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Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Saturday, November 7, 2009 9:15 PM
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Breeding Journal DataSheet This first post should be updated regularly to include new information as events take place or changes are made to your system General Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant Social Structure: Dominant mated pair with non-sexual adolescents Size of Individuals: currently 3/4" - 1", adult size 3" Age of Individuals: 4.5 - 6.5 months Date added to Tank: October 20, 2009 Broodstock Tank Details Size of Tank: 40 gallon breeder (divided), 20 gallon tall, 22 gallon sump Substrate Details: bare bottom, sump has 1" live argonite and 25 lbs live rock Filtration Details: 3 HOB penguin biowheels, dyi wet/dry, sump/refugium Water Changes: weekly 5 gallon Water Temperature: 79-80 degrees Lighting: stock florescent, sump dual 18 watt power compacts actinic/10k, moonlight leds Lighting Cycle: 12 hours with 2 hours additional moonlight Other Tank Inhabitants: none Broodstock Feeding Details Food Types: Varied flake, frozen brine Feeding Schedule: Flake food 4-5 times a day, frozen brine twice a week Spawning Details Date of First Spawn: Dates of Consecutive Spawns: Larval Tank Details Temperature: Size of Larval Tank: Substrate Details: Other Tank Decor: Filtration Details: Lighting: Lighting Cycle: Water Changes: Larval Feeding Details Food Types: Feeding Schedule: Metamorphosis/Settlement Date of Metamorphosis: Date of Settlement: Grow-Out Tank Details Temperature: Size of Grow-Out Tank: Substrate Details: Other Tank Decor: Filtration Details: Lighting: Lighting Cycle: Water Changes: Size at Transfer: Age at Transfer Grow-Out Feeding Details Food Types: Feeding Schedule: Additional Information Miscellaneous Information:
<message edited by RCA on Saturday, November 7, 2009 11:17 PM>
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Saturday, November 7, 2009 9:25 PM
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(Originally posted October 12, 2009) And so it begins. Actually, it began about five years ago. I was living in Bloomington, Indiana at the time. Nano-reefs were the new frontier in reef keeping and every discussion board was filled with hobbyists discussing cubes cracking or pods overheating. I had gone with the 12 Gallon Nanocube myself and after a few months of cycling I took at trip out to Inland Aquatics to do some stocking. I set out that morning to buy some soft corals but I ended up with a new appreciation for the art of clownfish breeding. I went home with a pair of "Onyx" Percs for $499. A few years later, I found myself stocking a new reef system and had fallen in love with the unique quality of the "Picasso" Percula. There was a huge waiting list at my LFS to obtain one. After a 6 month wait, my LFS called to tell me they had some ORA Grade A Picasso Percs in stock. The selection was terrible. That had settled it for me. I was tired of waiting and sick of the ridiculous prices for mediocre specimens. I've had over twenty years of experience in this hobby. How hard can breeding Picasso Clownfish be?
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Saturday, November 7, 2009 9:28 PM
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(Originally posted October 12, 2009 and have changed some of the fundamental design concepts since then) The Design Concept I'm going to fast forward a bit. I've moved back to Delaware now. I've read Joyce Wilkerson's book cover to cover. I've also followed other people's logs as they try to adventure into aquaculturing marine fish. Here's my design concept for the Brood Stock Tank with an attached Grow-Out Tank. So what I've done here is piggyback a 20 Gallon Tank onto a 40 Gallon Breeder Tank and 22 Gallon Sump/Refugium. Water begins in the Sump/Refugium where it is pumped at 300 gph into the 40 Gallon Breeder. As the water level rises, water is transported through a 1" Gravity Siphon into the 20 Gallon Tank. As the water fills the 20 Gallon tank, it dumps into an overflow box which funnels it back down through a wet/dry filter into the Sump/Refugium.
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Saturday, November 7, 2009 9:31 PM
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(Originally posted October 12, 2009) DIY Components Stands - So what fun would this be if I didn't make some DIY mistakes along the way? The first disaster was trying to save money on the stands. I'm too embarrassed to post a pic of the PVC/Wood hybrid looking stands I made for under $20. They were level, I'll give them that. But there was no way they'd support the weight over time. I replaced them with some steel stands I got at the Home Depot for $50 that can support 1,000 lbs per shelf. Wet/Dry - I drilled a couple holes in a 4 inch PVC pipe and filled it with bioballs. BAM! Wet/Dry Filter. 22 Gallon Sump - This baby was a real steal at the Home Depot. I had to research plastics a bit but most food-safe plastics are safe. I drilled a hole for the Wet/Dry PVC pipe and a window for a coralife power compact light fixture. There's 1 inch of live argonite sand in there along with about 25 lbs of live rock.
