For all your fish related discussions, including identification, husbandry, ecology, biology, diseases, taxonomy, etc. If it has a backbone discuss it here.
Anemonefishes and their invertebrate hosts have delighted the western world since 1881 when the first captive specimens were kept in a tub of seawater. However, it was not until the mid-20th century that the intimate relationship of these tropical animals began to be known worldwide. With the advent of SCUBA diving and the establishment of commercial air routes to equatorial destinations in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, pristine coral reefs became accessible to an increasing audience. Skin-diving tourists, sport divers, naturalists, and marine scientists have all helped contributed to underwater discoveries, among them the fascinating natural history of anemonefishes. Virtually all large public aquaria have at least one anemonefish display, and these animals have been at or near the top in aquarium fish sales for the past three decades, attesting to their tremendous popularity.
In view of this unprecedented public exposure to the fascinating relationship between sea anemones and fishes, we have written a book with needs at all levels, from teen-age aquarist to research scientist, in mind. Because of confusion in sea anemone taxonomy, previous works on this subject often used incorrect or outdated names. This book permits quick and accurate identification of the invertebrate hosts, as well as the fishes, through well-illustrated, easy-to-use keys and underwater photographs. It is the first publication on these animals designed as a field guide. We hope that it will add even greater pleasure to your fish-watching endeavours and provide new insights into the symbiotic relationship of fishes and sea anemones.
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"These are my Principles... if you don't like them, I have others." Groucho Marx. Reefing since '93. 2000L Reef.
Just on one point, I will leave out the other three not well covered of concern to me.
This states that amphiprions are born with generic mucus comprising of substances allowing limited access to many anemone species,true!
The extra is they all need to consume the host anemones signature chemical make up to prevent the anemone from knowing it is touching the host anemones flesh for on going comfort and ease of entry to its new home.
This takes very little time for the amphiprion to mimic the host anemones exact mucus chemical make up.
The amphiprions organ that carries out this function begins excreting this new mucus make up through the fish’s pores.
From then on the amphiprion continues mimicing the exact chemical copy of its host anemone so that it does not know the amphiprions existence.
Of course if there is stress applied to your display tanks amphiprions, the fishes mucus chemical make up and over all content is compromised so the anemone senses the amphiprion and attacks it.
Scuba & free diving since 1970 and Reefing since 1979. Keeping a diverse-healthy reef at home is very simple, keeping your sanity around other reefers is not so simple!
aqueaurumous wrote: [ ... ] Just on one point, I will leave out the other three not well covered of concern to me. [ ... ]
I don't normally call on statements from authority but in this case .... do you know who the authors of this book are ? Well, I'll tell you:
Dr. Daphne G. Fautin | California Academy of Sciences | University of Kansas
Dr. Gerald R. Allen | Western Australian Museum
You don't get much better than that ... how about you address your 'concerns' to them and let us know how you go ? The authors are very helpful people by all accounts so you should get a very well reasoned response.
"These are my Principles... if you don't like them, I have others." Groucho Marx. Reefing since '93. 2000L Reef.