Picassos
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Fish
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about fish.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=24244
Printed Date: August 24 2025 at 1:12am
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Topic: Picassos
Posted By: jpndave
Subject: Picassos
Date Posted: March 06 2008 at 7:52pm
| I have a new pair of clowns that haven't eaten. I am wondering if anyone has any tricks to entice them to eat. I have fed flake, microcrabs, frozen baby brine, frozen mysis and they simply don't seem interested at all. They are a bit skinny and I am concerned for them, probably should just chill but I would sleep a whole lot better if they would just eat. They are tank raised true perculas from ORA. Pics in my thread in the general forum. |
Replies:
Posted By: cl2ysta1
Date Posted: March 06 2008 at 7:55pm
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if you just got them give em a day or two. they are probably just stressed. if they are tank raised they'll prolly eat anything. I think ora feeds pellets??? ora glo ------------- I <3 Boxers Achilles tang lover |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: March 06 2008 at 8:02pm
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Clownfish are usually not problem eaters but if they have caught parasites it can be hard for them to ingest anything. If you haven't tried marinating the frozen food in a drop of Garlic Oil without water, then I would suggest that as a definite measure.
Do you know that we have tank raised clowns right here in our midst? I would rather buy clownfish from Dave Tea than from ORA. And since you live in Hyde Park, those clowns are less than a half hour from you!  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: March 06 2008 at 8:08pm
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If they haven't eaten by the 3rd day after you bought them, go find some live brine shrimp and try that ------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 06 2008 at 8:30pm
I doubt they look like this
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Mark Peterson wrote:Posted By: cl2ysta1
Date Posted: March 06 2008 at 9:02pm
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picassos!!! ------------- I <3 Boxers Achilles tang lover |
Posted By: cl2ysta1
Date Posted: March 06 2008 at 9:02pm
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contact ora and see what they were feeding them for good measure ------------- I <3 Boxers Achilles tang lover |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 06 2008 at 10:00pm
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Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 06 2008 at 10:02pm
| I'm sure they'll tell me ORA glow food. I actually ordered some but they didn't send it with the fish. I'll give them until tomorrow. Hey, they flew in from Florida, maybe they have jet lag. Can you see why I might lose some sleep over these guys not eating? |
Posted By: cl2ysta1
Date Posted: March 06 2008 at 10:39pm
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uhh yeah i wont even ask what they cost cuz i have a pretty good idea. Petco down here carries ora glo. check your local petco? ------------- I <3 Boxers Achilles tang lover |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 07 2008 at 9:39pm
| They started eating this morning. I was just a little worried, kind of special, (expensive) fish. I really like these guys. The Tail spot is still my favorite right now. He is just awesome! |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: March 07 2008 at 9:41pm
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I'm glad they are eating now. That is definitely great news.
Mike -------------  |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 12:27pm
| Just an update on the picassos are doing great. THey are eating like pigs. These two are just about the sweetest fish I have ever met. They are always "snuggling" together, even more than just swimming close, they are inseperable. Always touching, and seem to really enjoy being together, I have never seen anything like it. My other clowns stayed together but not like this! Also, last night when I was moving some corals that the critters had bumped, the came right up to my hand and swam in. Very friendly little guys. |
Posted By: sanddune600
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 12:36pm
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I have seen these clowns personally they are very cool I wish i had some ------------- Andy Jorgensen My number is four three 5 7 six four 8 0 three four |
Posted By: bannshy
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 12:46pm
sweet that would have been stressful glad to hear they are eating
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Posted By: CrimsRayne
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 1:33pm
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That's awesome!
In the future you should see if you can get them to breed. Those would be so neat. Good find for sure. Congrats. ------------- "What we know from this hobby is too hard to share with the people who just want to look and not get wet." -Rioreefer "The Puffer Girl" Zoo freak :) West Jordan |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 2:00pm
| I would like to do that. Who on the boards has experience with breeding clowfish? When do they typically spawn - how old? When will they make the gender change? |
Posted By: dew2loud1
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 4:49pm
| its going to take a few years for them to mature to breeding age. aime breeds, and I just started raising maroon babies. |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 5:52pm
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That's ok, I'll just wait until they are ready. These two aren't going anywhere. They are just great! They have darkened (black) considerably on their stripes, fins and body (not the white). Is that normal under higher light? My old pair did the same thing. Their bodies are taking on an almost smoky look. I'll try and get some updated pics. |
Posted By: PeggySue
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 6:27pm
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Very beautiful fish! I'm surprized how little black they have on them. However, it's very common for clownfish to take at least a year or more to develop their full color patterns - especially the black. I'm surprized that you are seeing the black coming in so soon though. Maybe they were just pale from the travel and not eating well.
