Purchasing a pair of clowns, are these worth it?

[chaaban]

Hi everyone! Im soon going to be able to order my first fish to start quarantine with them before i place them in the DT. Im looking to buy a pair of Black ice snowflakes. I live in Canada and I found a a seller and was wondering if i can get some feed back from you experts to confirm that these are indeed black ice snowflake clowns. Also Ill be paying $300 for the two.

Heres the video of the ones available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA9DpcjiIOM

What do you guys think? :bounce1:

[Allmost]

Hubert is a very good guy. his fish are always eating and in good health.

they do look like my black Ice snowflake.

but only you can tell if they are worth it to YOU or not :)

but $300 for Black Ice snowflake is around where it should be. talk him down to 250 for the pair ;)

[chaaban]

OK just the answer i was looking for, I know he's a good guy from what I've heard but just wanted to make sure they are actually black ice snowflake because i might have to get them shipped instead of picked up.

Any idea why the website isn't working?

[greech]

The price is up to you and whether you feel they are worth it. I love clowns but all the different names are driving me a bit nuts. Much like corals, you can call it whatever you want and slap a Limited Edition sticker on it but I won't pay a premium unless I really like it.

Personally, I like the clowns in the video. I particularly like the wide "etched" middle bar. I probably would not pay $300 for them but that's just me.

[Allmost]

OK just the answer i was looking for, I know he's a good guy from what I've heard but just wanted to make sure they are actually black ice snowflake because i might have to get them shipped instead of picked up.

Any idea why the website isn't working?

no Idea, I usually just call him and go see him on saturdays lol

are you in Toronto ? PM me if you like, for other sources to check as well.

[chaaban]

Just got in touch with Hubert, the sites home page isn't working but this works, http://www.reefaquatica.com/store

[chaaban]

no Idea, I usually just call him and go see him on saturdays lol

are you in Toronto ? PM me if you like, for other sources to check as well.

PM'd :)

[grcforce327]

Is he calling them black ice, or snowflake;or are they from breeding a black ice to a snowflake?

They don't look like my black ice pair.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=6890&pictureid=50031
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=6890&pictureid=48460

[Palting]

Is he calling them black ice, or snowflake;or are they from breeding a black ice to a snowflake?

They don't look like my black ice pair.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=6890&pictureid=50031
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=6890&pictureid=48460

I'd have to agrree they don't look the same as what's on the video. Here are some more pics, and you can judge for yourself.

Black ice snowflake: http://www.orafarm.com/products/fish/clowns/black-ice-snowflake/

Snowflake: http://www.saltwaterfish.com/ORA-Premium-Snowflake-Clownfish--Aquacultured_p_2593.html

[chaaban]

They are "black ice snowflake" according to him... I'm far too new in this hobby to be able to judge by myself....

So what do you think these are if they aren't what he says they are? Is $300 too much for two juveniles?

[chaaban]

heres another site selling similar fish to the video (as far as i can tell) which are also labeled as, "black ice snowflake".

http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/proaquatix-amphiprion-ocellaris-premium-snowflake-clownfish-9887

[Palting]

Ok, here's what I would do, not saying this is what you should do. To me, they look like any other clownfish. If I myself cannot tell them from other clownfish, I would not pay $300 for them. There are so many other stunning fish that I can buy for $300, that are not "special" or "unique" but just simply cost $300 regularly. I can also buy several stunning fish for that same $300 and not just 2. Again, that's just me.

[chaaban]

Hmm, well I want clownfish for my first fish, and I want "black ice snowflake" how about some help on locating a pair of "black ice snowflake" in Canada since these aren't the ones....I was so excited to order these and now I'm bummed out :(

Any help is appreciated!

[Allmost]

Hmm, well I want clownfish for my first fish, and I want "black ice snowflake" how about some help on locating a pair of "black ice snowflake" in Canada since these aren't the ones....I was so excited to order these and now I'm bummed out :(

Any help is appreciated!

there is ORA black ICE snowflake.

and then there is black ice snowflake clowns.

these are different. and others are right, perhaps Huberts stock is not from ORA themselves.

if you want ORA ones, call TOM from Oakville reef gallery, or even hubert, and ask them to show you paper work saying its from ORA. see if they can get it in, and ask them how much it would be.

if you just want black ice snowflake, there are alot of breeders that do it, some I know in buffalo which ORG gets their stock in 3 times a year it seems, some here in barrie, and some from overseas, which ken from Seau marine gets. call different stores, and speak to the owners, or go for a long drive around and visit different stores and see what they have.

decision is up to you :)


if you want ORA stuff, it will cost more than it is in USA ... cause you have to ship it up here. if you just want the black ice snowflake clownfish .... then there are other cheaper sources.

if this is your first tank, and you just want clowns in it, then I dont see why you should be after certain names :) just visit stores, find a pair of clowns YOU LIKE, and get them ... in 10 years when you are bored of the selection, then hunt down your holy grail fish and corals ..... JMO.

