Longfin & Picasso Clownfish Pair

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

Hey all, I found an ad for the clown pair in the title. I was wondering if anyone could tell me the exact name of the respective clowns in the pics.

 

[PicassoClown04]

First one looks like a longfin mocha, second appears to be a low grade mocha Picasso clown :)

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

First one looks like a longfin mocha, second appears to be a low grade mocha Picasso clown :)

lol, they have grades? Jeez. I've been out of the game for too long. Okay, they're expensive. The owner only wants 80 USD for both. I find it sketchy. Do people normally sell their fishes for much cheaper than retail value?

 

[PicassoClown04]

lol, they have grades? Jeez. I've been out of the game for too long. Okay, they're expensive. The owner only wants 80 USD for both. I find it sketchy. Do people normally sell their fishes for much cheaper than retail value?

They do, usually people sell fish (especially clowns) pretty cheap because they want them gone. Healthy looking pair! If you like them then buy them :).

Picasso grades are based on how much white the fish has and the abstractness of the pattern (why the fish is called ‘Picasso’ in the first place). So if it had like a cheek spot, helmet, or weirder shaped middle white line it’d be higher grade but I always say that if you like a fish, buy it! Not everything has to be the ‘best’, beauty is in the eye of the beholder

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

They do, usually people sell fish (especially clowns) pretty cheap because they want them gone. Healthy looking pair! If you like them then buy them :).

Okay, that's reassuring.

Picasso grades are based on how much white the fish has and the abstractness of the pattern (why the fish is called ‘Picasso’ in the first place).

Cool, good to know. I think they get uglier with more white.

I always say that if you like a fish, buy it! Not everything has to be the ‘best’, beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I honestly just like the Longfin, but I'd never split a pair.


I'm sold though, I'll give the owner a deposit to hold them until I put up my QT.

Thanks for the help.

Sincerely,

Mr. Fishy Fish

 

[PicassoClown04]

Okay, that's reassuring.



Cool, good to know. I think they get uglier with more white.



I honestly just like the Longfin, but I'd never split a pair.


I'm sold though, I'll give the owner a deposit to hold them until I put up my QT.

Thanks for the help.

Sincerely,

Mr. Fishy Fish

They’re still juveniles, if they’ve been together for less than a year and they’re both under 2” they’re not really ‘paired’ yet. If the seller is willing, it’s no trauma to separate them at this stage in development and replace with a fish you like better. Most LFS will take a trade in, one clown for another.

a word of caution, longfin clowns are like betta fish in that they cannot handle strong currents. So if you have strong currents in your tank, turn them down because the clown’s swimming ability is impacted by the over sizing of the fins. Lost my first longfin to high flow :(

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

They’re still juveniles, if they’ve been together for less than a year and they’re both under 2” they’re not really ‘paired’ yet. If the seller is willing, it’s no trauma to separate them at this stage in development and replace with a fish you like better. Most LFS will take a trade in, one clown for another.

a word of caution, longfin clowns are like betta fish in that they cannot handle strong currents. So if you have strong currents in your tank, turn them down because the clown’s swimming ability is impacted by the over sizing of the fins. Lost my first longfin to high flow :(

Really, that might be an issue for me:(. What is considered as too much flow for them?

 

[PicassoClown04]

Really, that might be an issue for me:(. What is considered as too much flow for them?

It’s really on a tank by tank basis, if you have a large tank then they’re probably okay. You have to put them in and see if they struggle. If they struggle then turn the flow down until they don’t. If you’re running a lot of Sps this could be a problem but euphyllia, softies, anemones, and lps are usually okay with the lower flow these guys need

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

It’s really on a tank by tank basis, if you have a large tank then they’re probably okay. You have to put them in and see if they struggle. If they struggle then turn the flow down until they don’t. If you’re running a lot of Sps this could be a problem but euphyllia, softies, anemones, and lps are usually okay with the lower flow these guys need

I have no corals or fish yet, hell my tank is getting delivered as we speak. But I do plan to have lots of SPS corals. Yeah, I assumed it would be fine since it's a 200-gallon. So basically, I'm going to set up a 33-gallon QT for them with Fritz Turbo start while I get the 200-gallon ready. I figured since quarantine takes forever I might as well get a head start on it now.

