Amphiprion ocellaris “Orange Ocellaris Clownfish”, Captive Bred

This is the classic orange Amphiprion ocellaris, also at times called things like “Nemo” or the older “False Percula Clownfish”. It remains a staple in the hobby, and between this and the related “True” Percula Clownfish (A. percula) and the Darwin Black Ocellaris (A. sp. “Darwin”), represents the closest thing we have to the saltwater guppy. Designer genetics and hybrids overshadow classic fish like this, yet, a wild-type ocellaris is a useful tool for breeders attempting to “suss out” the genetics of a designer fish they’re mated to.

We now have multiple “strains” and variations that could be easily confused with a standard wild-type Ocellaris.  Three in particular are worth nothing here.  First is the Fancy; this is a selectively bred strain from Sustainable Aquatics which has heavier black margins on the fins and, as adults, can have black develop long the back or flanks. Vivid Fancy is similar to Fancy; it is also part of the Fancy strain, but is the wild-type (3-barred) offspring from breeding with Fancy Whites (aka. DaVinci / Gladiator gene in the Fancy strain).  Rumor has it that some Vivid Fancies may actually carry the Davinci gene, but otherwise they look the same as a Fancy.  The newest strain is the “Blaze Orange”, also from Sustainable Aquatics.  I myself was a skeptic, but Blaze Orange clearly shows a brighter, more vivid orange shade than the classic A. ocellaris.  Even when young, the differences between wild-type, Fancy, and Blaze Orange, are apparent with close observation; this is even more prominent in person than the camera suggests:

Since orange Ocellaris Clownfish are pretty much available anywhere, If I have captive-bred A. ocellaris available, they like came along with something else, were a special order, or are a particularly nice line or geographically pure, traceable line.