Hubert Chan, ReefAquatica: A Passionate Clownfishman

This article focuses on the ATOLL magazine interview of Hubert Chan, a MAST publication, the man behind ReefAquatica.com and array of startling clownfish. His clownfish breeding system dwarfs most large reef systems.  So who is this guy? Well, read on as you may actually learn something new today about insane dedication, oh yeah and clownfish.

A Passion for Clownfish

by Hubert Chan

The MAST Executive encouraged me to write an article about my clownfish collection, and it is a pleasure to share my passion for clownfish with you. My collection is possibly the largest clownfish collection in Canada. I have over 32 different kinds of clownfish and color morphs. They are housed in various systems that combine to around 1000 gallons of saltwater. So why collect clownfish? I do not have a quick answer for you, aside from my immediate liking of them, ever since I saw their symbiotic association with anemones and their funny swimming actions. It was pretty much love at first sight. Going back to the age of seven, I was already a pretty keen aquarist and was keeping freshwater tropical fish and goldfish. I tried my hand at breeding goldfish at the age of 10. Although I was living in the tropics, and had easy access to the sea and a lot of the natural coral habitats, I did not really venture into the saltwater aquarium hobby as a kid. That was partially due to the constant discouragement from my parents, who said ‘saltwater aquariums are very hard and very costly’. My closest encounter with the saltwater hobby was that I kept hermit crabs and clams alive for 3 – 4 days. Of course, back then nobody told me that you cannot use dried sea salt and tap water to keep them, let alone explained anything about salinity or ammonia buildup. However, even back then, I knew that one day I would venture into the saltwater hobby. I started off in the hobby, like most of us, by going out and purchasing my first fish – an orange Ocellaris clownfish. Then I drove around the city and beyond, to buy frags and used equipment. Thanks to MAST, AquariumPros.ca, and many other forums, I have met a lot of reefers from different walks of life, and made lots of friends. Instead of talking about my equipment and water parameters of various systems, I will tell you some of the lessons I learned living with clownfish throughout the years.

What are the rarest clownfish in your collection?

There are a few different ones. The Picasso Premium, Tequila Sunrise, and Latezonatus are probably the most prized out of my whole collection.

• Picasso premium clownfish are Amphiprion percula, but bred for their special barring pattern. They actually have their bars connected together.
• Tequila Sunrise clownfish are A. ocellaris but they are selectively bred to produce a no-barring pattern, complete orange in color.
• A. latezonatus clownfish, also called wide-banded clownfish, are from Australia. When they reach adulthood, their middle band becomes a trapezoid pattern. They are one of the largest clownfish.

How many clownfish do you have?

I stopped answering that question after the number surpassed 200. J I do have breeding stock that also adds to the numbers.

What is your favourite clownfish?

It is the original A. ocellaris, with orange and white pattern, surely the most universally loved clownfish ever!

How many species of clownfish are there?

There are two genuses (Premnas – Maroons) and (Amphiprion) that contains 29 scientifically recognized clownfish species. However within each species there might be more than one color morph making a lot of different combinations. For example, within the Amphiprion clarkii species, there are at least 16 different documented color morphs. A lot of us are very familiar with the orange ocellaris and black ocellaris.

Why is my clownfish shaking?

It is a demonstration of submission and is essential in the setting up the clownfish family hierarchy in the pairing process. Clownfish are protandrous hermaphrodite and are capable of changing sex at different stages of their lives. They are born as juvenile and can change to male, which in turn can change to female; being female is at the top of the clownfish hierarchy. A clownfish family consists of one female,

one male and the rest stay as juvenile.

What are the most aggressive clownfish?

The White Striped Maroon and Gold Striped Maroon are the most aggressive, followed by the Tomato complex (i.e. percula body shape), which includes the Tomato (A. frenatus) and Cinnamon (A. melanopus).

How do I pair off clownfish?

For most clownfish species, it is easiest to pair them off by putting one large and one small fish in a single tank. The only exceptions are the Maroons in the genus Premnas. In their case, you might need to initially use a fence to physically separate them, or they might kill each other within minutes. There is no guarantee that two clownfish will pair off and become a bonded or breeding pair. However, on average, you have about a 75% chance of success with this method, provided both clownfish are of the same species and color morph. Tank-raised clownfish tend to pair off a little easier, due to their upbringing.

Can I pair an orange ocellaris and black ocellaris?

