Clown fish: photo, description, keeping in the aquarium

Simplicity of content:

Latin name: Amphiprion percula (Amphiprion ocellaris)

Lifespan: 15 years

Maximum size: 8 cm.

Average cost: 1250 rub.

Amphiprion (clown fish) - from lat. Amphiprion percula. Amphiprion ocellaris may be found - this is a species of amphiprion identical in color and size, only living in natural conditions, that is, in ocean conditions.

A genus of marine fish from the Pomacentra family.

Clowns are the heroes of Disney cartoons.

Each of us is undoubtedly familiar with the amazingly beautiful fish from the cartoon “Finding Nemo”. Bright orange, small, it evokes tenderness and admiration not only in children, but also in adults, and as a pet is of interest to both amateurs and experienced aquarists. This article is intended for those who are interested in learning more about the hero of their favorite cartoon, as well as for those who have long dreamed of owning an aquarium fish with the self-explanatory name “clown”.

Description and natural habitat

Amphiprion, another name for Clown Fish, belongs to the Pomacentra family.

This is a small fish with bright and varied (depending on the species) colors. Body length is 12-20 cm, shape is round and laterally flattened. But when kept in an aquarium, the pet grows no more than 10 cm. But the life expectancy here is almost twice as long as in natural conditions; the fish live there for about 10 years.

The bizarre colors of this underwater sea creature really resemble a clown's outfit. Fish usually live in schools of 10-20 members. Individuals exhibit highly pronounced sexual dimorphism—females are much larger than male specimens. Moreover, they occupy a leading position in the family, they are brave and aggressive, they conquer prey and territory from other inhabitants and even protect phlegmatic males.

Photo gallery of Clown Fish:

The homeland of this exotic underwater inhabitant is the Indian and Pacific oceans, or rather, their reef part. This fish can be found in water areas from eastern Africa to French Polynesia, Australia and Japan.

Amphiprion has many other amazing qualities besides its provocative coloring. For example, this is one of the few fish that lives in close symbiosis with sea anemones.

Sea anemones (Actiniaria) are rare underwater creatures that can be called "sea nettles". These organisms are unable to move and lack a mineral skeleton. Their bodies are cylindrical intestinal cavities, with a diameter of several millimeters to one and a half meters. They paralyze their victims with special bacteria called cnidocytes and, grabbing the appendages with their “hands”, pull them towards the oral cavity, also exerting a stinging effect. All living creatures in the depths of the sea try to quickly escape the thicket of these killers.

The clown fish lives in friendship with sea anemones and, hiding in their thickets, becomes inaccessible to large predators. Although there is no consensus on why anemone fish do not die from the bites of cnidarians, it is generally accepted in the scientific world that symbiosis arises in the following way. First, Amphiprion lets the sea anemone sting him. Then, having examined the composition of the mucus of the coelenterate creature, it produces a similar one and covers its body with a protective film. Now the fish and these particular thickets of sea anemones are “of the same blood.” They need each other, the first hide among the tentacles from their enemies and carefully take care of their companion, ventilating the water and removing leftover food.

It has been noted that Amphiprions do not move more than a meter or two away from “their” anemone thickets and carefully guard, driving away the alien school of their fellows or other anemone fish. The different colors of these underwater omnivorous inhabitants are apparently a territorial sign. Cnidarians effectively protect them from predators, and their bright color warns their fellows that the place is occupied.

Depending on the species, Clownfish have bright colors - red, yellow, blue, orange, black. But almost always there are wide white stripes on the body.

In a small family living in “their” anemone thickets, there is always one dominant pair - a large female and a slightly smaller male. The remaining members of the pack are necessarily male and increasingly smaller in size. If there are enough sea anemones for everyone, then a monogamous couple, surrounded by their flock, can live their whole lives in complete idyll. In nature, Amphiprions feed on everything from plankton and algae to small crustaceans; they are cleaners for the sea anemone “bush,” eating up all the remains of living creatures it has not eaten.

Another amazing feature of Amphiprion is that all born fry are male and are protandric hermaphrodites, that is, they are able to change sex if necessary. The incentive for this is the death of a female in the family.

