Two University biologists are selling ornamental fish cultured from the Red Sea.
The sale is being organized by Nanette Chadwick of biological sciences and graduate student Joey Szczebak.
The department is selling anemone fish, which are also called clownfish.
Chadwick said people will buy the fish because they are unique.
"Our fish were born in aquaria, and so they are acclimated and used to aquarium life and do not experience the transition shock of wild-caught fish," Chadwick said. "They have a distinct personality and are endlessly entertaining to observe in aquaria. They have good memories and learn quickly when feeding time is."
The selling of the fish is part of the Department of Biological Sciences' Auburn-Jordan program, which offers paid research experiences in the field of ecology.
The department will sell 10 juvenile fish for $15 each with more to come.
The fish are 2 months old and 0.5 to 1.5 inches long, though there is a chance they will grow to about four inches long.
The department is offering one year of tech support from University biologists who will know how to keep fish happy and healthy in a home aquarium.
The department has set up an account to receive income from local sales of the clownfish.
Chadwick said she hopes the sale will appeal to people who love fish.
"Our biggest appeal is to people who love fish tanks and also coral reef aquariums," Chadwick said. "These fish also are a great first-time pet for people who want to try out having tropical fish because they are so easy to grow."
The clownfish is distinct from other fish, Chadwich said.
"A special trait of the clownfish is that they are sequential hermaphrodites," Chadwick said. "They change sex during their lifetime, starting out as larvae, and then becoming immature juveniles. They are monogamous, which is another rare trait in fish."
Chadwick said the clownfish will become males first and then female later.
The department wanted to sell the fish because it was wasteful replacing them with other fish when they died.
"We kept seeing our fish lay eggs, and the hatched larvae would just die in our tanks, or be eaten by the larger fish," Chadwick said. "So we thought it would be less wasteful if we could culture the larvae and grow them out to juveniles so that we could replace any of our older fish that died."
Szczebak said the clownfish are rare and there are only a few in number.
"It's not a very popular and very common type of clownfish," Szczebak said. "Not very many stores carry them and there are very few companies who breed."
The clownfish do not require special care though.
"As far as special requirements that these fish need in aquarium conditions, there's not really much," Szczebak said. "You can take care of them like most fish."
Szczebak said the primary purpose of the fish was marine ecology research. The department wanted to culture its own fish for selling.
All of the proceeds go to Auburn's anemone fish culture program.
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