Fuzzy
Fish Herder
i found out about these clowns a few days ago. they r either very, very hard to get or impossible to get.
Clowns you can't buy and why.
Amphiprion chagosensis - Except for the island of Chagos, only accessible by boat, the chargos archipelago is a military no entry zone. Bombing missions to the middle east fly out of Diego Garcia which is an island located in the archipelago.
Amphiprion chrysogaster - Very, very rarely collected. Collecting trips to Mauritius are difficult to organize as there are very few facilities on the island. No large scale collecting in this part of the world.
Amphiprion fuscocaudatus - Seychelles Republic does not allow collecting without a scientific permit. Aldabra, considered by some to be the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean, is a United Nations World Heritage Site and is also managed by the Seychelles Islands Foundation. The atoll is virtually off limits to visitors unless special permission is granted through the SIF. In short you have two bureaucracies to deal with should you ever wish to collect this fish.
Amphiprion latifasciatus - I managed to gain access to 8 sub-adult specimens about six months ago. They came to me from a wholesaler who got them from a friend of a friend that didn't know what he had. They were sold as Amphiprion clarkii. From what we could tell they came from the Comoro Islands. I suspect they may have come from Kenya. I've never found a valid reason as to why this fish wouldn't be available form the same Kenyan collectors that export allardi. I have a couple of wholesalers looking into it.
Amphiprion leucokranos - The "Cap Clown" is obtainable if your willing to wait a year or so. I, like many others, questions its true validity as a separate species. I include it in the equation because it can be difficult if not impossible to obtain.
Amphiprion mccullochi - Mccullochi is not found at Norfolk Island where many of the latezonatus specimens come from. It is only found at Lord Howe which is a United Nations World Heritage Site. Collecting for commercial or recreational purposes is strictly forbidden. Scientific permits are only issued after review by NSW fisheries and the Lord Howe Island Board.
Amphiprion omanensis - The Sultan of Oman is not real keen on people, particularly westerners, coming in and touching his animals. Since the only place you can find these fish is within the territorial waters of the Sultanate of Oman you can petty much forget about it. Last time I enquired the Sultan flat out said "no collecting permits of any kind"! Long Live the Sultan. Who am I to argue with a monarch?
Amphiprion thiellei - When I initially posted this rant I had made mention that Amphiprion Theillei was named after Albert J. Thiel. This is not correct! This fish was named after a guy named Michael Thielle. This was a grievous error on my part, and my apologies go out to Mike and Dr. Burgess. I would like to further add that there has been a misconception that this fish was only described by Warren Burgess based on two holotypes obtained from a pet store. This information, while a prevalent theme in popular literature is incorrect. There were perhaps fifteen to twenty or so specimens obtained by Mike and a few were sent to Dr. Burgess. Burgess has at least 4 preserved. Couple this information with the fact that they are available through a Japanese distributor and you can understand my shift in position. I still rate this fish as nearly impossible to obtain.
Amphiprion tricinctus - I have been able to get a few specimens of tricinctus from time to time. I don't know why they are not available all the time. You can certainly buy Marshall Islands live rock from any number of sources. I was told that collectors avoid it like the plague as it is a terrible shipper. All the ones I have ever purchased had sever brooklynella infestations. My thought is that if the collectors used formalin up front and charged way more for this fish it would be a money maker. Maybe they don't see it that way!
Im gonna go get one of thses
Clowns you can't buy and why.
Amphiprion chagosensis - Except for the island of Chagos, only accessible by boat, the chargos archipelago is a military no entry zone. Bombing missions to the middle east fly out of Diego Garcia which is an island located in the archipelago.
Amphiprion chrysogaster - Very, very rarely collected. Collecting trips to Mauritius are difficult to organize as there are very few facilities on the island. No large scale collecting in this part of the world.
Amphiprion fuscocaudatus - Seychelles Republic does not allow collecting without a scientific permit. Aldabra, considered by some to be the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean, is a United Nations World Heritage Site and is also managed by the Seychelles Islands Foundation. The atoll is virtually off limits to visitors unless special permission is granted through the SIF. In short you have two bureaucracies to deal with should you ever wish to collect this fish.
Amphiprion latifasciatus - I managed to gain access to 8 sub-adult specimens about six months ago. They came to me from a wholesaler who got them from a friend of a friend that didn't know what he had. They were sold as Amphiprion clarkii. From what we could tell they came from the Comoro Islands. I suspect they may have come from Kenya. I've never found a valid reason as to why this fish wouldn't be available form the same Kenyan collectors that export allardi. I have a couple of wholesalers looking into it.
Amphiprion leucokranos - The "Cap Clown" is obtainable if your willing to wait a year or so. I, like many others, questions its true validity as a separate species. I include it in the equation because it can be difficult if not impossible to obtain.
Amphiprion mccullochi - Mccullochi is not found at Norfolk Island where many of the latezonatus specimens come from. It is only found at Lord Howe which is a United Nations World Heritage Site. Collecting for commercial or recreational purposes is strictly forbidden. Scientific permits are only issued after review by NSW fisheries and the Lord Howe Island Board.
Amphiprion omanensis - The Sultan of Oman is not real keen on people, particularly westerners, coming in and touching his animals. Since the only place you can find these fish is within the territorial waters of the Sultanate of Oman you can petty much forget about it. Last time I enquired the Sultan flat out said "no collecting permits of any kind"! Long Live the Sultan. Who am I to argue with a monarch?
Amphiprion thiellei - When I initially posted this rant I had made mention that Amphiprion Theillei was named after Albert J. Thiel. This is not correct! This fish was named after a guy named Michael Thielle. This was a grievous error on my part, and my apologies go out to Mike and Dr. Burgess. I would like to further add that there has been a misconception that this fish was only described by Warren Burgess based on two holotypes obtained from a pet store. This information, while a prevalent theme in popular literature is incorrect. There were perhaps fifteen to twenty or so specimens obtained by Mike and a few were sent to Dr. Burgess. Burgess has at least 4 preserved. Couple this information with the fact that they are available through a Japanese distributor and you can understand my shift in position. I still rate this fish as nearly impossible to obtain.
Amphiprion tricinctus - I have been able to get a few specimens of tricinctus from time to time. I don't know why they are not available all the time. You can certainly buy Marshall Islands live rock from any number of sources. I was told that collectors avoid it like the plague as it is a terrible shipper. All the ones I have ever purchased had sever brooklynella infestations. My thought is that if the collectors used formalin up front and charged way more for this fish it would be a money maker. Maybe they don't see it that way!
Im gonna go get one of thses
/biodiversity.uno.edu/ebooks/intro.html
