Clownfish, or amphiprions, are a family of colorful reef fish that decorate marine aquariums and delight divers in the wild. Cute, active, schooling fish are popular among visitors to aquariums. There are 26 known species of the family, which differ in habitat, preferred depth, color, and behavior. Let's learn more about their types, habits, natural habitat and maintenance rules, and give interesting facts.
Appearance
In nature, fish are quite large, 12-20 cm in length, and aquarium clowns grow to a maximum of 10 cm. Females are two to three times larger than males. The body is round, laterally flattened. The eyes are located on the sides, orange. The tail and fins are rounded. The dorsal fins are fused into one with a bridge in the middle.
The color depends on the specific species, but it is always an alternation of the main color with light stripes, often bordered by dark ones.
Orange, red-black or true perculas
The very first clown fish known to science. Scientists compiled its description back in 1802, but mistakenly attributed it to another family. Lives in the waters of the Malay Archipelago, in the vicinity of Australia and New Guinea. Prefers shallow depths: 1-15 m. They live in nature for 5-10 years, and in captivity up to 18 years. They live alone or in pairs. The main color is orange, the stripes are white, the border is black, wide. Small, from 7 to 11 cm in length. The dorsal fin consists of a spinous (contains from 9 to 10 rays) and soft (base - from 14 to 17 threads) parts. The true perculus shown in the photo is a representative of the type species of the genus.
Oranges, Ocellaris or False Perculi
The main color depends on the place of residence, but most often it is orange. In this variant, the orange amphiprion is similar to the orange one, but its dark border is much narrower or even absent. There are only 11 rays in the spinous part of the dorsal fin. It lives from the east coast of India to Australia at a depth of up to 15 m. The black ocellated amphiprion lives off the coast of Australia. This is a variety of orange. Its main color is black, there are white stripes and spots, and no border. A brown-red variety is found near Japan.
The main feature of all orange clowns is three white transverse stripes in their color. They can be supplemented with white spots or other patterns.
Pied-nosed
They live off the east coast of Africa, including the island of Madagascar, and are found in Thailand and on the islands of Java and Sumatra. Habitat depth up to 15 m, prefers places with good water circulation. Small, up to 11-12 cm long. The main color is orange. There is a white stripe along the back, and the tail and dorsal plumage are white.
Tomato (red), or frenatus
The main color is bright red. There is only one horizontal stripe - white with a black border; it runs along the junction of the head and body. The sides are often black, but this is not a necessary feature. The size is small: the body length of females is 14-15 cm, males 6-7. It lives at a depth of 3-15 m off the coast of Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The species is popular among aquarists and is actively bred on fish farms. Artificially bred fish are more valuable: they are healthier and take root better in aquariums than those taken from nature.
Moorish, premans, biocelatus or burgundy
The main color is burgundy, sometimes orange. There are three transverse stripes, they are white (in the Sumatran variety they can be golden), edged with black. They live in the western part of the Pacific Ocean at a depth of up to 15 m. In the aquarium they do not get along with other species, even of their own family, and defend their territory extremely aggressively. Therefore, they must be kept separately. Thanks to its small (up to 9 cm) size, even a small aquarium is suitable for this species.
They need a lot of food and are not resistant to infectious diseases. Therefore, quarantine rules must be observed especially carefully with these clowns.
Pink
The main color is orange-pink, there is one transverse stripe at the junction of the head and body, the fins are transparent, with a black or bluish tint. Size up to 12 cm, live in the reef zone of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia. We explored depths up to 39 m.
Saddle
The main color is most often orange. White areas rarely form stripes. There may be a stripe on the head, but more often it is a “scarf”; in the edging of the caudal fin, the white areas are bordered with black. On the back, slightly closer to the tail from the center, there is a large white spot in the shape of a saddle, for which the species got its name.
The size is average, females usually reach a length of 9-11 cm, rarely 13-15. They are nocturnal and live at a depth of 2-15 m.
North Indian
The basic color is blue-black, there are two white stripes: one in the head area, the other closer to the tail, at the level of the soft part of the dorsal fin. The tail is bright yellow. Large species: females reach 17 cm in length. They live in the northern Indian Ocean at depths of up to 30 m.
Yellow, orange or skunk
The main color is orange, there are no transverse stripes, the longitudinal light stripe is narrow, running from the tip of the nose to the caudal fin. The size is large, up to 15 cm. It lives in the western part of the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 2-19 m.
