clown coloration

[sturner]

I orignally purchased two clownfish (percs) from swf a few months ago. They were both the exact same color when I recieved them. Unfortunaltly one was very stressed and did not make it after a few days. I recently got another from here again, but the coloration is very different from the first one. The first one is a much deeper orange, and the black is very prodominant. The new fish, which is nearly the same size is a very light orange color with very little black showing. Is this an individual fish thing, or something else maybe indicating ---, type of food or just different environments?
Nevertheless, they seem to have bonded in only two days, and swim all over the aquarium together. How can I tell if they've paired up?

 

[dawman]

Not all perculas look the same as it depends on genes , habitat , food , and age . I have four different pairs of percula clowns and none are identical except for one pair which came from the same parents . They will hang out together all day when paired up and maybe when they reach adulthood you will have a mating pair .

 

[ct_vol]

I agree with Dawman... Habitat and food have a LOT to do with coloration... Well all of what he said... lol One of my friends owns a hatchery he has 10's of thousands of different varieties of clownfish... He has trouble with his Onyx Percs coloring up in the hatchery, but once he sells them and they're in an establshed reef, they color up just fine... When one of my Black Occelaris went carpet surfing, I got a new one from him... The new one was a dull black/grey compared to the one I'd had... But a few months later they match just perfect!!!

 

[sturner]

Thanks guys! I was thinking maybe that was the case. Is there any way to tell male from female? They are both about 2" already.

 

[dawman]

The more dominant one with become female and will grow bigger than the male .