Grading aquaculture clownfish

[BonsaiNut]

Going to start a thread here to discuss a grading system to quantify the quality of captive-raised clowns.

The goals of this system are two-fold:
(1) Maintain the highest possible quality of fish in the captive raised community
(2) Ensure that high quality fish command a premium, and low quality fish are not as profitable

This system is based on similar systems used globally to grade koi as well as other collectible freshwater fish (bettas, discus, etc). It is used in shows to determine "winning" fish, and serves as an incentive for breeders to improve their processes so that they only produce fish of the highest quality.

Sadly, I know we have all seen low quality captive-raised clowns available in pet stores. I was in a store this weekend that had several captive-raised A. frenatus that were of such poor quality I'm not sure I would have used them as feeders. A grading system would provide a language to let people know if they are buying top grade clowns, middle grade, or low grade.

Grading categories:

(A) Health

Clowns should show no sign of damage or sickness. (Possible exception for fin damage that can easily be healed). Clowns should be active and full of energy. They should look plump and full, and not at all thin or malnourished. Clown respiration should be normal and not elevated.

(B) Body Conformation

Clown body shape should be symmetrical, balanced, and streamlined when viewed from above and from the side. Absence of any body shape malformations including: crooked spine, humped back, bent or misshaped jaw, bulging eyes, incomplete or misshaped gill plates, and similar. Fins should be complete, symmetrical, without bent or incomplete rays.

(C) Color

Color should be bright, vibrant, intense - never dull. Blacks should be absolute, whites should be clean and clear.

(D) Pattern

Pattern should be complete and should match holotype (unless listed as special pattern type). Pattern edges should be distinct and clean with clear margins - not fuzzy, or jagged. Pattern should be balanced and symmetrical.

(E) Power

A qualitative evaluation for the general "strength" of the fish. More than health, some fish exude strength - they are bigger, stronger, healthier and more dominant than their brethren. Their colors are brighter and their general personality is stronger - they are less fearful, more confident, etc.


Comments? Suggestions?

 

[Samcro]

i wish there was a grading system of sorts to use. when i sell my Onyx babies i am only selling the perfect ones.
I was at petco today and was appalled with the health of the the babies. they had occ, tomato, gsm and clarkii.
i am also at people charging more for misbars thinking they are something special.

 

[bues0022]

Almost like grading a diamond, haha. You could have an Onyx A1, B3, C4, D1, E1. It is fun to talk about, but sadly in my slightly pessimistic viewpoint it would be a long uphill battle to a) get recognized, or b) become uniform. (look at the simple grading of picasso's and how that is distorted badly by some)

BUT - let's talk about, and start using it - maybe others would catch on. If you are very proud to sell your fish because of their quality, those will use the system. Others trying to squeak-by won't.

 

[AndoCleophus]

great idea for a thread...will follow along with this, as i don't know what distinguishes the various grading scales for clowns.

 

[BonsaiNut]

Well, whether it is the GIA in the case of diamonds, or the AKC (or other organizations) in the case of dogs, they all came about due to more or less the same need. Belonging to either of these organizations is voluntary, but you cannot use their grading system if you don't belong.

As Samcro pointed out, it is typically the better breeders who embrace a grading system first, since they are already concerned about quality and have the most to gain by utilizing a grade. Ultimately I think the industry would be well-served by having a breeding organization, and perhaps even shows and competitions - similar to koi, bettas, or discus. Nothing succeeds like a little competition to get people to improve their quality, plus nothing would help you sell fish better than if you could point to show wins as evidence that you know what you are doing.

But back to grading -

I think first step would be to agree on the general categories. My list is based on what has been used by other groups, but it is a little different. Does it capture everything you would consider when deciding if an aquaculture fish is high quality? Is anything left out?

Next step would be to decide on general weighting of each factor. Perhaps factor #1 is an automatic disqualification (i.e. if a fish is sick or injured it should not be shown or sold). The other four factors might be weighted equally, or perhaps people might decide conformation and color are more important than pattern and power. Weights could be adjusted over time.

Finally, each factor needs to have standards so that there is uniformity of grading. This could be photos, and might run from an example of a "perfect" example of the standard, to a very "low" standard. You could use a number scale or a letter grade for each standard.

Finally, each fish would ultimately get a "total" score. In the case of diamonds, the score is actually all of the individual standards presented separately. In grading collectible comic books, it is an aggregate (mint, near mint, very fine, etc). Because we are talking about lots and lots of fish, it probably makes sense to use an aggregate. For example:

Grade A3: breeder quality. Fish scores perfectly on conformation and pattern, and is a 90% or better on color and power.

Grade A2: high quality. Fish scores perfectly on conformation, and 80% or better on pattern, color, and power.

Grade A1: pet quality. Fish scores 90% or better on conformation, and 70% or better on pattern, color, and power.

Anything less than grade A1 and the fish would not be sold.

 

[BonsaiNut]

By the way - I am NOT a clown breeder. I am actually responding because of the poor quality fish I saw being sold at the LFS this weekend.

I think the best way to start out would be to "piggyback" onto another group that has a complementary purpose - for example the Coral Farmer's Market events. You could invite breeders to bring their best fish - and share with them ahead of time how they will be judged and who will do the judging. Then give a simple award that could be sponsored by one of the show sponsors. You might have a couple of simple categories - best brood (in which people have to bring at least 10 fish that will be judged as a group) and best individual - for fish that have unique pattern. I guess the primary challenge will be how to discern if people are bringing captive bred fish versus wild caught

 

[deangelr]

" think first step would be to agree on the general categories. My list is based on what has been used by other groups, but it is a little different. Does it capture everything you would consider when deciding if an aquaculture fish is high quality? Is anything left out??


