ocellarus clownfish changing color

[Mephistopheles]

Hey. I have a black ocellarus clownfish (named Poe) that has been doing fine, and still is I guess. But when I bought him, his little head was brilliant orange and now the black on it's body is sort of seeping into that so that now just the parts around his mouth and eyes are still orange. I was just wondering if this was a sign of stress or poor diet or something else. Or maybe it's nothing; I don't know.

 

[Mephistopheles]

oh, and also he has started a new behavior after like the two months that he's been in there. I have a "patrick star bubble house" decoration that's covering itself with algae and he likes to "lay" on top of it and keep his tank mate, a blue devil damsel, far away. (when he first got in there, there was also a firefish gobie but she has since passed away :-( RIP emily). hope he's just grumpy.

 

[mhaynes01]

as for the color thing i am not sure, btu the guarding of the decoration is normal for clowns to host somethign and protect it or take refuge in it

 

[blorkiemom]

I've got a pair (I guess--not sure exactly when they go from "pairing up" to "pair") of black ocellaris, and they both have very little orange--just right around the face. And really, it's not orange--more gold. The LFS told me they would likely go more orange as they mature, but I haven't seen any change in 3 months. I do know from reading that clownfish can take a while to grow into their adult coloration, so I bet what you're seeing is normal. (Fading or paleness, not so much.)

Mine lay under the PVC, almost sideways. I think that's pretty normal (seconding mhaynes01). Maybe Poe has a crush on Patrick!

BTW, if Poe is alone for too long, he'll become a she, if s/he hasn't already!

 

[piggybank2005]

it's perfectly normal. the fish just gets older that's all. darwin (black & white ocellaris) clown's orange fades and black increases as it ages.

 

[mhaynes01]

these fish are probaly tank raised, so they have been selectedly bred to get that color (colour)

 

[Mephistopheles]

thanks a lot. I figured that there wasn't anything to worry about. But after the death of Emily I guess I've just gotten really cautious.

 

[mhaynes01]

get another clown, if the neuter male(poe) excepts the new clown they will have definent sexes. btu make sure the new clown is either bigger or smaller then poe. will make it easier for them to decide what sex they will become