The Clownfish has a rather short head and a long, tall body. The plumage always has a dark border, contrasting with the main color. On the back, the fin ends with spines and is divided in half into two parts (hard and soft), so it seems that there are two of them. This underwater inhabitant has small scales, and the edges of the gill plates are jagged. All fin plumage is bright and colored in body colors, unlike other fish of the Pomacetraidae family with transparent fins.

Very rarely, Clownfish live among coral reefs without thickets of sea anemones, but only if there are not enough of them for everyone.

The enemies of Amphiprions in the ocean are all types of sharks, stingrays, hammerheads, groupers, snappers, codlings, scorpion fish, lionfish, rock bass, eels, damselfish, and other large inhabitants of the depths. The eggs are often attacked by invertebrate brittle stars.

The female is capable of laying eggs throughout her life, and all males in the flock are service personnel responsible for caring for the offspring.

This amazing sea creature was first discovered and described by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier back in 1830, but a surge of interest in such an unusual aquarium pet appeared all over the world after the release of the cartoon about the Nemo fish.

Clown fish in natural environment

Amphiprions are another name for brightly colored fish from the Pomeranian family.

Description

The color of the fish immediately attracts the eye - it is a combination of white, orange or red areas on the body. Most of the flock does not exceed 7 cm, but there are individuals reaching 10 cm in length or more.

The body of the fish is flat on the sides, with a short large head and a high back. The fin located on the back has a characteristic outline: it is divided into two approximately equal parts.

The front, consisting of 10 rays, is hard, and the back is soft. The posterior part of the dorsal plumage may consist of 14–17 rays.

The anal fin is located close to the caudal fin, and the lateral plumage is fan-shaped and quite large.

Amphiprion lifestyle

Amphiprions and sea anemones form a symbiosis - mutually beneficial coexistence. Clown fish have adapted to life among sea anemones .

She has developed a special secret that makes her immune to the effects of the stinging cells of the coelenterate, while other marine inhabitants receive serious burns from contact with the tentacles.

Thanks to this, amphiprions find refuge among the tentacles of sea anemones, in return clearing them of food residues and helping to carry out ventilation between the processes.

The clown fish is very attached to its territory and rarely swims far from its native anemone. If the population of coelenterates decreases, a real struggle begins between the fish for shelter among the tentacles.

Interesting! All emerging fry hatched from eggs are males. Only under unfavorable conditions does the dominant male change his sex.

Amphiprions are schooling fish; at the head of the community there is a monogamous pair of an alpha female and a male , and the rest artificially stop their growth in order to be smaller than the main pair.

Where does the name clown come from?

These fish have the ability to make many different sounds , which is quite unusual. But they owe their name to their bright colors and their restless disposition.

They make many chaotic movements, which, combined with their bright appearance, give the impression that the fish is fooling around, entertaining the audience.

Mr. Tail recommends: variety of species

There are two genera and about thirty species in the Amphiprion family. Most often, they differ in habitat and color, which is caused by symbiosis with certain species of anemone. Nowadays, selective breeds have also appeared, which are most often found in the aquarium hobby.

Orange Amphiprions

This species of Clownfish was first discovered in 1802, but described as belonging to a different family, reclassified much later as Amphiprion percula. They are also called Red and Black.

The homeland of the species is the waters of the Indian (Indo-Malayan archipelago) and western Pacific oceans - Australia, New Guinea, Solomon, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Vanuatu. Settles in coastal reefs at shallow depths from one to fifteen meters. It is very similar in size and color to the Orange Clown, which is also often called the False Percula.

The dorsal fin has two parts - bony with 9-10 rays and soft (14-17 threads).

True Percula differs from False Percula by a bulge on the head, like a frog.

On the body of the Orange Clown there are intricately alternating bright and wide stripes of orange, black and white.

They have a very small size of about 7-11 cm, live in their natural habitat from 5 to 10 years, and long-livers (18 years) are found in artificial home ponds.

