ORA Unleashes Zombie Clownfish on the Masses
29 Oct, 2019

ORA’s commercial release of the Zombie Clownfish makes another designer mutation available to the mainstream market. This is how they start out, as a bright orange juvenile with gleaming red eyes.
via ORA
ORA Zombie Clownfish are a thing. And yes, they’re weird and look like a living dead fish. Just in time for Halloween!
Like a fish that’s returned from the dead, the ORA Zombie Clownfish is truly one of the more unique strains of Black Ocellaris. These fish start out as neon orange juveniles with iridescent blood-red eyes. As they mature, ORA Zombie Clownfish display varying degrees of their parental Black Ocellaris pigment, with layers of smoky grey and neon orange splotches.
Their final form is something like a soggy ORA Black Ocellaris that swam up from the depths of the underworld, looking spectacularly like a living DOA.
Our broodstock descends from specimens ORA obtained from clownfish breeder Robert King. Robert named these fish Zombies when he first spotted them in a batch he raised from two normal-looking wild-type Black Ocellaris parents.
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Editor’s Notes:
Some initial Internet chatter has suggested that the Zombie clownfish are blind, but that is not the case. ORA notes that their visual acuity is reduced, however.
Also, take note, there is a second genetic addition in the work; Zombie albinos with the Snowflake gene. The combination of Snowflake and Zombie genetics means that only a very small percentage of the offspring currently fit this phenotype. No word yet on any release date for this fish, which ORA president Dustin Dorton said, “We don’t have a final name for them but have been calling them Snow Zombies. I call them White Walkers.” More varieties are the works.

Zombie clownfish with siblings that also carry the Snowflake gene. What would you call these new and very rare variants?
Additional Reading:
ORA product page for the Zombie Clownfish – https://www.orafarm.com/product/zombie-clownfish/
The original discovery of the Black Zombie Albino Ocellaris, some seven years ago, as reported on Reef Builders.
During the summer of 2019, briefly labeled as “Zombie” Clowns, the mystery was unraveled as we obtained insights on what we now know as the Moonlight Clownfish, unrelated to the true Zombie lineage that ORA is now producing.
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About the author
8 Comments
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November 01, 2019
I feel it is pathetic that your publication covers these man made clownfish abominations. Just in time for Halloween, really? I will not be renewing my subscription.
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November 02, 2019
@Orlando, Please remember that your pet dog, cat, bird, along with the meat, fruit, and vegetables in your kitchen are ALL manmade. Another variation of clownfish isn’t really something to upset about. As for not renewing your membership, you will be missing out on a lot of great information.
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November 09, 2019
Jeff,
While it’s ok to have different opinions – listen and respond, share the knowledge. I think going out of your way to publicly shame someone for not renewing their membership puts a dent into your credibility. I rarely leave any comments as everyone is entitled to their views, your response to Orlando hit a nerve! -
November 09, 2019
My apologies…I should have read all the messages in entirety before leaving my comment.
I didn’t realize Orlando voluntarily chose not to renew his membership and wrote about it. I assumed
Jeff shared Orlando’s personal info to the readers..Sorry, Jeff! -
November 10, 2019
I suppose it’s a nifty experiment to make fish like these, but to mass produce half-blind fish is just cruel & stupid beyond measure. Congratulations; you’ve created the Red Parrot Cichlid of the Clownfish world.
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November 10, 2019
I don’t have a problem with the production of new color strains through selective breeding. I prefer to own the wild types, but that’s just me. But I agree that the propagation of fish with known health concerns is irresponsible and casts a shadow over the hobby. We already don’t know what other health problems some of these mutants may have involving systems that are not externally evident (e.g., immunological issues, skeletal malformations), or if their life spans might be adversely affected. This is similar to knowingly breeding deaf Dalmatians for profit.