<message edited by RCA on Saturday, November 7, 2009 9:58 PM>
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Saturday, November 7, 2009 9:33 PM
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(Originally posted October 12, 2009) Tank Cycling/Initial Setup 40 Gallon Breeder Tank, 20 Gallon Grow-Out Tank, 22 Gallon Sump/Refugium. 40 Gallon Breeder with an Amphiprion ocellaris lending a hand with the cycling process. She is a bit camera shy. And she is anxious to get back to her 90 Gallon once her job is done! First Brown Diatom Algae growth on the Clay Flower Pot. Lighting for 22 Gallon Sump/Refugium. Live Rock and Live Sand Refugium.
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Saturday, November 7, 2009 9:35 PM
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09.09.09. DIY Stands assembled and Tanks put into position for leveling. 09.12.09 Tap water added for leak testing. 09.13.09 Tanks drained after discovering PVC shelving had "settled" almost 1/4" overnight and Breeder Tank appeared to be leaning diagonally forward. Broke down entire setup. 09.14.09 Consulted with my dad who was a mechanical engineer about the stands. Opted to scrap the DIY stands and purchased Home Depot steel stands rated for 1,000 lbs per shelf. Re-assembled. Filled with tap water. 09.15.09 Leak test passed. Added hardware and began circulating the water. Discovered design flaw with the DIY Gravity Siphon. I thought a 3/4" tube would easily transfer 300 gph. It didn't. The Gravity Siphon wasn't working fast enough. Went to Home Depot and upgraded to 1" tubing. That did the trick. Added Salt to the system. 09.16.09 Added Live Sand to the Sump. 09.25.09 Added Live Rock to the Sump. 09.27.09 Discovered a leak in the overflow box where it connects to the flex tubing. Fixed it. 09.28.09 Discovered another leak in the overflow box where it connects to the flex tubing. Fixed it. 09.30.09 Discovered yet another leak in the overflow box where it connnects to the flex tubing. Added enough Silicon to reinforce the Hoover Dam. 10.05.09 Added 5 year old Amphiprion ocellaris to assist with cycling. 10.08.09 Discovered first Brown Diatom Algae growth. Also noticed dozens of Copepods and Amphipods throughout the entire system. They had to have started in the Sump and expanded through a 325 GPH pump and the 1" Gravity Siphon!
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Saturday, November 7, 2009 9:39 PM
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(Originally posted October 20, 2009) Final Preparations This past Sunday I purchased six Picasso clowns! They came from a breeder out of North Carolina and I'm able to trace the lineage back two generations for sure. The paternal grandparents came from ORA (where they were selectively bred for who knows how long) and the maternal grandparents lived in the Solomon Islands. The next generation were the parents of my fish, a Snowcasso (from the ORA Picassos) and a WC True Perc (from the Solomon Islands percs). I think adding the Solomon Island fish into the mix helped with the gene pool a bit and also changed the color pattern slightly for the better. With six fish on the way, I had decided to pair them from Day 1 within three separate broodstock tanks. To accomplish this, I built a DIY Divider for the 40 Gallon Breeder using eggcrate and plastic canvas sheets. I've also added some vibrant looking fake plants from Tetra that I'm hoping will make the fish feel more secure and encourage good coloration. Here we have the DIY Divider and new Aquascaping: Again the divider with some new inhabitants! The little guys arrived around 10AM this morning via UPS overnight in breathable Kordon bags. Several of them actually looked quite happy, others were clearly in shock. But within minutes of beginning to acclimate they all looked fine. I couldn't believe that any of them had already formed any strong bonds so I took it upon myself to pair them up as I saw fit. Michigan & Niles The first pair I made was Michigan & Niles (these names probably aren't permanent, just an easy way for me to ID them for now.) I hate to show favoritism early on, but these are my favorite. Michigan looks like... well, Michigan. Niles has a beautiful flowing pattern from tail to midsection, like a winding river. The camera I'm using is digital and I'm forced to focus on the glass then move the camera forward a few inches in an attempt to get a clear focus. It's really hit or miss and I spent the most time trying to capture these two. Back to the pics! Michigan & Niles Good shot of Niles (lower right) Good shot of Michigan (lower) Spot & Blotch I know the names are terrible and the pics are equally as bad. Of the three pairs, this was the only pair to show immediate signs of aggression and territory disputes. Spot appears to have taken over the flower pot and poor Blotch is hiding up by the heater. Spot is without a doubt the aggressor. It has a distinct spot in its white midsection which you really can't see in the pic. Blotch has a huge blotch of white on its cheek which you again can't make out in this pic. Spot Blotch White Tip & Mako The final pair is White Tip and Mako. They are the lone pair in the 20 Gallon and seem to like hiding out behind the flower pot rather than inside of it. White Tip has a completely white Dorsal Fin. It's not the only fish to have that characteristic but it was showing it off very proudly early on and I think it's going to look fantastic one day. Mako is a cool sounding shark name and I thought it went well with White Tip, thus the name. White Tip & Mako Finally I thought I'd leave you with some full tank shots. I've made sure to seal off every inch of the tanks since I'm prediciting some jumping that will be occuring over the next few months. I'm pretty proud of the new egg crate lid as well.
