Sea & Reef Releases Two New Longfin Clownfish

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The The Longfin Black Photon Clownfish is Sea & Reef’s 13th Longfin Clownfish release to date. Black Photon Clownfish were created by pairing one of their Longfin Black Ocellaris Clownfish (also called Darwin Ocellaris) with one of their Onyx Clownfish (C-Quest line). Like the regular Black Photon clownfish, the early juvenile fish have a brownish coloration but as the fish grow larger the brown pigmentation changes to solid black. The orange coloration on the face, belly and anal fin is retained as the fish grows and matures.

The mutation that created the Longfin Clownfish came from a single fish. In December 2013 Sea & Reef’s Hatchery Manager Brandon Weik was looking into a tank of several thousand Black and White Ocellaris. He spotted a fish that looked very different than his brothers (all clownfish are born male). It had long flowing fins and was getting beaten up, probably because of its different look. The fish was isolated and later paired up.

Longfin Clownfish are not new to the hobby, but Sea & Reef’s Longfin Clownfish have a much different look to them. Their longfin clownfish have long flowing fins with a rounded, more even outline. This sets them apart from the typical longfin strain that display jagged, stiff fins with uneven edges. The reason for the different look of Sea & Reef’s longfin clownfish is due to the different genetic chararacteristics.

The Longfin Snow Onyx Clownfish were created by pairing one Longfin Phantom Clownfish with one Onyx Clownfish (C-Quest line). Like regular Snow Onyx clownfish, the early juvenile fish have a brown coloration and snowflake pattern. The black marking is faint in early juvenile Snow Onyx Clownfish, but as the fish grow, the color matures to black with some variations.

If you are interested in picking up captive bred fish from Sea & Reef then please visit your local fish store or you can purchase them online from various places including our store, Aquarium Specialty.

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About Author

Scott Groseclose is the owner of AquaNerd, Aquarium Specialty, Aqua Specialty Wholesale, BioTek Marine, & The Carolina Reef Experience. He has a degree in Biology from St. Andrews University and he has been a passionate reef keeper since 1988.