Perculas can live alone or in pairs without sea anemones simply between coral reefs, but groups more often exist in symbiosis with such water cnidarians as the giant carpet Stichtodactyla gigantea, the magnificent Heteractus magnifica, the crispa Stichtodactyla crispa and the Martens sea anemone Stichodatyla mertensii.

Orange Amphiprions

Amphiprion ocellaris - False Perculi, False or Common Clownfish, Western Clownfish, Ocellaris come in many color variations, although the orange type is more common. The color depends on the habitat. This fish is the hero of the cartoon about Nemo's travels.

Lives from the Andaman Sea to Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The Black Ocellated Clown, a species of False Percula, (has white stripes and spots on the body) is found off the coast of northern Australia. Brown-red (three snow borders on the body and head) - near Japan and Southeast Asia.

Colonies of almost black Pomeranians live off Darwin Island. A striking distinctive feature of all color varieties are three wide white stripes, fancifully crossing the entire body across.

The average size of these fish is about 11-12 cm. Another difference from the true Percula is 11 rays in the hard dorsal fin and the absence of a black border on the plumage.

The maximum habitat depth is 15 meters, juveniles live closer to the surface, adults descend to the bottom.

There are varieties - Snowflake and Skunk.

Clark's amphiprions

Yellowtails or Chocolate Clowns. Quite a large omnivorous marine fish, females up to 15-17 cm are found, although in home water conditions they do not exceed 10-13 cm.

The entire body and dorsal fin are dark, the head and tail are yellow, and the pectorals combine both colors. Although there are other variations of shades.

The main background changes - in juveniles it is bright yellow, then it acquires a chocolate hue, and in old fish it is often almost black.

Amphiprion clarkii is a deep-sea inhabitant of the ocean (up to 55 m), found from the Indo-Pacific to the Persian Gulf and in the western regions - Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and near the southern coast of Japan.

Pied-nosed Amphiprions

The species Amphiprion akallopisos was discovered back in 1853 by ichthyologist Bleecker, and is more often found in the coral reefs of the western and eastern coasts of Africa, including Madagascar, Mozambique, the Seychelles and Comoros, the Andaman Sea, as well as Sumatra and Thailand.

Prefers shallow depths (up to 15 m), loves currents and good water circulation.

Symbiosis is usually carried out with such types of sea anemones as carpet and luxurious.

Body length rarely reaches 11-12 cm. More often the main background is orange, including the pectoral and anal fins. A narrow white stripe runs along the back; the tail and dorsal plumage are the same color. Outwardly, they have much in common with the Orange Clown; these species intersect in their native waters only in Java and Sumatra.

Tomato (Red) Clowns

Amphiprion frenatus or simply Frenatus are bright red in color (including fins) and often have black sides. The main difference from other varieties is just one white stripe with a black edging, it seems to encircle the head.

An extremely popular aquarium species of Clownfish, growing up to 14-15 cm (female) and 6-7 cm (male).

The species is mainly found off Ryuko, but is also found on other Japanese islands; the Western Pacific, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are also home to the fish. In nature they prefer shallow depths from 3 to 15 m.

This variety is so popular that it is grown en masse in Asian fish farms. Artificially bred Frenatus takes root better in aquariums, is healthier and stronger than those caught from its natural habitat.

It prefers symbiosis with the bubble anemone Entacmea quadricolor, as well as the leathery sea anemone Heteractis Crispa.

Moorish Clowns

Premnas biaculeatus - Premnas Moorish Clowns or Premnas Biocelatus, Red Premnas, are called Burgundy Clownfish in Europe.

Her body is indeed painted in a deep burgundy color (sometimes orange), it is crossed by three transverse wide white stripes with a black edging. But in the Sumatran subspecies they can be golden.

They live at shallow (up to 15 m) depths in the Western Pacific - Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia.

This is perhaps the most aggressive and quarrelsome species, which can only be kept in an aquarium separately, even from other brethren of the Pomacentridae family.

But at the same time, they reproduce most easily in an artificial habitat if they live in symbiosis with the bubble anemone.

Small individuals (up to 8-9 cm), which will suit even a small sea tank.

They are very voracious and prone to a number of diseases, so preliminary quarantine before being released into a reservoir is mandatory.