Red Sea
In adult fish, the main color is yellow, there are two transverse stripes - between the head and body and approximately from the center of the dorsal fin. The stripes are edged in black, most often white, but neon blue is also found. Size up to 14-15 cm. There is veil plumage on the lower part of the caudal fin.
Juveniles can be distinguished not only by size, but also by a different color: they have more white, both the tail and the dorsal fin are captured, on which there are sometimes black markings.
Its habitat is limited to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Chagos Archipelago. Habitat depth 1-30 m.
Orange-finned
The main color is chocolate, there are two light stripes, they are edged in black. The fins and head are bright orange in adult fish and yellow in young fish. The length reaches only 7-8 cm. They live in the Pacific Ocean at depths of up to 30 m.
Fiery
The main color is orange-yellow, there are no white stripes, but there is a dark spot closer to the tail. The size of females is up to 14-15 cm. They live in the western part of the Indian Ocean at a depth of 3-15 m.
White cap
The main color is orange or yellow, which also includes the fins. Longitudinal and transverse light stripes intersect in the head area, forming a cap-shaped spot, which is why the species is called that. The size is average, females grow up to 13 cm. They live in the central and western parts of the Pacific Ocean.
Black
In adult but young fish, the main color is orange-red, black in the tail area, and one white stripe at the junction of the body and head. It is edged in dark. In this species, you can approximately determine the age: the older the individual, the more dark its color is.
It lives off the coast of Australia and nearby islands, descends no deeper than 10-12 m. Average size, 10-14 cm.
Maldivian
The main color is orange-yellow, near the head there is a white stripe without a dark edging. Average size, 11-12 cm. They live in the east of the Indian Ocean, from Sri Lanka to the Maldives at a depth of 2-25 m.
Omani
The peculiarity of this species is age dimorphism. The main color of young fish is pink or yellow-orange, as in the photo. With age it darkens to brownish-yellow. Females are large, up to 15-17 cm in length. It lives at a depth of 18-20 in the Red Sea, near Oman and Sudan. Rare species.
Clark's, yellowtail or chocolate
The main background darkens with age: bright yellow in juveniles, chocolate in mature fish, and almost black in old fish. The head and tail remain yellow, and the pectoral fins, in addition to yellow, are also colored in the main color. In nature, the species is large, females reach a length of 15-17 cm. In captivity - average, 10-13 cm.
They live at great depths, up to 55 m, throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans, including the Persian Gulf, the territorial waters of Australia and the southern islands of Japan.
The secret of the name
The first amphiprions that became known to science were orange and orange. Their red and white coloring reminded researchers of clown makeup, and the ragged, staggering movements of a swimming clown look comical. That's why the family that makes you smile is called clowns.
Where does the clown fish live?
In nature, amphiprions live in the reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, in the tropical zone. They are thermophilic and need plenty of sunlight. Their habitat extends from the east coast of Africa to Australia, spreading north almost to Japan thanks to the warm Kuroshio Current.
Aquarium characteristics
Water for clowns should be as close in composition as possible to the usual for the habitats of a particular species. The closer, the better, but we will give average characteristics so that you have something to build on when creating an environment for amphiprions.
| Characteristic | Meaning |
| Water temperature | +22…+27 °C |
| Acidity | 7.8-8.5 pH |
| Density | 1.02-1.25 units. |
When populating the aquarium, these parameters are monitored every day, and when the flock is stable, a weekly inspection will suffice. It is produced after replacing 1/5 of the water with fresh water. It is prepared by settling tap water and then dissolving sea salt purchased at an aqua salon in it. Don't try to save money by replacing it with table salt from the grocery store, even if it says "sea" on it. This can kill the fish.
A suitable soil is sea pebbles, which are sorted out before installation, soaked for 4-6 hours in running water, washed thoroughly and then boiled for 3-5 minutes, divided into small portions. It is good to use “living stones” in the design - processed fragments of natural coral reefs.
Daily monitoring is necessary for the operation of all life support systems of the aquarium - not only the compressor and aerator, but also the protein detector. The waste collector must not be overloaded. A high level of water oxygenation is extremely important for anemones if you decide to add them to your clownfish. The peculiarity of these polyps is that they vitally need a large amount of oxygen, and clowns in nature also live in oxygen-saturated water.
