Being down at the TCMAS frag swap today, many folks asked me for clarification…how many Lighting Maroons are there and how many was I actually sent by Blue Zoo Aquatics?
Well, according to Reef Builder’s Jake Adams…there have been two collected.  Three if you count the fish that Jake and Guin helped report about on April 1st, 2010.  Check out the report, here – http://reefbuilders.com/2010/04/01/lightning-maroon-clownfish-collected-seasmart-program/
For those international readers who many not have already gathered, this day is commonly known as “April Fool’s Day”.   Let me tell you know that EVEN I was suspicious that this was one of several exceptional April Fools Pranks perpetrated on the aquarium hobby & industry by Reef Builders Staff.  Nevertheless, Guin Burnard’s exceptional Photoshop Artwork had even this software guy (trained in Photoshop I might ad) to buy…or rather believe…the story.  I say believe, because there’s no way I could “buy it”.  Not after the first financial outlay this week!!!!
So yes, I was sent only 2 Maroon Clownfish.  One was a large female normally-striped PNG Maroon Clownfish, the second was the PNG Lightning Maroon Clown documented on Reef Builders here – http://reefbuilders.com/2010/03/30/lightning-maroon-clownfish-from-blue-zoo-aquatics-will-be-entrusted-to-an-accomplished-fishbreeder/
So that’s ONE legitimate Lighting Maroon Clownfish.
The OTHER legitimate Lightning Maroon Clown was the FIRST ever collected back in 2008, as reported here – http://reefbuilders.com/2008/09/21/wicked-maroon-clownfish-emerges-from-the-png/ – I have heard multiple stories about this fish, but cannot confirm any one to be any more true than the other.  Best to say that from my standpoint, the fate of this first Lightning Maroon is indeterminate.
So that’s TWO legitimate Lightning Maroon Clownfish.  I own one, the other is not something I can currently account for.
The third, as posted on April 1st, was a classic April Fool’s prank.  And such a thoroughly plausible and believable prank that in fact, I was so fully convinced despite my own skepticism that I actually have been left wondering…what was the actual prank?  Was the prank to concoct a 3rd Lightning Maroon, or in fact, was the actual prank to present the real 3rd Lightning Maroon, and then tell us all that sorry, it was just an April Fool’s prank?!
Chew on that for a while 😉