Ocellaris Clownfish

Facts about the Ocellaris Clownfish, it is the model of the star in the movie “Finding Nemo”. The Ocellaris Clownfish is also one of the most popular aquarium fish in the world.

All in a Name

The scientific name for this species is Amphiprion ocellaris. It used to have the scientific name Amphiprion bicolor. The Ocellaris Clownfish is called the Anemone Fish, Orange Anemone Fish, common clownfish, and the False precula clownfish. The species was identified by Cuvier in 1830.

Physical Description

This Ocellaris Clownfish grows to be four inches long. Most of the Ocellaris Clownfish have an orange base color with three vertical white stripes, though there are some black morphs. The Ocellaris Clownfish have black tips on their fins.
Males are smaller and less aggressive than females. All clownfish are born male but the largest fish in the group becomes female. In a pair, the dominant one becomes female.
You can tell the difference between this species and the real clownfish because the true percula clownfish has brighter colors and larger black lines on the edges of the white stripes. The Ocellaris Clownfish has thinner black outlines on the white stripes, and the Ocellaris Clownfish has 11 dorsal fin spines on the top fine while the true percula has ten.

Behavior

The Ocellaris Clownfish are omnivores. Ocellaris Clownfish eat marine flake food, algae, meaty foods, frozen fish foods, and live food. It is best to feed them three to four times a day. If there are fish fry, they need to be fed every two to three hours. The Ocellaris Clownfish has an up and down swimming movement.
The Ocellaris Clownfish want to hide in caves and crannies when threatened, if there is not an anemone. They do not need an anemone to breed.
The fry prefer to remain near the surface. As they become juveniles, they migrate down toward the sea floor and look for an anemone to form a symbiotic relationship with.

Habitat

The Ocellaris Clownfish need the water between 75 F and 80 F or 24 C and 27 C. If kept in a tank, it needs at least 30 gallons or 120 liters. The ideal water salinity is 1.020 and a pH of 8.0 to 8.4.
The Ocellaris Clownfish are very easy to keep, though they prefer to be with anemones, which are harder to keep. The anemones need a lot of light. If you cannot take care of an anemone, these fish can live in fish only or fish with live rock aquarium. If you are looking for anemone to put in the tank with Ocellaris Clownfish, the best species are Entacmaea quadricolor, Stichodactyla gigantea, Heteractis magnifica, bubble tip anemones, and Stichodactyla haddoni.

Range

The Ocellaris Clownfish is native to the eastern part of the Indian Ocean and western Part of the Pacific as far south as Australia. The Ocellaris Clownfish are found in Melanesia, the Philippines, and East Indies.
The Ocellaris Clownfish exploded in popularity after the movie “Finding Nemo”, causing harvesting to spike and local populations to become endangered. Aquarium bred fish are actually less likely to die when placed in a new tank than wild-caught fish. Tank bred fish are also bred to be hardy and easier to care for than wild-caught fish.

Trivia

If Nemo’s father was looking for his son, upon the return home, he would have turned into a female.