Rapid colour change on percula clownfish

[bubsee]

Hi,

This is my first post, but I've been observing this forum for a while and it's amazing.

I'm fairly new to saltwater and I purchased an already established fluval evo from a friend a couple of months ago. It's been going well, and my water parameters are pH = 8.0, ammonia = 0, nitrites = 0, and nitrates = 0.

I am writing because I purchased a new juvenile true percula clownfish (premium picasso apparently) a couple of weeks and it seems to be darkening very quickly. I can't find any information on whether rapid colour change is a sign of illness. It eats normally and has a lot of energy.

The image on the left is from April 25, and the one on the right is from today, May 13.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Azedenkae]

Premium Picasso Clownfish | Amphiprion percula | ORA | Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums

The extremly sought after Premium Picasso is one of ORA's signature fish.

www.orafarm.com

Normal and expected.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Welcome to the forum!
Definitely normal. The darkening is what I would expect out of the clownfish. It actually looks stressed in the first pic, and it is finally calm and showing it’s good colors!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I agree with @Sharkbait19 100%, the pic on the right he looks much better and healthier. Congrats!

 

[Auquanut]

Welcome to R2R!
Great looking fish. Color is much better and he's put on weight. Good job.

 

[bubsee]

Premium Picasso Clownfish | Amphiprion percula | ORA | Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums

The extremly sought after Premium Picasso is one of ORA's signature fish.

www.orafarm.com

Normal and expected.

Thanks for the response! I never realized they could change so quickly.

Welcome to the forum!
Definitely normal. The darkening is what I would expect out of the clownfish. It actually looks stressed in the first pic, and it is finally calm and showing it’s good colors!

Thank you! I'm excited to be here
Yes, that picture was taken as soon as I brought it home. I was honestly surprised about the lack of black, but I'm glad he's adjusted well!

I agree with @Sharkbait19 100%, the pic on the right he looks much better and healthier. Congrats!

That's good news. Thanks for the help!

Welcome to R2R!
Great looking fish. Color is much better and he's put on weight. Good job.

Thank you. I love his helmet! I'm assuming the orange will also darken with age? He looks quite yellow still.

 

[D-Nak]

The black will continue to darken, and depending on the type of Picasso, it could get very black (and you can assume that it's an Onyx Picasso at that point). The orange won't get darker unless you feed it a high quality diet, particularly a food rich in astaxanthin, such as TDO Chroma Boost by Reed Mariculture/Reef Nutrition.

The color may also shift depending on the host anemone. Sometimes the clownfish will get darker, other times it'll get lighter.

 

[Reef Nutrition]

The black will continue to darken, and depending on the type of Picasso, it could get very black (and you can assume that it's an Onyx Picasso at that point). The orange won't get darker unless you feed it a high quality diet, particularly a food rich in astaxanthin, such as TDO Chroma Boost by Reed Mariculture/Reef Nutrition.

The color may also shift depending on the host anemone. Sometimes the clownfish will get darker, other times it'll get lighter.

Thanks for recommending TDO. Have a great upcoming weekend!

Chad