Sea & Reef has been busy releasing new varieties of captive bred fish over the last 3 weeks and today they announced a third captive bred variety in as many weeks. The new release is called the Gold Lightning Maroon clownfish. We learned from Sea & Reef that the Gold Lightning Maroon Clownfish is a designer clownfish that was created by breeding a Sea & Reef Lightning Maroon Clownfish with a Sea & Reef Gold Nugget Clownfish. The offspring from this unique crossing display a variety of interesting patterns.
The Gold Lightning Maroon (Premnas biaculeatus) reaches a maximum size of about 6″ (15 cm) in length. A remarkable feature about the Gold Nugget Maroon is that they start out white. As the fish matures, the color changes from white to its final golden color. The color change typically occurs when the fish is about 1 to 1 ½ years old or about 2” or slightly larger. Since the Gold Lightning Maroon Clownfish is a new strain, Sea & Reef is not positive this fish will change to it’s golden hue as it ages. However, based on previous breeding experiences, Sea & Reef believes is fairly certain this color change will occur. Once the current stock matures, Sea & Reef will make an official announcement.
Juvenile Gold Lightning Maroon Clownfish
Temperament & Captive Care
The Maroon Clownfish is the largest known species of clownfish and has developed a reputation for their temperament. Females can grow to about 6 inches and can be very territorial, especially when defending a nest of eggs. Captive bred Maroon Clownfish are generally less aggressive compared to wild collected fish but they are still considered aggressive towards other clownfish. Because of their aggressive nature, it is not recommended to mix maroon clownfish with any other clownfish species unless the tank is very large in size.
Feeding
Maroon Clownfish have a healthy appetite and most clownfish are omnivores. There are many frozen and refrigerated meaty foods that clownfish will accept and we typically feed our clownfish (and other fish) LRS frozen food, PE Mysis and Dr. G’s foods. We also like to mix in Reef Interests NannoFlakes or NannoPellets to our frozen and refrigerated foods and our Sea & Reef captive bred fish take a liking to it right away. The food is highly nutritious and we feel it is one of the best algae based supplemental foods on the market today.
Aquarium Host Anemones
Maroon Clownfish will readily accept a wide variety of host anemones and many hobbyists keep them with the popular and hardy Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor). Clownfish do not require host anemones to survive or thrive but it is hard to not want Clownfish hosted with a beautiful anemone.
If you are considering a Maroon Clownfish then perhaps the new Gold Gold Lightning Maroon Clownfish from Sea & Reef is a fish you will consider for your marine aquarium. you can learn more about Sea&Reef by visiting their website. Sea&Reef only sells wholesale so look to your favorite LFS or online retailer. Retail pricing should range somewhere between $75.00 and $125.00 depending on fish size and/or supplier.