Thermometers, instruments that determine the concentration of oxygen, nitrites and ammonia - all this equipment is necessary, as is equipment that controls water heating. Knowing how many degrees there are now in the aquarium is vitally important for its inhabitants: temperature changes are detrimental to clowns, and a constantly elevated reading is harmful to sea anemones.
As territorial fish, clownfish need a lot of space. A pair requires from 50 to 100 liters, and for individual species - 250 liters of volume, and the larger the flock, the larger the aquarium should be. The larger its volume, the greater the chances for peaceful coexistence of amphiprions with other species or even just within a flock.
Adviсe
Some fish imitate amphiprions and try to contact sea anemones, despite the fact that this is not inherent in them by nature. This interesting behavior has been observed in angelfish and stingrays.
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How to stock an aquarium with amphiprions
The aggressive territoriality of the entire family makes the task of choosing neighbors for clowns in an aquarium quite difficult. Even forming a flock of one species is not an easy task.
First, a suitable relief is formed and plants are planted. Then, if sea anemones are in the plans, you need to stock them. It is important to carefully study the rules for caring for these animals.
Predatory but defenseless clown fish are in symbiosis with stationary, but also predatory sea anemones. The fish are insensitive to the poison of the polyp due to the protective mucus. The only thing that does not sting the clown is one particular sea anemone, to which the fish has “tuned” itself. This is done by contact: the clown swims up to the sea anemone and allows itself to be stung, and then copies the composition of the mucus, thanks to which the sea anemone does not kill itself. Now the fish can hide among the tentacles of a particular polyp, which are deadly for other species, in return maintaining cleanliness in the area where the symbiont lives, driving away butterfly fish (they love to feast on the tentacles of sea anemones, and this kills anemones), feeding the anemone with its reserves and waste products, and directing it to it streams of fresh, oxygen-rich water. This interaction can also be observed in an aquarium. In nature, the habitats of sea anemones and their symbiotic amphiprion species coincide, but in an aquarium it is necessary to select species that are suitable for each other.
| Amphiprion species | Compatible sea anemone species |
| Orange, orange | Giant Carpet (Stichodactyla gigantean), Luxurious (Heteractis magnifica), Leatherback (Heteractis Crispa) |
| pied-nosed | Giant carpet, Luxurious |
| Moorish, Black | Bladderwort (Entacmaea quadricolor) |
| Fiery, Tomato | Leathery, blistered |
| Maldivian | Luxurious |
The main function of sea anemones for clown fish is protection. A properly organized aquarium is a safe environment, so fish will survive just fine without anemones. For sea anemones, the interaction becomes more profitable: the sea anemone where the clown fish lives looks more well-groomed. But from the point of view of enriching the environment, the aesthetic appearance of the aquarium and its educational function, showing the symbiosis of two such dissimilar creatures is a great idea.
The first to be introduced into the prepared aquarium is the established pair: the female and the alpha male. To expand the school, you can add clown fish of the same species, but gradually, one fish per week. This way there is a greater chance that the stranger will not be expelled, but will be accepted into the flock. There are many chances that males will be accepted. But adding a second female will lead to war. If you want a second flock of clowns, get a second aquarium.
Overpopulation can provoke intraspecific aggression. So the volume of the aquarium is calculated based on how many fish inhabit it.
Finding company for clowns from other marine life is even more difficult.
The corals, algae and cleaners - snails, small crabs, starfish - will not cause any difficulties. Among other species, clowns can be accompanied by peaceful reef inhabitants - wrasses, surgeonfish, angelfish. They are also introduced gradually so as not to provoke aggression. The success of the experiment cannot be guaranteed. In the worst case, representatives of other species will have to be urgently resettled. But different types of clowns will definitely not get along in one aquarium: they will defend their territory.
A very bad option is to combine clowns and predators. These are all types of maiden fish, scorpion fish, lionfish. In this case, the flock of clowns will quickly decline and will be in constant stress.
Lifestyle
Amphiprions spend most of their time among the branches of sea anemones and try not to move away from their shelter
In their natural habitat, clownfish live in small schools under the leadership of the largest female. Amphiprions choose thickets of poisonous sea anemones as a unique place of residence. The settlement process is accompanied by a specific ritual. The fish touches the tentacles of the sea anemone with its body several times. Due to such actions, the surface of the clown fish is covered with protective mucus.