Pink Clowns

Amphiprion perideraion grow up to 11-12 cm, live in a wide range of depths from 3 to 39 m in the Eastern Pacific - off the coast of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

The body is pinkish-orange in color, the plumage is almost transparent, but with a blue or black tint, and only one narrow white stripe runs along the head.

Saddleback Amphiprions

Amphiprion polymnus or Saddle Clownfish have an average size of 9-11 cm, but sometimes grow up to 13-15 cm. These are females, males are much smaller. Prefers a nocturnal lifestyle at shallow depths from 2 to 15 m off the coast of the western Pacific - Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia.

The streamlined, strong, laterally flattened body is usually painted orange, but the white areas are located in a unique way - a wide border or scarf on the head, in the edging of the caudal fin (there are also black colors) and a large rounded “saddle” on the back, just below its middle .

North Indian Amphiprions

Amphiprion sebae prefer depths of about 30 m and live exclusively in the Indian Ocean - in the Gulf of Oman, Aden, Persian Gulf and Andaman Sea.

Quite large fish, growing up to 16-17 cm. The main body color is black with a bluish tint, the hard part of the dorsal and pectoral fins are the same, two wide white stripes run along the head and body (capturing the soft part of the dorsal rays). The tail is bright yellow.

Yellow Clowns

Amphiprion sandaracinos are often called Orange Clowns or Skunks, which creates confusion in the classification of species in the family. The body of the fish, growing up to 14-15 cm, is truly orange in color without transverse stripes, there is only one white narrow line from the tip of the nose to the caudal fin.

It lives at depths from 2 to 19 m in water areas near Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other bodies of water in the Western Pacific.

Red Sea Amphiprions

Amphiprion bicinctus is an inhabitant only of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Chagos Archipelago. Lives at depths from 1 to 30 m.

The body and fin plumage (the lower one may be veiled) are yellow; near the head and in the middle of the back there are two wide white stripes with a black edge. In some fish they may be neon blue.

Juveniles often have a different color - white covers the tail feathers and dorsal fin, and there may be a dark mark on it. Fish grow up to 14-15 cm.

Orange-finned Amphiprions

Amphiprion chrysopterus is a small fish, barely reaching 7-8 cm, distinguished by two wide transverse stripes with a coal edge on its chocolate body and yellow (in juveniles) or bright orange fins and head. They live at great depths only in the Pacific Ocean.

Fire Clown Fish

Amphiprion ephippium live in the Andaman Sea, Indonesia, Thailand, and other waters of the western Indian Ocean at shallow depths (3-15 m). They grow up to 14-17 cm, preferring a symbiosis with leathery crispa and bubble anemone.

The body is bright - orange-yellow, reminiscent of a flame, with a large charcoal spot at the back of the body.

White Cap Clownfish

Amphiprion leucokranos grow up to 12-13 cm and live in areas of the Central and Western Pacific. The body is yellow or orange with the same fin plumage and a bright white “cap” on the head, consisting of two intersecting snow stripes - a longitudinal one, covering the head, and a transverse one.

Black Clown Fish

Amphiprion melanopus reaches a size of 10 to 14 cm, prefers a symbiosis with the bubble anemone and lives in coral reefs off the coasts of Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The body, together with the fins, is almost red with an orange tint, the back part is black, the head is surrounded by a wide white stripe with a dark edging. With age, the color darkens, taking on an almost completely charcoal hue. It lives at very shallow depths, up to 10-12 m.

Maldives Clownfish

Amphiprion nigripes are fish that grow up to 11-12 cm and live in thickets of magnificent sea anemones at depths of 2 to 25 m in the eastern part of the Indian Ocean from the Maldives to Sri Lanka.

The entire body of the underwater inhabitant is yellowish-orange; a narrow white stripe without an edge runs near the head.

Omani Amphiprions

Amphiprion omanensis is found very rarely in the Red Sea, near Sudan, Dahab and Oman.

The main body color, together with the fin plumage, is subject to age-related dimorphism and changes from pinkish, yellow-orange to darker brownish-yellow shades. The maximum body size of a female is 15-17 cm, males are much smaller. Prefers depths of 18-20 m.

