plaguedocboi

[plaguedocboi]

Those are more colors of clownfish than I could ever dream. They’re beautiful! Thanks for sharing your insider clownfish knowledge! I’ve really enjoyed your posts about the hatchery and learning aspects of this whole industry/hobby I hadn’t given much thought to.

I’m glad you enjoy!! I also didn’t know how many cool breeds of clownfish were out there until recently and I think they need some more attention. The longfins in particular are still crazy to me, like we just took a clownfish?? And made it a betta?? Wild.

[plaguedocboi]

Hey, don't cry. Little snail, ok?

[plaguedocboi]

how do *i* become an aquarist?

You probably need a degree in some field of biology and at least a year of experience in a large aquarium setting (though the requirements vary depending on the facility). The best ways to get experience are volunteering, internships or temporary jobs at public aquariums or aquaculture facilities. Personally I did a 3-month internship at one aquarium, then had two 6-month jobs at two different aquariums before I got my current permanent position. And yes, it does suck going from job to job and having to find housing but unfortunately that’s the game you have to play if you’re committed to that career path.

[plaguedocboi]

Do we know the evolutionary advantage of murdering your tiny husband?

Or is it just reckless disregard for the law?

Part of it is that clownfish social life is a bit violent on its own. The female is the biggest and most aggressive because her role is to defend their territory and chase off predators, but also because she has to keep the males in line or they might turn into a female and challenge her. Usually this intimidation ritual involves headbutts and nips, while the male adoptes a submissive posture to indicate that he isn’t a threat.

This aggression peaks when they’re defending eggs, and I guess sometimes wires get crossed in the female’s brain and she decides that the male is either challenging her or threatening her nest and she goes crazy and tries to rip him apart.

Another part is that in the wild, the male can just swim away and come back once she’s calmed down, but in a tank he can’t do that so she just keeps going after him and might eventually kill him. They also tend to live in large groups in the wild and if the female does murder her tiny husband, another male will very quickly become her new husband so it’s not a huge setback. But obviously that’s not the case with a mated pair living in captivity.

But, at its core, it is in fact because fish do not follow laws. They play by their own rules and do as they please.

[plaguedocboi]

sorry if this question has already been asked, but what do you do as a job exactly? are you a researcher and in what specifically? (love yr blog)

I’m an aquarist! I work full time at a clownfish hatchery in the winter and I’m planning to split my time between the hatchery and the local aquarium in the summer. Most of my job is animal care (feeding, cleaning, medical care, system maintenance, etc) but I also do some research and public education (mostly at the aquarium but some at the hatchery as well)

[plaguedocboi]

What are the different breeds of clownfish you work with? You've mentioned maroons, tomatoes, and onyxes. If possible could you include pictures? I know next to nothing about clownfish and would like to learn

We actually have over a hundred breeds, with about 80-90 listed on our website at any given time:

We have a few others that are either not available right now (sometimes we only have one breeding pair of a certain type and if they’re not laying eggs we just don’t have any for sale) or New Secret Breeds that we haven’t announced to the public yet.

We also breed dottybacks, fang blennies, lemon damselfish and yellow assessors, but obviously fancy clownfish is our main thing.

[plaguedocboi]

is it possible your clownfish tried to murder her ex because her ex is transitioning? i hear female clownfish will respond aggressively to midtransition fish before any external signs are visible to humans (source: bitch by lucy cooke)

It’s possible but unlikely. They were a breeding pair and had a fertile clutch of eggs when she decided to go after him the first time, so he was definitely male at that time. But you never know, fish are weird and maybe she picked up on some change that we can’t perceive. It’s also possible that she just decided she didn’t like him anymore, because female clownfish are mean and overly territorial sometimes

[plaguedocboi]

Do you have a little fish pastor for fish marriages? What about fish divorce court?

The fish officiate their own weddings and divorces because they have no respect for the law

[plaguedocboi]

We reintroduced one of these pairs (there was a divider in the tank) and she immediately tried to murder him again so now they’re divorced (he’s been moved to another tank)

Female clownfish will really live peacefully with a guy for years and have babies together and get along perfectly fine and then decide “eh, I’m bored, I’m gonna try to murder him”

[plaguedocboi]

It’s Moon Snail Mtuesday reblog to pass him to your followers

[plaguedocboi]

Hey y’all wanna see the worlds most appropriately unhinged phantom of the opera as it came up on my FYP?

[plaguedocboi]

"why is my mental health so bad" -> oh yeah I haven't gazed fondly at a large body of water in a month

[plaguedocboi]

Eepy!!!!

[plaguedocboi]

Stackable

[plaguedocboi]

He’s such a pretty little guy

[plaguedocboi]

Snootlers!!!