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Made all the more famous by the animated blockbuster Finding Nemo about 10 years ago, the Clownfish is a firm favourite with marine aquarists the world over, and with plenty of good reason.
Endemic to the Indian and South Pacific Oceans, the Clownfish lives in shallow waters, primarily among other reef fish and they often form symbiotic relationships with sea anemones, which they effectively use as a home. The clownfish is immune to the anemone’s poison, and so takes advantage of the extra stinging-protection of the anemone as well as the scraps left over from the anemone’s meal. The anemone benefits from the faecal nutrients from the clownfish and from its’ grooming action (the clownfish eats it’s dead tentacles).
In a group of clownfish (usually living in the surrounding reef anemones), the most aggressive and largest female is dominant, and there is only one mating couple at any one time. The group is usually tended to by a small number.. [More]
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