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07 Sep 2014

Clownfish In Your Aquarium

Posted By : Guest

Filed Under : Aquatics | Fish | Marine Aquariums

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 of juveniles.

Interestingly enough, if the female should be removed for any reason, the dominant male will become female to fill its place – over the 30 species of clownfish, most are sequential hermaphrodites and go from male to female as they grow older! One of the juveniles will then go through a rapid growth spurt to become the new breeding male.

Clownfish are naturally territorial fish, and the males do most of the leg work when it comes to looking after the eggs that are laid near the anemone, fighting off all comers.

Clownfish In Your Aquarium

Clownfish are extremely popular and it is estimated that roughly 43% of the world wide captive fish trade revolves around clownfish, however in global terms, most of these fish are sadly captured from the wild.

Clownfish, especially the Orange Clownfish (Amphiprion percula) are frequently spotted aquarium fish because of bright colours and markings. They look great! But there are a few things you need to know about keeping them:

Size: Clownfish can grow up to 7” in length, however in captivity they seldom grow larger than about 8cm in length. Because of this, you need to make sure your aquarium has enough room.

Stock Levels: Most clownfish will spend their lives around 2-4 inches away from their anemone, so space isn’t too much of an issue when kept alone. However, they need enough water for it to be reasonably oxygenated so most professional aquarists recommend that you use at least a 50L tank as an absolute bare minimum, which will require regular cleaning and water changes – Bigger is better.

Lifespan: Depending on the species of clownfish (there are 30), they tend to live around 10 years, so plan ahead – if you are thinking you might have to give up your tank in a few years, a clownfish is sadly not advisable.

Compatibility: Research here is key, so you need to work out whether your clownfish is compatible with the other fish in your aquarium. Fortunately, as long as they have an anemone to live in, your clownfish is likely to stick close by it and not attack other fish, but it is worth noting that clownfish are territorial and it not advised to put more than 2 in together (and only if you have enough room to give them both enough space and an anemone each), or to make them share with and large predators like lionfish.

Clownfish thrive with an anemone, but they can live without one too, making a home of other soft coral, but to complete the effect, it is best to put at least one in.

They can be a great addition to your larger community tank or as a bright singular feature in a small tank containing an anemone. Either way, they are going to bright and beautiful.