[chaaban]

Well i Spent a lot of money on this reef tank, I purchased everything from life reef sump, refugium, skimmer, to apex, and dosers, and lighting and just about everything you can think of. And my plan is to slowly stock the tank with the fish i like the most. I have setup a quarantine tank as well, so I don't want to start with just normal clowns, although they are all beautiful in there own way, i always favoured the black ice clowns, the clown that made me love this particular type of clownfish is one similar to this:

http://alphaaquaculture.com/files/6313/5433/1797/2012-5-4-IMG_9384.jpg

I guess the hunt will continue to find a pair that looks like that, I emails Hubert about more info regarding the ones in the video.

[Allmost]

you missed my point.

there is ones ORA breeds,,

and then there is ones that other ppl other than ORA breed.

the pic you posted is not ORA ^ the ones Hubert has on video are not ORA.

ORA is a company that breeds fish and corals,

[chaaban]

Just received a reply after asking to get more info on the fish labeled as "black ice snowflake" in the video, and the reply was:

"Regular snowflakes will be lighter in orange, but will not have the darker hugh; theres also a black snowflake that i have available, heres a picture:"

http://www.reefaquatica.com/store/images/Black_snowflakes_RA.jpg

according to Hubert the ones in the video are indeed, "Black ice snowflake".

[chaaban]

you missed my point.

there is ones ORA breeds,,

and then there is ones that other ppl other than ORA breed.

the pic you posted is not ORA ^ the ones Hubert has on video are not ORA.

ORA is a company that breeds fish and corals,

I understand, but would you still say these are the black ice snowflakes or just regular snowflakes? The fact that they are bred by ORA or someone else shouldn't change the type it is, right?

[Allmost]

:)

black Ice snowflake is a fish

black ice snowflake from ORA, is different from the ones that come from indo.

[chaaban]

Im so confused haha, so the ones in the video and the ones from ORA, are both the same fish but one comes from indonesia and the other is bred to look that way by ORA using other clowns? :s

[Allmost]

these are "specialized clowns"

they look this way, through generation after generation of inbred breeding ! yes lol

when you breed thousands, some will be born with different patterns[mutated], each of those get a name, like snowflake or ...

now after generations of selective breeding [breeding a snowflake, with a black mutated clownfish] will result in another one .... hence the huge diversity we see today ... all different combinations are being bred ... lol


I believe ORA was the one who actually named them, so the term black Ice snowflake comes from them. they own the name lets say. but other clownfish breeders [which is the easiest fish to breed in salt water] can try to house a snowflake with a black bar or .. and get babies that look the same. ...

for example, ORG has a source in USA he gets his from.
Seau marine gets it mostly from Asia,
and Hubert gets some from USA, and breeds some himself.

hope that cleared it up a bit, and thats why I said look for the one you like in person ...

ALSO, since alot of in-breeding going on, many of these have mutated face/mouth, which becomes more obvious as they grow, so seeing the fish in person might not be a bad Idea ... just so you can look at it in person and see if you like it ... you know what I mean ?

[Slystone]

For that kind of money definitely see in person!

[chaaban]

thank you, that explains a lot! And definitely going to wanna see it in person so a trip to Toronto will soon happen :)

[billdogg]

JM.02 - if these are truly your first fish - why on earth would you spend $300 on them? I would strongly recommend getting something a little more reasonable for now, learning the in's and out's of fish keeping (and disease management) and then, in about a year or so, think about the more expensive fish.

[chaaban]

Ive had a nano reef a while back and now i want to go all out and setup the reef I've always dreamed of, and these clowns are my favourite....thats really the only reason.

[Spyderturbo007]

Take your time and get the perfect pair. I was like you and wanted to Snowflakes. I waited and waited and waited, until I found the pair I wanted. At that point, price wasn't a concern. They were the fish that I personally wanted to build my tank around.

So maybe in the meantime, go with a different fish until you find the pair you want. I added a purple firefish first and then ended up stumbling on my pair about 2 months later.

Mine were labeled in the store as "Black Ice Snowflakes", but to be honest, I really didn't care what they called them. Keep in mind, that they were get more black as they get older.

Here are mine when they were in QT. They have much more black now. I fell in love with them because of their spots. Now all I have to do is get them to bond.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8327/8120851811_c864d70af9_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/89019796@N07/8120851811/)


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8466/8112586841_49e1a7b43d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/89019796@N07/8112586841/)

[Sk8r]

Quarantine, quarantine, quarantine, have an autotopoff, test all params weekly, and keep a log.

[gsiegel]

JM.02 - if these are truly your first fish - why on earth would you spend $300 on them? I would strongly recommend getting something a little more reasonable for now, learning the in's and out's of fish keeping (and disease management) and then, in about a year or so, think about the more expensive fish.

I could not agree more. Although I am also relatively new to this obsession I would start slow and much less expensive unless money is not an issue.

Otherwise just get what you personally like and not because a fish is extremely rare. I really liked the $70 mated pair of black/white clowns I bought, and if you really like these It simply Boils down to personal preference. In other words, it is worth it if everytime you see your tank the fish put a big smile on your face, and not because of what someone else thinks IMO.

Best of luck and happy reefing!