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Saturday, November 7, 2009 9:42 PM
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Saturday, November 7, 2009 9:44 PM
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(Originally posted November 03, 2009) Week two is in the books for the fish and it was a pretty busy week. I got around to painting the 20 gallon tank after being concerned that my third pair, White Tip and Mako, were having privacy issues(more on that later). I also rearranged the brood stock tanks slightly because the water flow was knocking around some of the decorative plants. The fish seem petty happy with the new arrangement but it has made taking photos and video a little more challenging with all their new hiding spaces. But the big event is the miniature jellyfish infestation. On Saturday I did a water change. When I was done, I noticed a hydroid of some sort swimming in the sump. Upon closer inspection, I counted nearly a dozen of them. I've seen them before and wasn't too concerened. They've popped up and then disappeared within a few days in a few of my systems. 72 hours later, I'd estimate there are over 200 throughout the entire system. They are attaching to the walls and bottom. The fish don't seem to notice them and don't view them as a food source like the other little critters I see them hunting from time to time. If they're still around this Saturday, I'm going to siphon them out with the weekly water change. The sheer volume of them has me concerned. Back to the fish. Not much to report on Michigan and Niles this week. Niles is spending a little more time on his own now that he has a new decorative plant forest in the corner of the tank. The only time I see him now is when he goes out for a swim around the tank perimeter or during feedings. Spot and Blotch have really amazed me with their continuous color development. I know that this is mostly the normal Amphiprion percula color pattern that I'm seeing (referring to the black on the fins) but it's interesting that these two fish are developing at the same rate and the other pairs haven't begun this at all (with the exception of Mako). If you really take a look at the pictures I'm posting, you can clearly see that Spot and Blotch look significantly more mature than the other fish. Another really interesting thing is the appetite of these two. They are eating faster and more aggressively than any of the other pairs. Blotch (who I still presume to be the male based on behavior) has grown significantly. Spot is still the dominant fish, but I'm almost postive that Blotch is now as large, if not larger than Spot! I think the painting did the trick because White Tip and Mako are finally spending a little time together. White Tip seems to get lonely and seeks out Mako every now and then just to give him a hard time. I'm a bit worried that Mako isn't eating enough. He's still afraid to leave his comfort zone and I see him looking at food eagerly but unwilling to go for it unless it's in his immediate vacinity. Here are a few pics of the fish. I'll be posting videos later tonight when the camera is recharged. Michigan Michigan Niles Spot and Blotch Spot and Blotch Blotch White Tip White Tip
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Sunday, November 8, 2009 7:25 AM
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Nice setup. I'd be uncomfortable with the gravity siphon. Any reason you don't drill the tank and use a durso? Also, how did you deal with they hydroids? Are you from Niles, Michigan
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Sunday, November 8, 2009 9:03 AM
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Believe me, you're not the first person to ask about the gravity siphon. To be honest, I've never drilled a tank before and I didn't want my first attempt to be on a new 40 gallon breeder! I can assure you that there's no way that this siphon would ever slip. It weighs too much when it's full of water and it's completely secured by the hood on the 20 tall. And there hasn't been any air bubble accumulation in the last month that it's been running. As long as Gravity remains constant on Earth, I should be ok! I siphoned a majority of the hydroids out with the last water change. They settled on the bottom and sides of the tank so it wasn't too difficult. Here's what they look like from the underneath next to a nickle for reference. I'm not from Niles, Michigan. I had never heard of Niles, Michigan and it's honestly just a coincidence that I chose those names and then got invited into a breeding initiative based in Michigan!