Health

Diseases - parasitic, fungal, bacterial - pose a danger to tropical fish. Therefore, it is preferable to buy fish that are bred on farms: among wild-caught fish, infections are more common. Common pathologies:

• fin rot: a bacterial infection that manifests itself as deformation and rotting of the plumage and is treated by adding the antibiotic chloramphenicol to the water and sprinkling the affected fins with streptocide while simultaneously cleaning the aquarium;
• ichthyophthyriasis (“semolina”) – whitish spots on the skin and plumage caused by a parasite; for treatment, fish with signs of illness are placed in water with a lower density, which is relatively harmless to the clownfish, but will kill the parasite;
• cryptokaryon (white spot disease) is another parasitosis in which light spots appear on the skin of the fish, and then the fish may die; This disease is treated with medications that include copper, strictly observing the doses: this element is also poisonous for clowns.

If the fish happen to get sick, the female and alpha male cope best with it. Juveniles demonstrate good adaptive capabilities. Adult males have the least chance of survival.

Aquarium Basics

Keeping a clownfish in a home aquarium is unlikely to be possible for a beginner, first of all, because an artificial reservoir is required in a sea one. This hobby is expensive and time-consuming. Efforts in breeding Amphiprions will be rewarded by observing these amusing pets, which not only behave interestingly in a group, but also “talk”, making various sounds - flapping, clicking, grumbling.

But these pets can behave unfriendly and even aggressively if the basic rules of keeping are not followed:

• Selecting the correct parameters of the aquatic environment: temperature +22...+27 °C, acidity 7.8-8.5 pH, density 1.02-1.25 units, compliance with all other requirements of a marine aquarium. The composition of the liquid should be as close as possible to the water in the natural habitats of this species of Clowns.
• The presence of very good filtration - you will need a powerful remote compressor. To a greater extent, it is needed for cnidarians.
• Daily check of all systems to prevent toxic poisoning of tank inhabitants. At the same time, all pumps in the filters must operate smoothly, the aerators must release a gentle but constant flow of air bubbles, the liquid must pass through the protein detector freely, and the waste collector must not be overloaded. All water parameters should be monitored, first every day, and when the water balance stabilizes - once a week.
• Ensuring sufficient tank volume - from 50 liters to 100 liters per pair of Amphiprions.
• Choosing the right type of marine aquarium, the best for clownfish is a reef one. At the bottom there should be a lot of shelters for pets - grottoes, caves, houses made of decorative elements imitating underwater rocks.
• Planting the desired type of sea anemone in advance of starting a marine aquarium. The following species are suitable - Entacmaea quadricolor, Heteractis magnifica, Stichodactyla gigantea, Stichodactyla haddoni. But it should be remembered that these living creatures require separate and rather complex care and abundant feeding.
• Equipment of an artificial sea reservoir with an aeration device, thermostats, thermometers, aerometers, test kits for determining the level of ammonia and nitrites, tubular underwater heaters. Large temperature changes should not be allowed.
• Ensuring weekly replacement of at least one fifth of the water with pre-prepared and settled water. It is pre-diluted in the proper proportions with sea salt, which can be purchased at the aqua salon. You can’t use table water, it doesn’t contain the necessary chemical additives.
• Construction of an autonomous automatic lighting system. Amphiprions and sea anemones are very demanding regarding sufficient levels of light and length of daylight hours.
• The tank should be installed in a quiet and peaceful place and should not be exposed to direct sunlight for a long time.
• Laying the correct bottom filler. Light or dark sea pebbles, previously thoroughly washed and neutralized, are suitable as a primer.

Interesting Facts

Amphiprions were chosen to play the main role in the animated film Finding Nemo and its sequel. The bright, memorable appearance of the fish and their paired lifestyle turned out to be important for the choice. In nature, a couple is formed by a male and a female, and in a cartoon, it is a father and son.

The saying “Dumb as a fish” is not about clowns. They can make clicking, grinding, popping sounds.

Rising ocean temperatures have had an adverse effect on clownfish: they are left without protection due to the death of sea anemones.