Features of the lifestyle of clown fish in the aquarium:
- the clown fish definitely needs shelter (in its absence, the fish may become overly anxious and become aggressive);
- if two females are placed in the aquarium, then one of them will definitely try to eliminate her rival;
- Aggression can be provoked by keeping an amphiprion alone in an aquarium or by a lack of food;
- The clown fish bravely guards its shelter, trying to bite, prick with the spines on its fin, or attack its offender in other ways (in the wild, amphiprions can even mistake divers for sources of danger).
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.
What does it eat?
In the wild, clownfish feed on algae, small crustaceans and other microscopic organisms. The main food for fry is plankton. Close interaction with sea anemones in natural conditions helps amphiprions provide themselves with food under any conditions. The fish actively eat the remains of her meals. This feature allows you not only to find food without extra effort, but also to carry out a kind of cleaning of your habitat. For sea anemones, the destruction of food debris by amphiprions is also beneficial.
Reproduction
Each amphiprion has both female and male sets of chromosomes. But they initially develop as males. Each flock is dominated by a pair of male and female, which can reproduce. The remaining males help care for the offspring of the dominant pair. If the female dies, the alpha male mutates and takes her place. The new alpha female then chooses a partner from among the males. Therefore, for reproduction, a couple of males will be enough: they themselves will figure out who lays eggs and who fertilizes them. The main thing is not to acquire two females: reverse transformations are not observed in amphiprions, and the females quarrel with each other for territory so much that both can die in this fight. The main difference between the sexes is size: females are larger.
A pair of amphiprions produces 400-1200 eggs each spawning. There is only one thing that can interfere with their care of the clutch - other fish, so it is better to remove clowns from the general aquarium during spawning, or, on the contrary, remove other fish from it. It’s easy to guess the time: females prefer to lay eggs during the full moon.
In nature, clownfish lay eggs close to their sea anemones. If there are no sea anemones, you will need a secluded place, a hole under a stone. A flat stone, a decorative amphora, or an inverted saucer may be suitable. The entire flock takes care of the future offspring: clowns increase the flow of water near the clutch and remove dead eggs.
The caviar is large relative to the body of the fish, 3-4 mm in diameter. The larvae hatch on 8-9 days. The young are fed immediately after hatching: in nature, the larvae are carried close to the surface by the current, where they grow, feeding on zooplankton, and at this time they are defenseless. After 14 days, the already grown fry return to the reefs, and their coloration appears (light stripes are always the first to appear). This is a good time to move the fry back to the community aquarium.
Freshwater clown
Unscrupulous sellers may offer inexperienced aquarists who want to buy a clown fish, but are afraid of not being able to cope with a saltwater aquarium, “the same fish, only freshwater.” We are talking about the clown botia, or macracantha, a representative of the loach family, whose homeland is the cold mountain streams of South America. Her description is a bit like a tropical clown. These are bottom-dwelling fish with bright colors. They can make clicking sounds, but to do this they have to scare the fish: with a click, its spines move into a fighting position. That is why they are trying to pass off the botia as more expensive and popular inhabitants of aquariums.
Botsia are peaceful and unpretentious fish that do not need a marine aquarium and control of a lot of parameters. They are much simpler than amphiprions to keep and breed, but no less beautiful: the body of clown loaches is golden-orange, with three black stripes. But this is a completely different family of fish, which is related to clowns only by the name of one of the species and the stripes on the body. There will be no characteristic funny movements and talkativeness that amphiprion buyers expect. There will only be disappointed expectations. But the botia itself is an excellent aquarium pet when it is not purchased under a false name.
A cartoon that teaches children to be kind has harmed its main characters: clown fish have gained unprecedented popularity among amateur aquarists. Enterprising traders uncontrollably take away young amphiprions from their caring parents. In essence, the plot of the cartoon is repeated, but it will not have a happy ending with a family reunion. Therefore, the task of aquarists is to create optimal conditions for the fish under which a new family is formed.
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.
Feeding
Clowns are omnivorous fish; they happily eat:
Provide a varied diet. Feed your pets 2-3 times a day in small portions that they can eat in a couple of minutes. During the cleaning process of the sea anemone, the fish finds food in the tentacles of the invertebrate. Don't overfeed the clowns.