About how long from tip to tip are they? If they are no bigger than an inch long, they are probably around 6 months old. That means you have at least a year before they will be mature enough to start breeding. Since they are definitely paired up, then one of them has already decided to be the female. You will start to notice which one it is because she will become a little more agressive towards the other one and she will start to get bigger than him. The fact that they are the exact same size probably means that they just came from their breeding tank with a whole lot of other siblings. They probably paired them up right before sending them to you.
Please take Mark's recommendation and give them garlic. Traveling that far is stressful and you want to make sure that they don't develop ick over the next few weeks. It will help strengthen their immune system.
Dave Tee and I have both raised clownfish along with several others here on the board. There are about 4-5 people that are in the beginning stages of learning how to raise them so now is a good time to follow their posts and progress. In about 6-8 months, you will want to start learning how to raise the live food that the babies will need to survive. If you want a crash course, drive to Dave Tee's house in Brigham City and see his setup.
Amie
------------- Famous last words, "Parks, Recreations & Tourism" |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 7:05pm
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Thanks for the compliments. I think my lighting might have something to do with the smoky coloring. My ocellaris did the same thing. Their black lines have darkened a little. I'll get a pic as soon as I can. They are pushing 2" long. A lot bigger than I expected. They are just little sweethearts if I can use that word about fish. I have been very pleasantly surprised. I haven't noticed one being dominant yet. Just lots of snuggling.
I'll try the garlic. I have noticed some that says it included garlic.
I'll have to pay Dave Tee a visit. My wife parents are there and we visit them occasionally.
I am getting a start of tiggerpods from John Piotrowski and he sent me Amie's article. Is that the best way to do all this? Will that work for the babies? How many babies do the True Percs have typically in a batch of eggs? I read somewhere it is more than ocellaris. It will be interesting to see if the babies have the same patterns. I am going to buy a pair of Onyx as well. I have a little 8 gallon biocube that I thought I would start them out in as they will be only 3 months old. How long will they be ok in that tank?
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Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 7:05pm
| BTW, do you have links for any of those threads? |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 7:35pm
| Where do I find garlic oil? |
Posted By: PeggySue
Date Posted: March 13 2008 at 3:17am
Go to a health store and get garlic capsules. Take a small needle and poke a hole in one of them and place 1-2 drops of oil on a cube of food while it is still frozen and let it soak in while the cube is thawing. Place the needle back in the hole of the capsule for storage. Don't do this more than every 4 days or so because the oil can leave a thin layer on your water surface. It's always a good idea to feed garlic to your tank for 2-3 times over the course of 2 weeks after you have introduced a new fish to the tank.
Did I do that right Mark P.?
------------- Famous last words, "Parks, Recreations & Tourism" |
Posted By: PeggySue
Date Posted: March 13 2008 at 3:27am
Tiggerpods really don't have anything to do with raising baby clownfish. However, I have actually raised a batch of them on baby tiggerpods, but that was totally by accident because my rotifers had all died. You really need to raise rotifers for baby clowns.
I would have to look that up. But off hand, I would have to say .. more than you can raise. They typically have at least 300-500 eggs. In the wild, probably 800+.
I'd love to know the answer to this question. I'd like to know what they crossed to get the picasso's in the first place.
You could easily raise them in a 10 gallon, so I don't know why they wouldn't be okay in the 8. Don't be shocked when they are dark orange when you get them. They take almost a year to develop into pure black. The ones I have are almost 2 years old and there is still a faint hint of orange on the females mouth. It would really be interesting to cross an Onyx with a Picasso.
------------- Famous last words, "Parks, Recreations & Tourism" |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 13 2008 at 9:29am
Thanks PeggySue, I'll try that. Or is it Amie.....
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Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 8:17am
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My pair is recovering nicely. I though I would post these pics from the thread on Reef Central. I hope mine color up like these:
This was my pair when I got them in September.
 This is them two days ago.     |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 8:53am
I'll get this whole tiggerpod cultivating thing down first and then add the rotifer culture. Same procedure?
I'd love to know the answer to this question. I'd like to know what they crossed to get the picasso's in the first place. [/quote]
I have heard that the picassos all come from the same pair at ORA and that it was just a lucky accident. Not positive on that though. Maybe I'll call them to see.
Ok, just called ORA and they said they got in a few freak picassos originally and have been selectively breeding them. Even now, they only get 1/3 to 1/2 of the babies picassos out of two picassos. Hence the high price.