Compatibility

Clownfish are quite aggressive territorial fish. Therefore, its content must be properly organized from the point of view of compatibility of underwater neighbors.

Initially, it is worth introducing an already established male-female pair into the tank. But the aquarium will become more interesting if after a while new Amphiprions are added there. But you shouldn’t do this at once - it’s better to add one fish per week, then all members of the future flock will have time to get used to each other.

It is strictly necessary to follow the rule - one female for the entire tank. If there are two females, then the fights will continue until one dies. But in this struggle both can be destroyed. Then the largest male will take on the role of head of the clan and change sex.

It should always be remembered that the Clown Fish, being a protandric hermaphrodite, lives only in an anti-harem, where there is one female leader, one alpha male and many other smaller male individuals.

When introducing new family members, we must not forget about the rule - for every 2.5 cm of marine life there should be 9.5 liters of salt water. Overpopulation will cause a sharp surge in aggression even within the group.

You can diversify your marine aquarium with other inhabitants; these should be peaceful fish species that can get along well with Amphiprions:

• wrasses;
• surgeon fish;
• sea ​​gobies;
• sea ​​bass;
• angelfish;
• sergeant fish (abudefdufa);
• dog fish (pufferfish);
• invertebrates;
• corals;
• anemones (anemones).

It is unlikely that it will be possible to combine several varieties of clown fish in one tank; they will begin to fight for territory to the bitter end.

A good solution would be to add sea cleaners to the Amphiprions, who will never fight for the life zone or resources, but will happily eat waste, dead plants, and overgrown algae:

• sea ​​snail;
• small crab
• Starfish.

You should not introduce into an aquarium with Clowns those fish that in nature are their enemies, for example, eels, lionfish, scorpion fish, and damsel fish.

And, of course, stinging sea anemones and clown fish coexist remarkably well, being symbiotes, in a sea reservoir. Anemones, lacking a mineral skeleton, and therefore the ability to move, cannot fully serve themselves. Amphiprions happily clean the sea anemone colony from “garbage”, eating food debris stuck in the “thickets”, and organize the flow of liquid among the tentacles, ventilating them. At the same time, they hide here with pleasure, sleep, lay eggs, from all points of view, a mutually beneficial neighborhood.

Reviews

Aquarists love the interesting behavior of clownfish. Some, however, have problems getting clownfish accustomed to sea anemones and adding tank mates.

Feeding

Amphiprions are very voracious and are ready to eat non-stop, and they rejoice at any food. Granular ready-made food for predators and omnivores is ideal for them.

A varied diet will make these perky pets simply happy; any plant-based, live or frozen food will suit them, and they will happily eat sea anemones.

It is better to feed Amphiprions once a day. More often - only before and during the breeding season. The portion should be such a size that the flock eats it in 3-5 minutes.

Adult pets feel good even when they are fed every other day. But if there are juveniles in an artificial sea reservoir, this will significantly slow down their growth.

Conclusions.

In an aquarium up to 100 liters we plant one or a couple of clowns from the following species:

- Amphiprion ocellaris - Amphiprion Percula - Amphiprion polymnus - Amphiprion perideraion - Amphiprion akallopisos
In a large system we plant any species in any quantity, not forgetting that:
- Moorish clowns will create problems for everyone else - clarke species can be mixed with each other. If problems start, you can plant a couple of anemones in the system so that each has its own territory. - you can mix saddle clowns and regular Nemo (including the Snowflake subspecies) - the hardiest ones are clarks, tomato and Moorish clowns, this is the best choice for fishermen with unstable or poor water parameters.

Breeding

All Clown Fish fry are born with a set of reproductive cells of both sexes, but male ones become active with the onset of physiological maturity (about 12 months), and female reproductive cells remain inactive until a certain point. They are activated only when necessary, and the only stimulation is the death of the female. Then the mechanism starts, and the male turns into a female.

Only one monogamous couple in the family reproduces offspring - this is the head of the clone - the female and the dominant male. It is, as a rule, larger than other males, but still smaller than the female.

More often than not, it is the alpha male who becomes the new female and chooses his next partner.

