Are misbarred fish defective?
No, in the sense that misbarred clownfish are perfectly healthy, grow as fast as perfectly barred fish, and reproduce well. It is said that wild caught fish are always perfectly barred, but we are not sure if this is true. Perhaps collectors simply disregard and fail to collect the wild misbarred ones. It is said that misbarring occurs in response to imperfect feeding or water quality. If so, I have not found an answer for why some fish from the same nest are misbarred and others are not. Misbarred fish can be quite intriguing, and some customers will pay a premium for attractively or oddly misbarred fish.