Very likely, as almost 99% of all black ocellaris are tank raised, and there are many reports of success with this combination. However, be warned that the offspring of such a pair do not normally have a very interesting pattern or coloration; they tend to have a brownish maroon color, with the normal ocellaris barring.

How do I get my true percula (or black ocellaris) to turn darker?

The melanistic nature of clownfish seems to be triggered by maturity and strong lighting, at least for the percula complex. Therefore, you will have a better chance of turning your true percula or orange-mouth black ocellaris into a melanistic coloration by using metal halide or strong T5HO lighting.

What is a true ONYX percula?

In order to be classified as a perfect ONYX, the true percula has to have:

(i) body area between 1^st and 2^nd band are completely black,

(ii) body area between 2^nd and 3^rd band are completely black,

(iii) mouth, fin and tail colours are optional.

My clownfish ‘host’ is a coral: should I be concerned?

When a clownfish chooses a coral as its host, it might hurt the coral. This is common amongst goniopora, torch, frogspawn, and hammer corals. On the other hand, the fish might also get stung by the corals. For example, zoanthids may well give them black spots that are harmless, but can be unsightly.

What if my clownfish ‘host’ is a power head?

A lot of the smaller clownfish do like to sleep near power heads, and sometimes they do get sucked into the intake.

What anemones should I get for my clownfish?

This is a tricky question. Each species of clownfish is associated with a few types of anemones in their natural environment. However, keeping an anemone alive for the long term is 10 times harder than keeping a clownfish alive. Therefore, I do not recommend aquarists follow the exact combination found in nature, unless the anemone is a bubble-tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) or a haddoni carpet anemone (Stichodactyla haddoni). Most clownfish will associate with a hosting anemone different from the one they would associate with in nature, once they feel its touch. Some clownfish species might take a bit longer to recognize the anemone than others. This leads naturally to the next question…

How do I get my clownfish to host in the anemone?

There is not a single correct way, but there are a few tips that an aquarist might want to try:

• Choose a natural host, if the host anemone is one that can be fairly easily maintained in an aquarium (e.g. maroon clown & bubble-tip anemone).
• Introduce the anemone into the clown’s tank, and be patient. Eventually, the clownfish will brush against the anemone’s tentacles, and may choose it as a host.
• Let the clownfish learn by watching. People have tried putting a picture of a clownfish swimming in an anemone up against the tank, so the clownfish can see and maybe mimic the picture. I think it is much more likely to work, if you put one tank already containing a clownfish pair established in an anemone, next to the tank containing the clownfish you wish to train.

My clownfish is tank-raised; will it recognize the anemone as its host?

That is never a real problem for any of my tank-raised clownfish; however, as noted above, some do learn faster by watching others.

What should I look for when buying a new clownfish?

The obvious things are that the fish is alert to your presence, and its body is clear of any parasites (ich, velvet, white film). Also, check its breathing rate. Make sure that it is breathing normally, and that it is not swimming into the current.

How should I quarantine clownfish?

Wild-caught clownfish are notorious for brooklynella (white mucus film on the body). It is recommended that all wild-caught clownfish are put into a quarantine tank. This will provide you with an easy way of monitoring and netting them. Wait for a couple of days or so, until the fish has settled down and started eating. Then give it a formalin bath for a maximum of about 45 minutes. Repeat the bath, once a day, for three consecutive days. Professional quarantine should be in a bare-bottom tank, with a seeded sponge filter, heater, and pvc tubes for hiding. The recommended quarantine period is a minimum of 30 days.

Why is my clownfish biting the rocks?

This is actually a pre-spawning ritual; the male clownfish will try to clear the nest on a spot near their anemone (or their preferred nest site if an anemone is not present). If the female is happy with the location, she might join in the effort. Although this is a pre-spawning ritual, this does not actually guarantee that your clownfish will lay eggs in any specific timeframe.

So my clownfish have laid eggs, what should I do?

If you want to raise the fry, you will have to start culturing your own rotifer (and maybe phytoplankton depending on the product you use). Rotifer will be the first food for your clownfish fry. Without it, they will not survive to the metamorphosis phase (bar development). If you do not get the culture in time, do not worry because once clownfish lay eggs, they do it like clockwork every 10 to 15 days, depending on the pair’s cycle and external environment. I would love to go into details on breeding, but that would be the topic of another time.

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