Hybrid clowns?

[DazedandConfuse]

I have two new clowns in my QT while I set up a new tank. I hadn't planned on two new clowns; but a friend of mine gave them to me. The female is a true percula. The male is an ocellaris. The male was sold to them as a true perc; but after comparing pics online it's apparent that it isn't.

Now the big question. Is it ok to allow them to stay together and possibly cross breed? Any offspring would be half perc half ocellaris hybrids. Is this ok or is it frowned upon? I know it's probably just personal prefference; but I would like to know everyone's opinions on the subject.

 

[DazedandConfuse]

Wow, 45 views and no one has an opinion?

Ok. I guess.

 

[ILLiDaN]

personally i would rather have pure breed than a hybrid....also i dont know who would buy a hybrid when they could purchase a purebreed that you know might spawn....then their is the issue of deformities which i dont know alot about so then i guess its up to you

 

[bencozzy]

i love hybrid clowns.

and deformities arent really that common in clown hybrids if you compare to a normal sibling pair, youll get close to the same rate.

heres some pics of hybrids ive found

 

[bencozzy]

and heres my pair i just got from SA(they also have oc and percs hybrids available right now too).

theyre melanopus x frenatus

 

[DazedandConfuse]

I doubt there would be any deformities since they wouldn't be brother and sister (a larger gene pool to mix so to speak). But it is something to think about. And I do appreciate the point you made about paying for a hybrid when purebreds are available. I just wasn't sure if I should let them stay together. My friend really didn't know they were different. She just went on what the LFS told her. They have decided to change their tank over to a lionfish tank, so that's why I ended up with them.

I have to wonder how many other people out there have mixed pairs and don't know it. Or have mixed pairs and haven't considered possible crossbreeding.

I think I have plenty of time before they do consider breeding though since they just got the male at Christmas and he's still pretty small. Lol, at least that buys me a little more time to figure out what to do with him!

 

[DazedandConfuse]

I love that black pair! What are they?

 

[bencozzy]

ok in pic 2 those are off spring from first generation hybrid in last pic.

proaquatix calls them white tipped anemonefish, they are sebea x polymnus(melanistic form)

 

[DazedandConfuse]

Yup, the ones in the second pic. Lol, I never would have guessed they were half Sebae.

 

[bencozzy]

oh and this also shows that hybrid clowns can be fertile. id like to see if there is any more info that would show that most hybrid clowns to be fertile.

 

[DazedandConfuse]

I think it would depend a lot on the chromosome count. Since both parents are Amphiprion, I don't see why the offspring wouldn't be fertile. Unless they have a different number of chromosomes.
For instance Horses have 64 chromosomes (32 pairs), zebra have between 44 and 62 (depending on species). So Zorses are sterile; they would only have 63 (or 31 pairs and a spare). Donkeys have 62 and mules have 63. The theory is that the odd chromosome is what causes sterility.
Although that theory has a hard time when it comes to crossing wild horses (33 pairs) with domestic horses (32 pairs) giving the resulting offspring an odd number again, yet those hybrids are fertile!

 

[dc]

Most people can't even tell them apart, so I wouldn't worry.