We are proud to present you with our Eighth designer longfin clownfish the Longfin Black Storm Clownfish. Longfin Clownfish are not new to the hobby, but Sea & Reef’s new Longfin Clownfish have a much different look to them. Our longfin clownfish have long flowing fins with a rounded, more even outline. This sets them apart from the typical longfin strain that display jagged, stiff fins with uneven edges. The reason for the different look of Sea & Reef's longfin clownfish is due to different genetics. It was bound to happen that the Storm Clownfish gene and the Longfin gene were to meet at some point. We observed with great excitement the very first batch of Longfin Black Storm Clownfish as they went through metamorphosis and grew their beautiful, even-edged fins. They quickly revealed some spectacular pattern variations.The black coloration develops identical to Black Storm Clownfish. Early juvenile fish are dark brown, but turns jet black as they grow and mature.

The creation of our Longfin Black Storm Clownfish

The mutation that created our longfin clownfish came from a single fish. In December 2013 our Hatchery Manager Brandon Weik was looking into a tank of several thousand Black and White Ocellaris (also called Darwin Ocellaris). He spotted a fish that looked very different than his brothers (all clownfish are born male). It had long flowing fins and was getting beaten up, probably because of its different look. The fish was isolated and later paired up. A story was published about our findings in Reef Builders in April 2014. You can read the article by clicking here. Since 2013 Sea & Reef Aquacture has produced numerious variations of Longfin Clownfish. The Longfin Black Storm Clownfish was created by breeding our Longfin Black Ocellaris Clownfish with our Black Storm Clownfish.

Temperament & Captive Care

The temperament and captive care requirements for the Longfin Black Storm Clownfish is very similar to that of the regular Ocellaris clownfish. It is relatively peaceful and hardy. They thrive in saltwater aquariums with or without an anemone present.

Feeding

Most clownfish are omnivorous feeders, meaning that they will consume a variety of different food types. In nature the diet of clownfish consists of crustaceans (such as copepods and amphipods), algae, polychaete worms, and leftovers from the anemone’s meal. Our captive bred fish are conditioned to eat a variety of aquarium diets including pellets, flake food, frozen Mysis shrimp, and frozen brine shrimp.

Aquarium Host Anemones

Longfin Black Storm Longfin Clownfish will readily accept a wide variety of host anemones and many hobbyists keep them with the popular and hardy Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor). As a reference the natural host anemones of the regular ocellaris clownfish are Magnificent Sea Anemone (Heteractis magnifica), Giant Carpet Sea Anemone (Stichodactyla gigantean) and Merten's Carpet Sea Anemone (Stichodactyla mertensii).