Your pattern category might be expanded to grade up for exotic patterns. The Picasso for example seems it would be graded up for patterns that are more jagged or less symmetrical

Anyway just a thought.. Especially since pattern "design" is dominating the clownfish aquaculture industry.

 

[BonsaiNut]

Your pattern category might be expanded to grade up for exotic patterns. The Picasso for example seems it would be graded up for patterns that are more jagged or less symmetrical

Anyway just a thought.. Especially since pattern "design" is dominating the clownfish aquaculture industry.

Is there any general agreement on what makes a picasso versus not? And what makes a good one versus a poor one?

 

[deangelr]

I think there is.. At least for those of us who look at clownfish everyday.. But its is a lot of what you said, dark black, orange oranges, bright bold colors. But also, the more elaborate the better.

I don't want to go through and get peoples pictures to post examples but I am sure that if people were voting on which fish were best, the winners would be obvious..

I remember seeing a definition I like about the grade A and B.. But I couldn't find it.

For simplicity, you are probably right there isn't a great way to define it..

 

[freetareef]

maybe these guys have a good answer or would be interested in your search and results
w w w . m a r i n e b r e e d e r . o r g

 

[freetareef]

and doni from donis reef has a grading system for her snowcasso's and picasso's....have you checked that out?

 

[deangelr]

and doni from donis reef has a grading system for her snowcasso's and picasso's....have you checked that out?

Sorry, I missed it.. Were you talking about the "Grade A" thread?

 

[phender]

I have a little bit of a problem with a grading system. As a former clownfish breeder, there is absolutely no reason that sub-quality clowns(deformed faces, mis-markings, less than wild type colors) should ever be produced. The deformities and less than vibrant colors we commonly see in CB clowns doesn't just show bad husbandry practices, it shows reeeally bad husbandry practices. I fear that having a grading system would only serve to raise the price of fish that should be just the common everyday CB clown. The deformed fish would still be sold at normal prices.
I think a better idea would be to boycott some of the large producers and support the individuals(or groups) that are doing it right.
When CB clowns first started being produced the only problem I remember was that the colors were all washed out. In the early 90's some better foods came out and you couldn't tell CB from WC. Now that the designer morphs have come out it seems that husbandry has gone out the window in an effort to get more fish out there as fast and cheaply as possible.

I don't think the qualities in your Grade A3 should be the elite, commanding the highest price clownfish. I think it should be the norm. They are just not that hard to produce. Unfortunately ORA has lowered the bar so low that fish that shouldn't make their bottom 1% have become their norm and are being sold as their prime specimens. I don't understand why a LFS would have them in their tanks and I don't know why anyone would buy a clown with even the slightest hint of a "bulldog" face.

I like your grading system, I just think you should send it to the large commercial hatcheries and tell them that "we won't buy anything less than Grade A2 from you guys. Get your acts together."

Sorry for the rant.

 

[ezhoops]

Well put Phil and I must agree 120% but most people who purchase those "bulldog" clowns aren't subscribers to RC or probably have an undergravel filter in use. My point being that someone who cares about the hobby and the sustainablity of marine fish will think twice about buying those deformed clowns.

 

[deangelr]

I think the original idea was only to support "Wild type" markings anyway.. I like the idea

 

[freetareef]

google donis reef. it is the first one on the list, and is described: Captive bred picasso and snowcasso A. percula clownfish for sale!
go to donisreef . com

 

[freetareef]

donis reef breeding thread is on reefsanctuary.com and is a really in-depth, detail orientated thread about her journey breeding picassos and making her grading system. she goes by the name woodstock. it is epic.

 

[Dan]

BonsaiNut has an excellent idea. Such an endeavor would be well served by keeping it simple. I fear that trying to grade the "guppified" clownfish would become an exercise in futility. Too much "in the eye of the beholder" types of judgments, especially where patterns are concerned. Create a set of criteria based solely on wild type characteristics and build a dataset per species. Need plenty of photos. Wild type variations are fairly restricted (and few). Keeping to that will make definitions easier. Get something established hobby wide, then worry about dealing with the artificially selected strains. Breeder competitions are a great way to get something like this accepted and developed.

Dan

 

[bues0022]

...artificially selected strains. Breeder competitions are a great way to get something like this accepted and developed.

I will have to disagree pretty strongly against your thought of "guppification" and "artificially selected strains" These fish are bred from wild collected fish. There is nothing artificial such as genetic modifications, or laboratory science that are changing them in any way. Red-headed people are more rare than brown, does that make them artificial? Genes are passed down, and with selected breeding they can be brought out because the public deems them desirable.

Along those same lines, I would have to say that if you were to have "breeding competitions" it would be the designer variants that would draw much more of a crowd than wild variants. Sure, the purists may like to only include wild variants, but honestly, most people will think if you've seen one ocellaris, you've seen them all. A room of 50 ocellaris is pretty boring.

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

Would there be anything wrong with breeding clowns for their abnormally small size? I have a pair I want to breed which are absolutely beautiful, symmetrical fish but they're two years old and the female is around 1.5" while the male is still struggling to reach 1". They're very healthy, but they're just "little" fish as they preferred to be called.