You could easily raise them in a 10 gallon, so I don't know why they wouldn't be okay in the 8. Don't be shocked when they are dark orange when you get them. They take almost a year to develop into pure black. The ones I have are almost 2 years old and there is still a faint hint of orange on the females mouth. It would really be interesting to cross an Onyx with a Picasso. [/quote]
I won't be shocked on the color, I am going to buy a bunch of babies and see how they color up. My understanding is that they come in with only one stripe and no black. The Onyx I am looking at keep a bit of orange even as adults. I would really love to give it a shot and down the road a pair of picasso/onyx would be cool to try!
Does anyone have links for some good breeding threads? What is Dave Tee's username?
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Posted By: PeggySue
Date Posted: March 21 2008 at 8:35pm
Almost identical.
I would really be surprized if they came to you with only one stripe. That would mean that they are under a month old and they would be about 1/4" long. Where are you getting them from? Bird World just got some beautiful tank raised ones in. I was surprized how dark a couple of them were for being so young.
Dave Tee doesn't have a computer. You would have to call him directly or go out to his place and talk to him. I'd be glad to send you a list of good sites to go to. ------------- Famous last words, "Parks, Recreations & Tourism" |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 22 2008 at 1:54am
I would really be surprized if they came to you with only one stripe. That would mean that they are under a month old and they would be about 1/4" long. Where are you getting them from? Bird World just got some beautiful tank raised ones in. I was surprized how dark a couple of them were for being so young. [/quote]
They very well may have two. I do know he will ship them very young but not before he is confident that they are ready. I really have my heart set on the Rod's. If you want a few when we order, I may be able to add a couple on. I am bringing in some extras to sell after they all grow a bit. You are welcome to those as well. I am intrigued by the possibility of an Onyx/Picasso cross. That is a ways down the road but I would like to try it. How old do they have to be to start breeding?
Dave Tee doesn't have a computer. You would have to call him directly or go out to his place and talk to him. I'd be glad to send you a list of good sites to go to. [/QUOTE]
That would be awesome! I would love to read up some more.
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Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 24 2008 at 12:39pm
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Ok, picasso update. I completed the treatment of Maracyn-Two and they appeared to be cured. Put them back in the main tank after 6 days of quarantine/maracyn treatment. A day or so later, the pink cotton candy looking growth is back on the white stripes mostly on one fish but a tiny bit on the other. I called ORA and am waiting for a response from them. Any suggestions? I will try and get a picture in a bit.
On the brighter side of things. I traded for an anemone on Thursday and they dove in sometime last night, can't even hardly find the one that is sick it is hosting so deep.
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Posted By: bannshy
Date Posted: March 24 2008 at 12:45pm
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That stinks I was hoping you could relax and enjoy the clowns. I am glad they like the rose. Any pictures. I am loving the zoanthids they are georgeous.
Did you get your hulk? I would love to see pictures of it.
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Posted By: cl2ysta1
Date Posted: March 24 2008 at 2:11pm
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check your water quality. i'm guessing you just have bacteria in the water. after i treated mine they went in a completely different tank. ------------- I <3 Boxers Achilles tang lover |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 24 2008 at 3:58pm
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Hmm, I wonder if they got stung by that elegance again before they went into the anemone? I don't have another tank to put them in, just the cube and the nano that I quarantined them in. How can I get rid of the bacteria in the main tank without hurting anything else? Do I just let them work through it themselves? Quarantine again?
Yes, I do have the hulk now. INCREDIBLE piece! Coloring up intense green and purple coming in nicely.
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Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 24 2008 at 4:01pm
| I just did a series of 7 - 5 gallon water changes to give live water to my brother and Andy (sanddune600). That should have helped out if anything. I did a 5 gallon change then waited a bit, then another 5 gallons, etc. Temps and salinity were dead on for all the changes. Everything else, including all my acros are happy and open. |
Posted By: Tresa
Date Posted: March 24 2008 at 8:47pm
| If it were me, I would keep a close eye on them, maybe they will turn around on there own. It is necessary to use quarantine at times but I think too much can cause a lot of stress..............so do we get pics of the new zoos? |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: March 24 2008 at 10:23pm
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I think I will do that. They are REALLY hosting that anemone. I think that the clown with the fungus has rubbed half of it off in the anemone. They are both eating well and I hate to stress them again. I will watch them very closely.
The new corals aren't zoas (well except for the armageddons). Acros, chalices, and some others. I'll try and take some pictures.
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Posted By: cl2ysta1
Date Posted: March 24 2008 at 10:30pm
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i think the anemone will def help ------------- I <3 Boxers Achilles tang lover |