Wild v. tank bred ocellaris

[reeefraf]

Which is better to get for an ocellaris clownfish? it says the tank bred are significantly lighter in color, do they look much different?

 

[sedor]

Clowns can breed so sucessful in captivity there is really no reason to get anything other than a tank bred. I don't think there is much of a color difference at all.

 

[bues0022]

The "color difference" could be a number of factors: lighting, food, genetics.... I generally wouldn't discount a tank raised for the reasons you mentioned. +1 to sedor also.

 

[paullisa51708]

anything we can breed and not pull out of ocean i am a fan for!!!!!!!!

 

[davelin315]

I think that tank bred clowns used to be a bit lighter in coloration, but that was years back. There is a lot of breeding going on in my club now and I'm noticing that the coloration is better from these tank bred clowns than in the wild caught clowns (which there are very few of any longer). I have a couple of tank bred and they look fantastic.

 

[reefdogg1107]

What about the hosting though... Wild caught tend to host much faster and with more species of anemone

 

[Shootcat]

Tank Bred should also host, even if it takes a little longer, the hardiness of the tank bred will out weigh the wild one.

+1 paullisa-keeping our hands out of the ocean is always nice

 

[MarinaP]

There are common defects in CB fish to watch out for, such as overbite, underbite, ugly unintentional misbars, deformed fins, and stubbies. Other than that, CB is the way to go

Find a normal looking CB that was not kept in the same system as WC stock.

 

[1DeR9_3Hy]

What about the hosting though... Wild caught tend to host much faster and with more species of anemone

I have yet to see this be true.

I have two TB occy's, and the instant i put a bubble tip nem in the tank they took right to it. There was no hesitation at all, they saw it and jumped right in.

 

[velvetelvis]

Go with CB. They're just as pretty, if you find ones that were bred and raised well; they're already adapted to captivity; and you won't be depleting wild populations (and you'll be far less likely to end up introducing disease or parasites into your system).

IMO, the idea that CB fish won't readily pair with an anemone just because they've never seen one is a myth. Instinct is a very powerful thing. My cats live indoors and get fed lavishly every day, and have never had to catch and eat their own food, but they still go nuts every time they see a bird or a squirrel. I really doubt that a few generations of captive breeding are sufficient to eradicate a drive that evolved over millions of years, and which is so strong that even captive-raised clownfish will attempt to host corals, algae, powerheads...

 

[tufacody]

In my experience it is absolutely not true that wild clowns will host non-native nems any faster than TB ones, and either should jump into a native nem very quickly.

 

[garygb]

I agree with others regarding tank-bred and willingness to be hosted. I have tank-bred ocellaris that went to my ritteries immediately. Also, my ocellaris are deeper orange than any of the wild caught I've seen.

 

[ocello]

Davelin is spot on-tank bred clowns now often have better, brighter color than wc.
Also, as someone else posted many times cb will host as fast, or faster than wc. I personally have seen cb go into a tank at a lfs. Time to host a RBTA- 2.9 seconds!

 

[rfalvey89]

CB is the way to go...aquacultured fish /corals etc.