ocellaris or perc?

[sir_dudeguy]

how do you tell the difference? i just got mine and they have black outlines on the white stripes...i read that true percs have that, but these lines are really thin so idk..

thanks!
mike

 

[r00onmac]

look at the eyes... for instance the perc in your avatar has black center with orange circle around it... that is a perc... false percs or ocellaris should have black center with black circle... looks more like a large black eye..

 

[sir_dudeguy]

k thanks, i'll check it in a second.

 

[Sheni Angel]

I have a pair of False Percs and they actually have the Orange around the eyes. I had originally thought also that would be True Percs but you can tell these are the False Percs with their thin black lines and the different orangish color of their bodies.

 

[r00onmac]

it is VERY possible and in fact i have seen pictures of true percs with very thin black bars... just because it is thin doesnt mean its a false perc... also, the color of the clown has nothing to do with perc or false perc... much like people it has more to do with the coloring of the parent fish and diet that the fish gets... my false perc is almost red it is so orange and my onyx is more of a pure orange, but i have seen percs that look like my false perc and false percs that look like my onyx and even lighter...

 

[sir_dudeguy]

ok, i cant really tell by lookin at the eyes...they dont hold still lol. And the orange around its eye...do you mean the skin around it..like where it makes a sort of "lip" around the eye? or do you mean there will actually be orage ring on the actuall eye ball?...the "lip" around their eyes is orange, but i thnk their eyes are completely black, but when one of then kinda turned sideways, the light kinda reflected in its eye and it showed a very dark orange ring on the eye ball...does that count?

i'll try to get a pic of them, but my camera sucks indoors..i guess it doesnt get the right light...

 

[WDLV]

You could anesthatize it and count the gill rakers.
While it is one of the easiest ways to tell the difference, I personally ignore coloration as an indicator because it can be unreliable.

I look at the "forehead." If it is the exact same slope as the bottom of the jaw its a false perc. If it has a forehead so to speak, it's a perc.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

dont they also have diff. amnt of spines? i thought i saw that percs have like, 10, where falses have 9? but then again, it was on about.com that i saw it, and they're wrong half the time.

 

[WDLV]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7720971#post7720971 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sir_dudeguy
dont they also have diff. amnt of spines? i thought i saw that percs have like, 10, where falses have 9? but then again, it was on about.com that i saw it, and they're wrong half the time.

Yeah I thought to mention that but I had a brain fart and the term "Dorsal spines" escaped me. Good luck counting those.

 

[Jovreefer]

Dorsal spines are not a great way to tell either. False percs will have 8-9 & true's will have 9-11 Or is it 8-10 & 10-12? I dont know... but they can both have 9 or 10... so still not a good way to tell.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

ya i wasnt really gonna plan on counting them lol..(1, 2, 3, DANG IT!!! HOLD STILL!) lol!

but i'm still trying to figure out what they are...whichever they are, they're really cool lookin, and really active too.
i'll try getting a pic, but like i said...terrible camera (freakin ebay ripoff..500 dollar camera...got it for 300...only takes good outdoor pics)

 

[Bigmike]

The way I tell, that is easy enough and accurate as far as I have seen, look at the dorsal fin. If it has a rounded dorsal fin (like a half circle) its the Ocellaris, if its fin has a somewhat flat front of the dorsal fin, it's a True Perc. If that made sense it should be a good indicator.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

k thanks..that seems the easiest one for me..i'll check..maybe i can do a few of these things that supposedly work and if more than 2 or 3 show that its the same kind...i'll go by that lol...good enough for me.