New clown... Possibly an Onyx?

[SLove1104]

I got a sweet true perc yesterday and wasn't really thinking about it until this morning but realized it might be an Onyx... Thoughts?

That's him in the nem. Funny how I've had two true percs for a couple of months that won't host in that nem, but as soon as I put this guy in, he goes straight for it and hosts...

By the way, kids named the first two Coral and Marlin when we got them... so guess what they named the new small guy? :spin3:

Camera phone pic so sorry for the bluriness...

 

[gia3161]

not sure if onyx, does seem to have alot of white. nice clown!

 

[SLove1104]

Thanks... ya, I had to pry him off my fish guy lol. I love it with the lots of white... It honestly doesn't matter to me what name it has (just wondering for future reference) cuz I still love the coloration no matter what... but ya, would be nice to know...

 

[melanotaenia]

appears to be a Solomon Island Perc; they usually have more black. Onyx clown is just a name given to clowns that have more black than would normally be seen.

 

[Toddrtrex]

appears to be a Solomon Island Perc; they usually have more black. Onyx clown is just a name given to clowns that have more black than would normally be seen.

Yep. From that picture it looks very similar to one of my SI percs.


Should not, you might want to reconsider having 3 clowns in that tank. It might work in the short term, but in the long run I foresee you ending up with just 2 clowns.

 

[WDLV]

I'd say either SI perc or a cross of melanistic ocellaris and melanistic percula. A better shot would be helpful.

 

[SLove1104]

Thanks for the input guys...

Todd, the smaller of my older pair is going bye bye in the next week...

I'll try to get a better shot tonight when I get home...

 

[SLove1104]

Any other clown pros out there wanna give their input?

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

Not a pro, but I have 2 clowns that I bought as Ocellaris (they were 2 months or less old) but they turned out (6 months later) to be onyx. Some of the experts that commented in this thread gave mine the ID of Onyx, however mine have much more black than yours. Your is definitely an onyx or an SI. If I had to guess, I would say onyx, but it very well could be an SI.

 

[elegance coral]

Don't consider myself a "pro", but here's pics of my SI perc's.

When I first got them.

and the same fish after some bright lights, good food, and a haddoni.

 

[albano]

By the way, kids named the first two Coral and Marlin when we got them... so guess what they named the new small guy?

I give up!...WHAT?




.

 

[SLove1104]

lol @ albano...

OK guys... so that brings me to ask... What are the distinctions between an onyx and an SI...? I've searched pics all over and they both look pretty much the same to me! Are there any specific things I can look for to make that distinction...?

 

[WDLV]

Onyx are SI percs but they come from the Bill Addison line and have been inbred for several generations so they have a propensity to have more black in the offspring.
They tend to have blockier heads but that's about the biggest distinction that I can see.

Some say that the dorsal is black in the "onyx" line but not in other lines. This is not true.

It has become common in the hobby/industry to call any melanistic percula "onyx."

If someone were smart they'd sue anyone offering non-onyx SI clowns as "onyx" for trademark infringement but given the way things go in the hobby there was probably never any trademark claim made.

 

[hawgdawg]

How do you go about trademarking a name for a fish morph that naturally occurs in the wild? Could I just give a name to a weird looking clown then trademark the name? Not starting an argument, I'm actually curious if such thing can be done, I've got some really cool names in my head (and some freaks of nature to be named).

 

[WDLV]

I'm not a trademark attourney but you can trademark a name of a company or product but I think you actually have to possess or produce the product to register a trademark for it. Anyone who markets a product that is similar with an identical trade name or even one that is similar can be sued.
It's basically saying that this is my product and nobody can steal my intellectual or physical right to that product or name.

Ping Pong is my favorite example because most people don't realize that Ping Pong is not a game. It's a trademark name. The game is actually table tennis. It's OK for the public to say Ping Pong or Coke to describe a product but no other company can put that name on their product.

There was a band called "Green Jello" back in the 90's that eventually changed their name to "Green Jelly." Guess why.

It gets a little hairy differentiating between Trademarks, Patents and Copyright. The only thing I know for sure is that copyright is automatic. For example if an online retailer took one of my pictures and associated it with their product without my written permission, that I could sue them. I need not have registered my product. There are certain circumstances that allow others to use my photos without permission like a student turning in a research paper or an internet link. I only use this example because I have had to ask some online retailers to remove my pictures from their website. I personally look at it as more of a courtesy thing than a legal thing. They didn't even bother to ask and didn't give credit. That's just rude IMO.

 

[SLove1104]

OK, after writing this thread, I went and searched a bit more regarding the Onyx line and I see where people are in disagreement with the whole name thing... (I totally understand the argument as I used to breed Leopard Geckos and morph names were a big argument there as well...) That brings me to say that really one of the only reason I wanted to know is for future reference in case I want to sell it or breed it... Also because I wanted assurance to make myself feel better for the price I paid for it... It wasn't very expensive, but I did pay double the price at least than a regular true perc because I liked the unique coloration... More white and black than a normal perc... I thought it was unique and wasn't something I see in an LFS often... Since the price someone is willing to pay for something decides its value... I guess I'm happy either way.

 

[bues0022]

I guess I'm happy either way.

That's the perfect attitude to have! BTW, great looking fish!

 

[melanotaenia]

OK, after writing this thread, I went and searched a bit more regarding the Onyx line and I see where people are in disagreement with the whole name thing... (I totally understand the argument as I used to breed Leopard Geckos and morph names were a big argument there as well...) That brings me to say that really one of the only reason I wanted to know is for future reference in case I want to sell it or breed it... Also because I wanted assurance to make myself feel better for the price I paid for it... It wasn't very expensive, but I did pay double the price at least than a regular true perc because I liked the unique coloration... More white and black than a normal perc... I thought it was unique and wasn't something I see in an LFS often... Since the price someone is willing to pay for something decides its value... I guess I'm happy either way.

if you only paid double the price of normal True Perc for these then you got a pretty good deal; pairs of SI Percs can go for 150-200 dollars.

Onyx is just a "coined" name by the breeder in Chicago who has been breeding these clowns for the black quality for some time now, if I am not mistaken.

The premium is paid for the amount and intensity of the black on the fish, not the name

 

[SLove1104]

if you only paid double the price of normal True Perc for these then you got a pretty good deal; pairs of SI Percs can go for 150-200 dollars.

Onyx is just a "coined" name by the breeder in Chicago who has been breeding these clowns for the black quality for some time now, if I am not mistaken.

The premium is paid for the amount and intensity of the black on the fish, not the name

Oh, I'm not unhappy about the deal I got at all... I paid $40. But I do see them going on liveaquaria for $30 for the smaller 1" ones... So I figured I paid about how much it is worth. I also figure you get random ones and it isn't WYSIWYG from liveaquaria... and I at least got to see mine before purchase...

Ya, I get the whole naming morphs thing... I used to breed leopard geckos and I paid $300 for one of my breeders just for the name... It gets insane...

 

[melanotaenia]

being able to pick out yours rather than getting one from some batch from LiveAquaria is definitely worth a little extra because you get to see the black coloring from the get go, and see how it will most likely develop in their older age.

For 40 bucks, I think you got a great deal. Some True Percs will sell for this much at some LFS, regardless of black coloring.