romsoccer12
New member
What is the smallest Percula/Ocellaris in the trade?
Smallest Percula/Ocellaris?
- Thread starter romsoccer12
- Start date
bues0022
New member
Are you looking for smallest fully mature size or smallest size at the time of sale? If the former, all percs/Ocellaris generally will reach the same size - no miniature ponies in this area (thank goodness!). Smallest at time of sale? I'd say do some calling around to breeders and see what you can get. BUT, smaller generally means harder to ship as OrionN already stated.
miniwhinny
New member
Ouch :sad1:
My miniature pony stallion (all 28 inches of him) says "no fair to pick on us"
The ultimate NANO :lol2:
jbax
New member
i would say Ocellaris run smaller. but it also prolly has alot to do with genetics. i've never seen a ocellaris the size of some of the biggest percs that i have seen. but not all percs get real big either.
how do you guys measure these fish?
do you only measure the body with no tail fin or head? the word "clown" itself is either a 1/2" or little longer, so i'm sorta puzzled. the average age of my clowns when they are a 1/2" is prolly 15-30 days old, maybe a little older. and they couldn't survive a day in a full blown reef tank. i know few of the commercial breeders around here. and they don't let their clowns go till they're at least 5-8 months old(depending on size). but i cannot see shipping a 1/2" clownfish or even selling one for that matter.
OrionN, this really isn't directed at you. but i've seen alot of people say they have bought a clownfish that was a 1/2" long and i just can't wrap my head around it.
how do you guys measure these fish?
do you only measure the body with no tail fin or head? the word "clown" itself is either a 1/2" or little longer, so i'm sorta puzzled. the average age of my clowns when they are a 1/2" is prolly 15-30 days old, maybe a little older. and they couldn't survive a day in a full blown reef tank. i know few of the commercial breeders around here. and they don't let their clowns go till they're at least 5-8 months old(depending on size). but i cannot see shipping a 1/2" clownfish or even selling one for that matter.
OrionN, this really isn't directed at you. but i've seen alot of people say they have bought a clownfish that was a 1/2" long and i just can't wrap my head around it.
romsoccer12
New member
im talking about in general, adult sized. just trying to find the best pic for my nano tank
OrionN
Moved on
These clowns goes into a 24 g Aquapod full blown reef with no other fish. They are 1/2 inch or slightly longer but not much full length from out tip of mouth to tip of tail. I asked Rod to ship me the smallest clowns that he think will do OK. I told him where and how I am going to keep them. Most of them just start to form the second bar. They did great. I feed them flakes and they grew like crazy
fingerwrinkles
Premium Member
In my experience the smallest mature specimens of these two would be the percula ... ocellaris can get quite large, over 4" is the largest I've seen whereas finding a true perc over about 3" would be difficult. As for "length", I always go for "total length" (TTL) which would be defined from tip of nose to end of tail (including the clear edge as the end of the tail).
Regarding the smallest size you can get, I usually never ship below 3/4" TTL although the babies are on dry food by 3/8" and thus are easier to care for. I have sold clutches as small as 1/4" but only locally and only to experienced aquarists who have a dedicated setup for them. Market size to the LFS is usually 3/4" although some stores prefer larger while others prefer smaller ... I'd shy away from anything less than 1/2" or 5/8" as they will be hardier as they get larger.
Regarding the smallest size you can get, I usually never ship below 3/4" TTL although the babies are on dry food by 3/8" and thus are easier to care for. I have sold clutches as small as 1/4" but only locally and only to experienced aquarists who have a dedicated setup for them. Market size to the LFS is usually 3/4" although some stores prefer larger while others prefer smaller ... I'd shy away from anything less than 1/2" or 5/8" as they will be hardier as they get larger.
elegance coral
They call me EC
According to Fautin and Allen, percula is the smaller of the two. Percula at 80mm and ocellaris at 90. Generally speaking, I'd agree with this. Like everything else, there's exceptions to the rule. I've seen a few monster perculas.
jbax
New member
i totally understand wanting to see your fish grow from babies to full grown adults. when i say "full blown reef tank" i was thinking on a bigger scale. but more towards the breeder. it is foolish and irresponsible to ship clownfish of that size.
i think i may have mixed up percs and ocellaris to sizes,lol. but can't say for sure. i could have sworn i have seen monster percs.
OrionN
Moved on
I don't know about irresponsible. Rod shipped a lot of baby clowns when he was still selling them. My fish did great. I and he knew exactly where they are going into. He pack really well, and tank raise clown fish are really hardy. These guy are really good eater. There was no disease in my tank (fish less). They did great and was eating right away without skip a beat. I trusted Rod's judgment and it I have to do the same again I would do it the same way.
I would not be so judgmental especially if you don't have anywhere near the experience of the people involved.
OrionN
Moved on
For nano 10-20 g tank, the smallest clowns are either Ocellaris or Percula would be great. Pink Skunk can get a little too large for it. All other clowns are larger or much larger than A. percula. A huge female Percula would be 2.5 inches and would do just fine in a 20ish reef. The largest Pink Skunk A. periderion I ever seen is a little over 3 inches and pretty aggressive.
