can i get a nemo, please?!

[benny z]

recently i saw a fb posting where someone was asking a local vendor if they could buy their "most-nemo-ist-looking" clown fish. and they didn't mean a clownfish with a little fin.

made me think! have we gone so far down the unique path with breeding picassos, snowflakes, platinums, nakeds, misbars, *whatever* (!) type genetically-chosen morphs, that it's getting hard to find good ole nemo?

i imagine some of you old salts remember the days when you'd walk into a local fish store and find tanks of standard nemos. had you seen one of these oddball (or not so oddball?) morphs in a tank back then, you may have thought it was one of the ugliest things you'd seen and wondered why anyone would want such a poor-looking clownfish.

i witnessed this just the other night at my local national big box retailer, which now seems to be on the receiving end of ora specimens. a group of apparent college students were browsing the fish section, and one of the girls spotted the clowns. i listened in on some funny commentary about how if she were a fish, she'd want to be a clownfish... then they all started looking at the various clowns, and were pointing out that they all looked weird, like there was something wrong with them. "i would want to be a normal clownfish; not one of these". i lol'd and got a funny look before turning and walking off shaking my head with a big ole grin on my face.

it just made me think, as i have been thinking for some time, that all this crazy "i gotta be different" stuff leads us so far astray sometimes that it's kind of funny, and kind of saddening.

who knows! maybe the next nemo film will feature a platinum nemo in search of his stripes!

 

[revhtree]

Cool post!

 

[Railcar79]

Sad part is it is true. OC clowns are getting harder to find, and designers are becoming a dime a dozen.

 

[StikHedRon]

Petco..... Lies and Fish is what their sign says. Thats funny.

 

[benny z]

lol - i hoped someone would get my sense of humor.

i hope this doesn't offend anyone. just my morning musing and thought i'd share. the pictures were all just quick google searches and i claim no ownership.

 

[Railcar79]

No offense here. You can get good fish from petco, just have to know how...

 

[Russellaqua]

It seems I never see a plain ol' ocellaris anymore either. I much prefer the look of the original over any of the designer morphs, but that's just personal preference. With so many people having children, and many of those children wanting a "Nemo" I am surprised that they aren't still about all you can get. I'm sure the profit per fish sold is higher on a designer fish, but I'd think volume would make up for some of that lower profit on the "Nemos."

 

[CastAway]

Knowing full well what I'm looking at, I have the same reaction to designer clowns as the girl in PetCo! FAD gone wrong IMO, but we buy them. The clown at Amazing Aquariums & Reefs in Orange California, with a dollar sign pattern comes to mind - irony.

 

[GHill762]

there are misbars, nakeds, and funny bar patterns in nature as well (although more rare).. selective breeding just allows us to bring out these traits..

people are so worried about selective breeding but look at dogs, corn, tomatoes, etc.. it's ALL AROUND you, and it's the little fish you're worried about??

playing devil's advocate for a minute..

 

[Railcar79]

My concern isn't for the breeding, when I wanted a clown, I wanted a nice Oc pair. I don't like the fancies

 

[Krimzon]

I'm surprised someone hasn't tried to selective breed a clown with a little fin yet!

 

[Eienna]

I apologize for the lack of photo quality, but these are my occies. Local-bred misbar occies, a mocha and an orange. The orange was so tiny when I got him that I couldn't see he was missing an unpaired fin...but it doesn't seem to bother him.

Personally, as long as they're not straying into harmful or disabling mutations, I don't feel there's anything wrong with having some fun with patterns. The original wild-type should still be preserved, however.

 

[Krimzon]

I apologize for the lack of photo quality, but these are my occies. Local-bred misbar occies, a mocha and an orange. The orange was so tiny when I got him that I couldn't see he was missing an unpaired fin...but it doesn't seem to bother him.


Personally, as long as they're not straying into harmful or disabling mutations, I don't feel there's anything wrong with having some fun with patterns. The original wild-type should still be preserved, however.

The one on the left kind of looks like one of my true percs, are you sure he's an occie he's got really dark outlining.

 

[Eienna]

She's a mocha ocellaris. That's why she's so dark (a cross between a black occy and an orange occy). The shape of the first dorsal from the head gives it away.

 

[Krimzon]

Ohh cool, you learn something new everyday.

 

[Eienna]

Ohh cool, you learn something new everyday.

Yes, around here, I sure do XD

 

[MrDJeep123]

I agree that the extreme breeding is...a tad bit extreme. Lightning flavored Maroons? Not my thing. Super white, super black with awesome star designs that could rival any tattoo? Not my thing. This reminds me of a post a came across... Sustainable Aquatics had a LONG FINNED clown! It was an "accident" and it will be put to it's breeding paces for sure. It also reminds me of a Dr. Who episode in which there was the last human. She was a flat piece of skin with a mouth and eyes. Maybe that's what the clownfish will come to.

Great write up for sure!

 

[CastAway]

...look at dogs, corn, tomatoes, etc.. it's ALL AROUND you, and it's the little fish you're worried about??

playing devil's advocate for a minute..

No. I lump it all together personally; designer dogs prone to hip dysplasia, genetically engineered corn with questionable health implications, and tasteless tomatoes right along with purposely un-natural looking clown fish. Can't say I'm worried about it, just one of the few apparently, that doesn't like it.

 

[GHill762]

No. I lump it all together personally; designer dogs prone to hip dysplasia, genetically engineered corn with questionable health implications, and tasteless tomatoes right along with purposely un-natural looking clown fish. Can't say I'm worried about it, just one of the few apparently, that doesn't like it.

If you have a dog at all then it's been selectively bred. Man MADE dogs through selective breeding.

 

[FL_Reefer]

I got a couple of ''OG's'' if you will