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Sunday, November 8, 2009 10:09 AM
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Nice setup and very detailed log so far. Keep up the good work!
Chad Penney - MBI Council Agis quod Adis
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 11:11 AM
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Today marks the 21st day since the Picassos arrived. Chris and Barb were kind enough to stop by this week for a visit and some frag swapping. One of the smallest Superman Mushrooms they traded me had detached in my reef tank and I've added it to the sump of the Broodstock system for good luck. I haven't shown a picture of the sump for over a month so I thought I'd document some of its progress as well. While I was taking pics of the new mushroom, two serpent stars emerged from the live rock to say, "hello." Michigan and Niles continue to spend most of their time apart with the exception of the nightly perimeter swim prior to lights out. They have also begun to show a little aggression towards each other during feedings. There was no significant color development this week and they are clearly behind the other pairs in that regard. Spot and Blotch continue to be the model brood stock pair. They interact constantly and depend on each other for protection when leaving the flower pot during feeding time. Their existing black bars continue to thicken on every fin and their bodies have taken a two-toned appearance where I predict they will eventually be all black. Blotch is officially my favorite fish and is turning out to be quite the handsome devil. I got a pretty good pic of Spot this week. First time the camera really did her justice. White Tip and Mako have shown real progress this week. They spend most of their time apart but Mako does enter the bowl on a daily basis and puts up a good fight with White Tip. Mako is the only other fish with a black tail stripe and is also developing the two-toned look on his body. White Tip just started showing the first signs of black pigments appearing on her tail yesterday and I'm hoping to see some real difference there by next week. Sump Superman Mushroom & Serpent Stars Michigan Niles Spot Blotch White Tip Mako
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 1:32 PM
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One month has now gone by since I first got the Picassos! I know I promised pictures of another female showing black pigments on her tail this week but instead you get to see TWO! I'm going to start referring to the fish pairs as Alpha, Beta and Gamma for easier documentation. The Alpha pair (formerly Michigan & Niles) will get to keep their nicknames. The alpha female is "Michigan", the alpha male is "Niles". The Beta pair (formerly Spot & Blotch) are getting a name revamp. Every time I looked at the beta male, I'd think "Spot". I view it as a masculine name. The name Spot could just as easily refer to the pigmentation on his face so I'm officially swapping names and will be referring to the beta male as "Spot". The beta female will be named "Helen", a tribute to her Spartan-like helmet and her fierce, warrior-like aggression. The Gammas (formerly White Tip & Mako) will also see one minor name change. White Tip is not feminine enough to describe the gamma female fish's graceful beauty. I'm renaming her "Rose". Mako gets to keep his badass name. The Alphas still aren't spending a whole lot of time together. I was very surprised to discover that the alpha female did infact develop some black pigmentation this week that I didn't even notice with my naked eye. I might need to rethink the aquascaping in that tank because I've inadvertantly created two distinct territories in the tank that might be contributing to the pair's behavior. Next week we should see some real improvement in her coloration. The Beta pair is doing just fine but unlike a few weeks ago, it has become increasingly harder for me to tell if they have figured their gender roles out. The displays of aggression are practically non-existant. But when they do happen the Beta male appears to be the victor and the Beta female retreats. The fish have both grown to the same size and I really can't tell which is bigger. I'm still betting on Helen being the female based on the last month's worth of observation, but if I were to look at them today for the first time, I wouldn't be sure who was what. The Gamma pair is spending a lot of time together. The gamma female, Rose, developed black pigmentation on her tail this week. It's not as obvious as I was hoping it would be but I'm sure it will fill in fast now that the base is there. Mako has expanded his territory tremendously and I've seen him swim more than halfway across the tank during feedings. Picture time! Alpha female, Michigan, with some new black pigmentation. Michigan Alpha male, Niles, being a pain to photograph. The evasive Niles. Beta female, Helen. Beta male, Spot. Spot likes to ruin every picture by swimming vertically at the last second... The Gammas, Rose and Mako. Here we can see black developing on Rose's Caudal Fin. Note the white coloration bleeding onto Mako's Pectoral Fin.
