OMG!!!! Another clown question..

[bobothewizard]

Ive had 4 perc clowns in my tank for around a year now. All of a sudden one of the bigger ones is starting to turn dark brown around the whole length of the top of the fish. Any ideas what this is from? All the other clowns are fine.. No host anenomies in the tank..
[ November 19, 2001: Message edited by: Bobothewizard ]

 

[fpats]

Mine is doing the same thing, and it is also my bigger one. He looks so happy eats like a pig, just these wierd brown patches across his back.

 

[bobothewizard]

ohh come on all you experts out there have to know the basics about clown fish

 

[bobothewizard]

bump

 

[blutang]

That happens when clowns start to grow and age....its totally normal and I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[orby]

I don't know alot about clown fish but this is a quote from one of my books and may explain the change in coloring.
"Juvenile clowns are sexually immature and are hermaphrodites. In a group, the most dominant fish grows largest and becomes a female. The second most dominant fish grows a bit less and becomes a male. The rest remain small immatures. Now here's where it really gets wacky. If the female dies, the male will take charge into a female and the most dominant immature fish will become the new male. Clowns can change from immature to male to female, but the path is not reversible. "
Hope this info helps out some.

 

[mark-24]

Yep that's how you get them to breed. The more dominat one becomes the female, and the colors do change a bit. And soon, your clowns will start breeding, but it is pretty unlikely they will grow up to be full grown fish.
-Mark

 

[bobothewizard]

Lol wonderful, they will go with the 100 or so odd emerald crab babies i had