Grading clowns?

[mile sq. reefer]

Who grades them and what criteria do they use? Is it new? Do they come with papers? Sounds alot like the Lineage (SPS) nonsense.

Lets face it, clowns are too aggressive to be in schools, they are the special needs fish, one per anemone. A pair if your lucky. Prior to graduation, do they have to pass a MAC certified standardized test? If they fail do they have summer school? I would hate to see my clown left back at the LFS only to be teased by his former tankmates.

 

[Slakker]

I think ORA has varying grades for their clownfish, but I could be way off. I know they definitely have different grades of clams.

I don't know that it's necessarily all nonsense, I would expect that lower grades of clownfish would be those with deformities we often see in captive bred fish, while the higher grades would more closely resemble the wild archetype in body shape and coloration.

But, of course, I would expect nothing less than for the "designer" clowns to populate the upper echelons of a grading spectrum, regardless of deformities (snowflake, picasso, naked, for example), simply because, for whatever reason, they draw a much higher price.

Though, I probably should ask, where did you see this, and what kind of terms were used...and where did the clowns come from?

 

[mile sq. reefer]

A tank bred and raised clown that best resembles the wild archetype should recieve the highest grade. The deformities seen in the snowflake, picasso, and naked, variants can't be controlled and are unique to each fish. Based on this variation how can you say this one is better and give it a higher grade. Are ones with more white better graded, or more black? How about the one that has no orange?

 

[Slakker]

I agree completely, but it's inevitable that the more "unique" a clown's pattern is, the more it will sell for, this netting it a higher placement on the scale.

I don't know how the scale works specifically, I'll be honest, but I would expect that while some of it is legitimately about quality, at some point it probably becomes a marketing tool as well.

 

[mile sq. reefer]

What it comes down to is a total subjective evaluation of what one perceives and thinks is unique.

 

[myreefcentral]

the grading on ORA picasso is pretty simple...if the 2nd & 3rd stripe connect...it's grade A (more expensive)...if they don't...it's grade B (cheaper)...doesn't matter about the shape & how much white...that's how ORA sells it to the LFS...now if your LFS has two pair of grade A for example and one is priced higher than the other due to the unusual white markings than that's the LFS' mark-up price which can be argued as fair or unfair...even though they got'em both from ORA for the same price...ORA's only grading is done on whether the stripes connect or not (from my understanding)...anything else is done by the LFS for mark-ups...

 

[Mikigo]

The only grading i have seen are the ORA Picasso clowns. Have not seen any grading apply to other types of clowns, wild or not. Grade a Picasso do look more exotic than grade b and are much more expansive. Some are willing to pay top dollor for the grade a Picassos.

 

[Cyn_D]

I paid $150 for a mated pair of Grade B picasso's
The LFS I got them from had a mated pair of Snowflake picasso's that where absolutely stunning.... but of course the price was way higher...
$500 for the pair
CRAZY!