizations and all fish are different.

I find very little benefit in paying more for a 'pair' of clowns (with a few exceptions) because if bought small they tend to pair together quickly anyway. Unless you're a breeder specifically looking for a breeding pair, then it's not worth it IMO.

Live aquaria also has some really nice black photons for sale. Not all black but a really neat mix none the less.

 

[bassking16]

Thank you again for all the info.

Thank you again for all the info.

Thanks for all the info and pictures. I sincerely appreciate it. I'll chew on all this info for about a month before I dive in to my Nem / Clown tank that I am planning.
Thanks Again, and Happy Reefing

 

[tcwoodrn]

Couldn't agree more with E. When I bought my pair of b/w occys from an LFS they were just 2 clowns in a tank with about 8 others. They were $35/fish. The same store had a "pair" (size difference) for $150. My clowns were paired within a month.

For what its worth my clowns hosted in my GBTA within 8 days of me adding it to the tank.

 

[DEERE G]

I think the pics with all the baby clowns looks very cool. Props to all that breed and raise clownfish.