Clarkii Color Change

[Les]

I have had a pair of Clarkii Clowns for about 8 months now. I recently acquired a very large (12" diameter) carpet anemone that the clowns have taken up residence in. Now the male has totally lost his orange tones and has become black and white. Is this normal, a sign of breeding readiness or is he just really happy with his new home?

While I'm here I have a second question. The carpet anemone has two feet. Does this automatically mean that it is going to split and if so how long does this process usually take?

Your input would be greatly appreciated - Thanks

[kgolem]

It sounds like the anemone is splitting by fission. If you google "anemone fission" there are many high level articles on the topic.

With respect to the colouration of the clown, it has been my experience that clarkii will darken in colour as they mature. I kept a single with a carpet anemone for two years and the same thing happened. It has a single spot of yellow on the tail and nose each when it made the transition from carpet anemone to berber carpet. When it was juvenile, it was a much lighter colour yellow/orange/. I kept it singly so I wasn't able to determine the gender.