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 1:25 PM
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It's been 5 weeks now since I first got the Picassos. The Alpha male finally developed black pigmentation on his Cadual fin. He was the last to develop it and now all the fish are sporting black on their tails to some extent. The Alpha female's black pigments on her tail fin extended quite a bit this week as was expected. Nothing new to report with the Beta pair. The Gamma male used to spend a lot of time rubbing up against the lips of the clay pot and it has irritated his skin under his belly. There is huge lump that is visible in the pictures. I'm assuming it will heal over time but I'm keeping a close eye on it. I'd hate for it to get infected. The Gamma female's tail pigmentation also continued to fill in. The next color development I'll be keeping an eye out for will be the Pectoral Fins. I'm pretty sure they are the last to develop. The Beta pair already has their Pectoral Fins completely filled in. The Alpha female and Gamma male may be showing the first signs of color developing there but it's too soon to say for certain. I'll be posting some video later today. Alpha Female Alpha Female Alpha Male Beta Female Beta Female Beta Male Beta Male Gamma Female Gamma Female Gamma Male
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Tuesday, December 1, 2009 2:31 PM
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Week 6 The Alpha female is spending more time out of the flower pot visiting with the male. I'm not sure if he is not allowed in the flower pot or just not interested in it. The Alpha female definitely filled in color on her fins. Nothing new with the Beta pair. I spotted the Gamma pair exploring their entire tank this week. The sore that I was keeping an eye on has completely healed on the male and you can see the difference in the pics. Alpha Female Alpha Female Alpha Male Beta Female Beta Male Gamma Female Gamma Male
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 11:45 AM
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Week 7 Alpha female continues to color up her pectoral fins. Her tail fin filled out nicely. Alpha male has definitely moved out of the fake plant forest and has adopted the HOB filter intake as his new territory. Using the flower pot and filter intake as a reference I'd say the female is now over 1.5" in length and the male is just over 1". The brief confusion I had over the gender roles of the Beta pair seems to be resolved. The original female has put on some weight and is once again firmly in charge of the duo. The Gamma pair hardly spends any time apart. The female's coloration on her tail fin seems to have stalled out for now. I'm heading to DPA this afternoon to stock up on some supplies. The fish are doing a better job of moving to the food and I think they can handle some higher quality frozen options. Alpha Female Alpha Male Beta Female & Male Beta Female & Male Beta Male Gamma Female & Male Gamma Female
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 5:01 PM
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Let me begin by saying there is no way that my fish are cleaning a nest site. They are simply way too young. Now that I've said that, has anyone had a pair of clownfish display nesting behaviors before they reached adulthood? Is this just an instinctual thing that indicates this pair may one day be very productive? Fun fact... the male parent of these fish, Uno, was 8 months old when he first spawned and my fish are now approximately 6-8 months old. But he was paired with an older female. Does this look suspicious to anyone?
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 5:14 PM
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They look to me like they're starting to get in the groove. No idea how long it will take them to be productive but I'd say it's a good sign. BTW, did you see your fish when they were a month or so old? I'm curious as to how quickly they get their stripes. My regular A. percula take significantly longer to stripe than my A. ocellaris. If yours have that much coloration at 6-8 months they stripe quicker than regular perculas. Hopefully I'll have some offspring from my Picassos soon so I can see for myself.
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Re:Breeding Journal, Species: Amphiprion percula, "Picasso" variant
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 5:30 PM
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I haven't seen any baby pictures but I'm sure there are some in Woodstock's Picasso Breeding Log over on the RC forums. I'm starting to think that stripe development is more dependent on the individual's gene pool more so than the species itself. I remember reading somewhere that percs develop their stripes sooner than occy's but in your experience the opposite seems to be the case. I saw ORA semi-picassos percs at my LFS the other day that were clearly older than my fish based on their size. They were probably 2-2.5" long but had no black development on any fin at all. Now would be a good time to point out that I don't know how old my fish were when I got them. Based on Doni's website, she sells that at 4-6 months old. I really think they are too small to be more than 6-8 months but I'm definitely still a novice at this. That's part of the reason why I'm keeping a weekly photo log. I suppose my fish could be older but I don't think it's very likely.
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