Can ocellaris and percula hybridize?
- Thread starter Phyto
- Start date
FishnWishn
Premium Member
Yes they can produce viable offspring. I have bred Ocellaris with Percula in the past, and so far 3 of the offspring I have given away have produced viable eggs. By the way the 3 offspring were paired up with an Ocellaris, a Black Ocellaris, and an Onyx Percula. None of them that I know of have any larvae collected yet.
elegance coral
They call me EC
Joyce Wilderson has bred the offspring from a Perc/Ocellaris pair. She talks about it in her book.
dalilgriffith
Member
Sustainable Aquatics has them. I doubt they are sterile. I want to buy a pair but if im going to pay 2000 for a sw reef, im not getting perculas.... I need something with a little more kick 
FishnWishn
Premium Member
These Percula X Ocellaris(Snowflake) were a kick enough for me.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13025876#post13025876 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dalilgriffith
Sustainable Aquatics has them. I doubt they are sterile. I want to buy a pair but if im going to pay 2000 for a sw reef, im not getting perculas.... I need something with a little more kick
elegance coral
They call me EC
I thought Snowflakes were simply Ocellaris? Not a hybred.
dalilgriffith
Member
They are. Where did you get all those FishnWishn
FishnWishn
Premium Member
These are my Percula X Snowflake babies. When I said I had Percula X Ocellaris hybrids this is what I meant. Although I don't have any anymore. I just bred them to see if the offspring could produce viable eggs. So I gave them away to breeders and schools around the country, but so far there were only 3 that contacted me that the offspring are procucing. My experiment has concluded and I have paired off the snowflake with another Ocellaris.
FishnWishn
Premium Member
By the way these are old pics that I have posted before but here is the brood pair
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elegance coral
They call me EC
That is to cool!
metalManiac
New member
if it is true that a occelaris and percula can hybridise and produce viable offspring then the classification system for these two species need to be changed. (either to a subspecies level or just as variations within a species).
(since a species is defined by the organisms within the species being able to mate and produce fertile offspring).
(since a species is defined by the organisms within the species being able to mate and produce fertile offspring).
elegance coral
They call me EC
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13067172#post13067172 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by metalManiac
if it is true that a occelaris and percula can hybridise and produce viable offspring then the classification system for these two species need to be changed. (either to a subspecies level or just as variations within a species).
(since a species is defined by the organisms within the species being able to mate and produce fertile offspring).
The whole "species" thing is all screwed up with clown fish. Ocellaris/Percula are not the only ones that can cross breed. Some of these fish we categorize as a "species" may actually be a hybred of two other species. At this point there simply isn't enough money being spent on researching this subject to be able to draw any conclusive lines between these fish. I'm sure Ocellaris and Perculas are not the only ones that can produce viable offspring.
metalManiac
New member
i see, i just was not aware of the clownfish situation. basically we are naming these fish based on phenotype. 
actually the definition of a species is a bit more complex than just producing viable offspring. many other factors play a role in defining a speices. this including morphiological differences, natural barriers and differences in spawning seasons. the classification system is not perfect and that is why we need more scientists studying systematics!!!! if you think classifying clowns is hard....imagine trying to classify the african rift lake cichlids!! i worked for a prof. who has worked many years on this problem. and he had one heck of a fish room!!! (and tons of "hybrids")
OrionN
Moved on
I got one of these offspring (FishnWishn to another reefer who gave them to me in exchange for an Onyx) and pair him with an Onyx Percula from Rod. I got picture of them in of of these thread somewhere. Very nice pair. I plan to try to raise babies for this pair in the future.
Here is the picture:
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FishnWishn
Premium Member
Always nice to see these babies growing up and in good homes. I know who traded it to you. That one was born on Easter 2006. Very nice couple!!!
