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Clown Anemonefish photographed at the Underwater World aquarium, Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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Clown Anemonefish photographed at the Underwater World aquarium, Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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FISH FACTS |
Description
The Clown Anemonefish is normally bright orange with three white bars, the middle one with a forward-projecting bulge. The bars have narrow black margins and the fins have black edges. The Clownfish became famous in the Pixar movie "Finding Nemo". This increased the popularity of the Clownfish as a marine aquarium pet.
Other Names
Clown Fish
Size
to 8 cm long
Habitat
It usually lives in the tentacles of two species of sea anemone. In sheltered inshore reefs it lives in Stichodactyla gigantea, and on outer reefs it usually lives in Heteractis magnifica. It is usually found in water from 1 m to 12 m deep.
Food
feeds on algae and zooplankton.
Breeding
Clownfish lay their eggs where they will be protected by the anemone. One batch can consist of 100 to 1000 eggs. The eggs are immediately fertilized by the male Clownfish who stays close to the anemone to protect them. He can be quite aggressive while protecting the eggs. The eggs hatch after roughly one week.
Range
In Australia it is found along the length of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.
Notes
Clownfish can be kept in a marine aquarium. Ideally they should have an anemone, but they will survive without an anemone as long as there are no predators in the tank.
Classification
| Class: | Actinopterygii | | Order: | Perciformes | | Family: | Pomacentridae | | Genus: | Amphiprion | | Species: | percula | | Common Name: | Clown Anemonefish (Clownfish) |
Relatives in same Genus
Barrier Reef Anemonefish (A. akindynos)
Orange-fin Anemonefish (A. chrysopterus)
Clark's Anemonefish (A. clarkii)
Red and Black Anemonefish (A. melanopus)
False-Clown Anemonefish (A. ocellaris)
Pink Anemonefish (A. perideraion)
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