The Lightning Project

The ongoing saga of the PNG Lightning Maroon Clownfish breeding project.

Browsing Posts published in August, 2011

Well, there’s a lot of random things to update on, sadly the only thing I really would love to shout about (a spawn) hasn’t happened yet. Meanwhile, a followup on the last pairing trial, the third attempt at a “Female Flip”, pairing a loner white stripe maroon with the massively larger “Labrador” white stripe maroon. […]

After the initial press release, there were a lot of unanswered questions that people had regarding the newly announced exclusive exporter for marine fish from PNG – EcoAquariums PNG LTD.  The leader of the new company, Daniel Navin, corresponded with me via email to help give further insights into the new company and how it […]

We’re seeing ongoing progress in the Lightning Maroon pairing.  More digging, more general surface cleaning, but no eggs yet.  Rod Buehler of Rod’s Food sent along an extra-special care package from Mama Percula to Mrs. Lightning this weekend…some of her secret recipe new “Breeder’s Blend”, aka. “No Candelight Needed”.  Some is getting tested out here, […]

I think it’s fair to say that many people in the aquarium industry were eager for news out of Papua New Guinea. It’s probably been about a year (maybe even more) since any fish were shipped from the island nation’s developing marine ornamental fishery. With SEASMART and the PNG Government coming to legal blows, I […]

We are 110% on the right track. I know I alluded to the nest cleaning behavior here and other places, but today I caught it on camera. The Lightning Maroon was getting into it too, but the male PNG White Stripe Maroon Clown was doing the bulk of the substrate clearing. Of course, we know […]

If you’ve been paying attention to the pairing experiments and attempts I made with the PNG Maroon pairs (the Lightning + White Stripe Pair and the other normal PNG WS pair) you’ll recall that in both cases, I kept the males in small isolated chambers within the larger female’s tank for several months, and yet […]

It has been a LONG time since I tested the water on the Lightning Maroon’s tank.  The Birdsnest Corals are all growing, some quite rapidly.  I already hacked off a dozen+ frags on the “Sour Apple” Seriatopora as it was starting to shade out smaller corals.  The pH swings I was experiencing seemed to have […]

Just like it sounds, nothing but picture upon picture after picture of the Lightning Maroon and its new mate, the proven male PNG White Stripe Maroon Clownfish (also a SEASMART-caught Maroon fish Fisherman’s Island).  The pair is definitely becoming more bonded with each day.  Given that the Gold Stripe Maroon pair (where the Lightning’s mate […]

So I think many of the regular readers of the Lightning Project know I have an outspoken stance on breeding. Specifically, that preservation of natural biodiversity trumps the creation of captive-originated ornamental forms and the intentional and unintentional hybridization of wild forms. Not going to get on that soapbox today (I’m busy doing that on […]