Matt,
My only concern is what you laid out your explanation for, it was the keeping the clown a male. We differ on that aspect.
Ah, gotcha. Not to rehash the point, but if the fish was already "female", then yeah, keeping it as a "male" would've been stupid.
Yes, it was also more risky to keep it as a male for the same precise reasons that pairing it now with a known proven male is difficult...females can be rough on their males (in the White Stripe Maroon world). Murder is not uncommon.
That said, the flipside was in the fact that it was likely a male and that pairing with a female would presumably be a shorter route to offspring vs. waiting for it to turn female. That, and that a male clownfish can be paired up with any other clownfish you may stumble across, whereas if it was turned female, and later on a female lightning maroon was found and made its way to me, I couldn't pair the two fish up. Keeping it as a male, they could theoretically be paired.
I would have let it turn female and then asked Mark for a small one from the same location. and just thrown in a captive bred to pass the time.
And if I didn't publicly state it in the blog, in fact, there was requests not only for more females from Fisherman's Island, but also for smaller males than the ones I had been shipped the first time around. Obviously, even today, if I could get my hands on a smaller male from Fisherman's Island than the ones I have now, I'd jump at it.
And still, when there was no suitable PNG female around, I did in essense give it another maroon to pass the time with...the labrador. Nothing came of it, but there was no harm in trying.
Of course, in the end, those who said "make it female" have gotten their way. With many of the reasons I was keeping it male now off the table, going female was the right choice to move forward in a timely fashion.
In the end its all about our opinions and past expeirences,
And perhaps goals...
which we all have different and which is why i dont understand the attack this guy let off.
Well if the goal was to simply produce offspring from the Lightning Maroon by any means necessary, which is what I would expect an amateur to want, then by all means I can see the viewpoint and understand the motivation and criticism. And in that regard by all means, his/her right to make those critiques.
You know i got lots of respect for you and what you have done for Marine Breeders. Thats why i cant beleive someone would do this. Its one of those people who offered lots of money for the fish and lost out.
I have a few theories on who it actually might be, and honestly no, I don't think it's someone who bid and lost since I know a fair amount of those people and actually recommended many of those same people to act as custodians of the fish. One hunch is that it could be a vendor who I've privately called into question based on concerns and inconsistencies, and in that respect, I should probably just talk to that vendor myself about my concerns given the number of inquiries that have been made to me about them. Of course, when making my private comments and questions, I've said I would not be opposed to those views being shared, so in that regard, there was a passive invitation to chat with me directly if so inclined.
However, the most plausible explanation - simply someone who, based on the types of fish you all suggest he's out looking for, is probably a newer hobbyist and, if a current or future breeder, is coming at it from the quick dollar standpoint. I suppose no better way to make a name for yourself by bursting into the scene being wildly critical of an experienced breeder
Thats why you havent accpeted my facebook request!!!
Dont sweat it sir, and accept my request lol
Have we shaken hands yet? Find me at MACNA LOL! Seriously, if I don't recognize your face and name, and know where I've met ya, I tend to shy away from a FB request. Nothing personal, but since I share more than just fish stuff on there, I just am a bit more guarded about who I "let in".
