Grade B Picasso Clowns?
 

What does this mean? J&L has "Grade B" Picasso Clowns right now. They don't have nearly as much black as the ones I have seen in pics though. Does Grade B just mean what it sounds like...they aren't as nice looking?

Also, I know these guys are basically a color mistake that has been breed OVER AND OVER again...aren't they starting to get kind of inbred by now?

Do they live as long? Are they not technically a genetic mistake and maybe even not the 'strongest' fish?

Yep, just not as nice as the better Picasso clowns...they will have less white markings. They may not even be nice enough to be considered "true" Picasso clowns. Younger fish have less black than older fish. It takes time to develop. I wouldn't be too worried about that.

They don't appear to be any more sensitive than typical tank bred ocellaris clowns, so the breeding doesn't seem to have affected them much (yet?).

Did you happen to notice how much they were?

$75 I was in JL today

Here's my Grade A pair;

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...a/DSC_0037.jpg


My Grade B little Picasso on the bottom and one of the "pair" on the top

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...a/DSC_0041.jpg

Nice pair Chaloupa!

Thank you! I quite like them....and they live well with the 3d little guy....it's neat! However I did put a pair of Naked Clowns in the tank to see how that would work out and well, it didn't work...the Picasso's were the boss'!

I LOVE the patterns you get with the Picasso!!

Im sooooooo jealous ;)

Ack no need to be...they're really nice and are a few years old now...probably 4 years old...I got them "used" :lol:

Yeah I am cause I really want a pair but I am afraid my clowns will just kill them. Even Grade B ones would be $150 plus tax. I don't mind paying that or more if I know they will be ok. But I am very attached to my current clowns and could never give them away just to get new clowns.

Plus I kind of want the Grade A ones (I feel so silly calling a fish 'grade a').

I've been wondering also if I would be able to keep two different pairs in the 187G tank I'm building. Would be neat.

I think for sure you can if you add them all at once. My problem is the pair I have are already established. I kind of think I could add two more but I don't know if its worth risking.

If I do try, it will be a pair of black clowns. And I would try to find some from a member that come with an anemone, so hopefully I can put the nem on the other side of the tank and they will keep hosting it away from my current clowns. We'll see.

I agree if you put them in at the same time you have a good chance....but not after the clowns have established themselves. My trio tried to kill the Naked Clown pair I put in.....and they had not been in the tank for a long time...just long enough...they're in a 150g and they use the entire tank. When people say clowns don't swim around much...well mine do...one side of the tank to the other...and they play host with ... a wavebox...no corals I have offered or anything. They did start to play in a large brain coral I had...but then I had a fish nipping it so the brain came out..and back to the wavebox.

GSP I totally get the wanting the Grade A or Premium pair. They are much nicer and great colors...now if only we could get some Snowflake or Snowcasso's in.....THAT would be cool! Here is a thread that sort of gives an overview of what this guy grades his clowns as;
http://www.donisreef.com/examples.html

Doni's a girl :biggrin:

I actually ordered 2 pairs (A & B) from her last year but they didnt make it. It was the shipping companies fault thou. Ordered overnight express and didnt arrive till 2 days later.

OOPS....even better though!:wink:

Too bad they didn't make it...some really nice fish on the site!

yea i was really sad. The babies were so cute when they got here. Just not alive :rip:

how did you order them? it says on the site that they only ship to the continental US?

I believe Phanman had asked Doni to give Canada a try (correct me if I am wrong Phanman) and due to the unfortunate results is not shipping anywhere other than the continental US at this time.

My clowns are the opposite, they will not leave their anemone much. The female left the other day and made it all the way to the other side of the tank before getting scared and zipping back to the nem. I have never again seen either of them more than about a foot from their home.

I've read in the wild clowns usually don't get much farther than 2 meters from their host nem... 2 meters in the ocean, 1-2ft in our tanks... Seems about right.. haha!

I dont have an anemone for my clown, but it never leaves his corner, spends the entire day in the upper right hand corner, never leaving it. Been that way since day 1 back in December.

Its a weird little fish though, no fear of humans at all.

Correct, I was the first person Doni had sent an order to across the border. Since they didnt make it, I was also the last. Too bad the shipping company messed up so bad, cause they were great looking specimens.

shipping wasnt cheap either, lol.

If I go down south this summer ill have them shipped to my cousins place and bring them back with me.