Getting the black back in my SI Percs

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15606655#post15606655 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by adtravels
Hey todd, mine have started to fade a little now, not too bad but I have not changed a thing so its a mystery, we will see.

And didn't they start to darken up with you first put them with your Gig? That is really odd that they are starting to fade now.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Not sure if they have darkened up more, but it seems like they have to me. So I took some new pictures tonight. Otherwise they are doing great, and are both Haddonis, they new one hasn't moved an inch since I put it into the tank.

Male,

Both, with the female in front

Just the female,

Close up of the male,

My angel wanted to have its picture taken.

Unrelated, but still in the same tank, some pictures of one of my clearer shrimps with eggs,

Close up,

 

[dc]

Beautiful pictures Todd.

 

[mobert]

The shrimp picture is amazing.
Todd, I have been anxiously awaiting the results of your experiment. I have 27 clownfishes siblings and for some reason the two that live in a Mag are beautifully colored (blacker blacks and brighter oranges) and the other 25 that live in BTA's are muddy. If yours color up again I am going to start removing BTA's and getting Giganteas.

 

[Toddrtrex]

It has been a while since I updated, and I managed to get a few pictures last night. They are still getting more black -- at least to my eyes -- but not as fast as in the beginning, the female seems to have gotten more then the male.

Female,

Male,

 

[davocean]

Nice pics, and progress shots.
My picasso pair were originally in LTA's and were getting dark fast, but since they were swapped to BTA's it's amazing how mine lost alot of black.
I may be looking to change nem host as well.

 

[clowns101]

Well they have gotten darker!Wonder why its taken so long to see a large change?I think they will get their color back within a few more months!But cant say that for sure!

 

[Magga Pie]

Any updates? Curious to see how they are looking now.

 

[edwing206]

I don't get it. So clownfish lose color if they are not in a gigantea or haddoni?

 

[OrionN]

A. percula may lose color in H. magnifica and E. quadricolor. This does not always happen but sometime this lose can be pretty drastic. IME, they are more likely to lose color in E. quadricolor than H. magnifica. In the wild, A. perculas that host in S. gigantea have the blackest color. Neither S. haddoni nor E. quadricolor is a natural host of A. percula.

 

[davocean]

Yeah, the loss in black on mine was pretty dramatic from BTA host.
Mine is getting black back pretty fast since removal of BTAs.
Some people have mixed unnatural hosts w/ them w/out probs, but BTAs seem to be most common in loss of black.

 

[edwing206]

Wow, that's really strange. I never heard about it until now. Any ideas as to why this happens?
So besides carpet anemones, what type of anemone would be a good choice to maintain the black coloration of clowns? Or are carpets the only anemones that work well?

 

[OrionN]

Even natural host, H. magnifica, can cause loss of color. My personal experience confirmed by other people

 

[edwing206]

Hmmm, interesting. Thanks for the input.

 

[Toddrtrex]

I don't think that they have gotten all that much more black, but then again I see them everyday. However, they are at least holding their black now.

Got some new pictures tonight, but they aren't the best. Was out of town for a week and finally got to a water change (( and other maintenance )) tonight. In the process of that I ticked off both Haddonis, so they were withdrawn into the sandbed, which didn't make the clowns all that happy.

Anyways,

male,

Female, both sides,

 

[edwing206]

Wow, they are looking a LOT better. Great thread!

 

[Toddrtrex]

Wow, they are looking a LOT better. Great thread!

Thanks a lot.


And for comparison here is a shot of mainly the female from back in Aug.

Tonight,

 

[davocean]

Nice to see black definitely filling in.

 

[vaporize]

they might just lose color with or without the BTA, it might be the absent of a gigantea or another one or completely another factor. I have ones that slowly lose the color in QT after 6 months or so without any anemones.

 

[OrionN]

In my experience, have no host the color will also cone back. It is the BTA that cause lost of color.