The breeding cycle of Clowns is associated with the lunar cycle, at which time the male becomes active.

In nature, eggs are laid in thickets of sea anemones on the leeward sides in the evening hours. If there are anemones in a saltwater aquarium, then most likely this is the place in the tank that the female will choose. Otherwise, in corals, under an imitation rock or in a grotto. You can try offering an inverted saucer or clay pot, since in natural conditions most often parents choose a flat stone with a depression for these purposes.

The whole family in their natural habitat and usually a couple in the aquarium carefully cares for the eggs, ventilating them and removing dead ones. The larvae begin to hatch approximately on the eighth to tenth day. Depending on the condition and maturity of the female, she is capable of spawning from 400 to 1200 eggs with a diameter of 3-4 mm during spawning throughout her life.

If the marine aquarium is shared and there are other inhabitants in it besides the Amphiprion family, then it is better to carefully place the fry in an incubation container for the growth period.

In the wild, they are carried to the surface by the flow of water, where from the first days of life they feed on zooplankton. After two weeks, their color already appears (the white stripes are always the first) and they return to the coral reefs.

At home, juveniles also need to be fed immediately. It is noted that they need to be fed often, no matter with ready-made artificial or live food; this does not affect their growth and quality in any way.

Reproduction

Clownfish breed in the aquarium all year round. It is necessary to prepare a spawning area with shelters.

Sex differences

You can distinguish a male from a female by size. Females are 2–3 cm larger than males.

Spawning

Spawning occurs in the evening. In their natural environment, clownfish spawn under moonlight. The fish spawn for a couple of hours under an anemone, on clay pots or corals. The clutch contains up to 1500 eggs and is incubated for up to 10 days. The male carefully guards the eggs and fans them with his fins. The newly hatched fry swim and feed on their own. Feed young animals with crushed adult food. The pattern on the body of the fry appears after the first week of life. When kept with other marine species, remove the fry to preserve the offspring.

Diseases and prevention

Amphiprions, like all tropical fish, are very susceptible to various parasites and fungi - exoparasites, trematodes, roundworms, protozoal and bacterial pathologies.

Often those individuals that are caught and transferred to the aquarium from the ocean are already sick; this is usually oodiniosis, cryptokaryosis, or brooklynellosis.

Moreover, the survival rate is lowest for those individuals that are in the lowest positions in the hierarchical chain of the flock, and the juveniles acclimatize best to new conditions.

The most common pathologies that aquarists encounter when keeping Afiprions in home marine aquariums:

• Fin rot. In this case, the plumage takes on a dirty appearance, swells at the base and begins to rot. Most likely, the reasons are that the aquarium is overcrowded and the cleaning system is not working well, or algae has grown too much. For treatment, dissolving Levomycetin and Bicillin-5 in water and sprinkling the fins with Streptocide are used.
• Ichthyophthyriosis or semolina is characterized by the appearance of whitish lumpy dots on the scales and fins of Amphiprion. In order to disrupt the life cycle of the microparasite and destroy it, the sick fish is placed in an aquarium with water of low density (salinity). You can also use special antiparasitic agents, but with great caution, since they all contain copper, which is harmful to Clowns.
• Cryptokaryon is often called white spot disease. It is caused by a parasite of the same name. First, the entire body of the individual is covered with light dots, then, if the immune system is weak, lethargy and death may occur. Stress often stimulates the onset of infection. Therefore, the main thing is to eliminate the pet’s anxiety. The treatment process involves the use of only copper-based drugs and lasts about 2-3 weeks. It is important to carefully observe the dosage and not harm the fish.

How to choose the right one when buying and what to pay attention to

When buying an amphitryon, choose one that was bred in captivity. They are better adapted to life in an artificial reservoir and are not infected with parasites and diseases.

Pay attention to the behavior of the fish. A healthy individual is active, curious, “talkative”, with a bright, uniform color, it has clear eyes without spots, smooth scales.

Amphitryons are bright, lively fish that will decorate your aquarium. Observing the life of a flock will be a fascinating leisure activity for lovers of exotic artificial reservoirs.