 

[PicassoClown04]

I have no corals or fish yet, hell my tank is getting delivered as we speak. But I do plan to have lots of SPS corals. Yeah, I assumed it would be fine since it's a 200-gallon. So basically, I'm going to set up a 33-gallon QT for them with Fritz Turbo start while I get the 200-gallon ready. I figured since quarantine takes forever I might as well get a head start on it now.

You can always buy the fish now, they’re a good price. If you need to rehome them later due to flow issues a lot of people would be happy to take them :)

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

You can always buy the fish now, they’re a good price. If you need to rehome them later due to flow issues a lot of people would be happy to take them :)

I'm a forever home kind of guy, I'm going to grab them though. If the longfin doesn't do well when I put SPS corals in next year, then I'll just put them in a cube with an anemone. It's no biggie.

 

[TvanB1]

I used to have multiple spawning pairs of clowns.
They look a bit pale / washed out to me which means they could be stressed. I would ask for a video of them eating.
Picassos (and most other ‘designer’ clowns) have different grades. There is grading for both lineage and pattern. Different breeders have different names/abbreviations for grading.
The standard form for lineage is ‘F’ grading. F1 means that the parents of the clown in question are not related. F2 means the parents came from the same clutch. So on and so on.
That being said, longfins don’t have the strongest genetics. I prefer to buy from smaller breeders that care about keeping strong genetics in the mix. Large scale breeders such as S&R, ORA, and Bali Aquarich have seemingly been on the decline as far as producing genetically healthy fish.
The standard pattern grading for Picassos is ‘P’ grading. P1 means that all white bars connect, P2 means 2 white bars connect, etc etc...
If you are still waiting on getting your tank set up I would wait. There are plenty of clowns to go around and i’m sure you’ll find some that you’ll like just as much when the time comes around.

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

I used to have multiple spawning pairs of clowns.
They look a bit pale / washed out to me which means they could be stressed. I would ask for a video of them eating.
Picassos (and most other ‘designer’ clowns) have different grades. There is grading for both lineage and pattern. Different breeders have different names/abbreviations for grading.
The standard form for lineage is ‘F’ grading. F1 means that the parents of the clown in question are not related. F2 means the parents came from the same clutch. So on and so on.
That being said, longfins don’t have the strongest genetics. I prefer to buy from smaller breeders that care about keeping strong genetics in the mix. Large scale breeders such as S&R, ORA, and Bali Aquarich have seemingly been on the decline as far as producing genetically healthy fish.
The standard pattern grading for Picassos is ‘P’ grading. P1 means that all white bars connect, P2 means 2 white bars connect, etc etc...
If you are still waiting on getting your tank set up I would wait. There are plenty of clowns to go around and i’m sure you’ll find some that you’ll like just as much when the time comes around.

I'll ask for a video tomorrow. To me the longfin looks healthy, I think the Picassos color is a bit lackluster as well. Oh, I forgot to mention the owner will hold them for me while I set up the QT, so it's no hassle for me, the seller or the fish. They just want a deposit so they don't waste their time, which I find fair. Also, things are a little bit different in Canada atm because of COVID-19, it's really hard to get fish from LFS at a fair price right now. Some stores in my city are not even selling saltwater fish at all. Any other time I would agree on waiting, but right now supply is limited for me.

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

For those who are curious, the owner was being argumentative about sending me a video of them eating. So I backed out of the deal. The owner kept trying to pressure me into buying them by saying there is someone else interested. The worst part is the owner "guarantees" they're healthy. That was a big turn-off for me, the owner isn't a vet so they can't guarantee something like that.

 

[PicassoClown04]

For those who are curious, the owner was being argumentative about sending me a video of them eating. So I backed out of the deal. The owner kept trying to pressure me into buying them by saying there is someone else interested. The worst part is the owner "guarantees" they're healthy. That was a big turn-off for me, the owner isn't a vet so they can't guarantee something like that.

Good job backing out. A seller with healthy fish would have no problem sending you a vid of them eating, I always ask to see the fish eat before I even considering buying it. Chances are, the fish are not healthy and not eating well which is why he didn’t want to send a vid. Another pair will come along :)

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

Good job backing out. A seller with healthy fish would have no problem sending you a vid of them eating, I always ask to see the fish eat before I even considering buying it. Chances are, the fish are not healthy and not eating well which is why he didn’t want to send a vid. Another pair will come along :)

Thanks for the support! Yeah, either way, this works out for the best they both weren't my ideal choices.