Finding Clownfish

I'll start off by apologizing for taking so long to produce this. I know you've all been waiting anxiously on the edge of your seats for the next installment of Fishy Fishy. Just kidding. (Hi mom!) Fortunately for you, if you're reading this it means I've written a new piece! So let's get started.

Clownanemonedamselfish

One word: clownfish. Clownfish! The lovable white striped orange-scaled bags of fun! Everyone loves Nemo. (I'm looking at you, satan.) Clownfish go by several names: anemonefish, damselfish, Nemo, terror-of-the-deep-that-will-tear-pieces-of-your-finger-off-for-putting-it-in-the-aquarium (source needed), but we all know what a "clownfish" looks like when someone shrieks their name.

Kids, stay in school.

 Nemo! The entire world knows what clownfish are thanks to this lovable little degenerate. I can't say I'm angry, because honestly I wouldn't know what they were either if it weren't for him, but there's so much more to it! The types of clownfish available in the aquarium trade have as much character and personality as you could ask for in a pet fish.

Amphiprion ocellaris, also known as the False Percula Clownfish, and Nemo's stunt double.

Why Clownfish are Awesome

So, this section should be rather extensive, but this is one of those crossroads where you have to weigh what's awesome and what people might actually read. I've chosen the latter. The neat thing about clownfish that separates them from the rest of the fish peasants is that they are nearly immune to the stings of anemones.

Sup?

See, if you remember the death tentacle harpoons of... death from my last post, you might find yourself wondering "but the nematocysts! THE NEMATOCYSTS!" To which I would say, "dude..." You see, clownfish are immune to the sting of their anemone. This allows them to clumsily swim about through the tentacles of death, safe from harm. This is great for them because they're not very good swimmers, and they're fat. In short, clownfish are the perfect snack for reef predators. Clownfish cannot survive in the wild without their protective tentacle homes.

"We love you!" - every clownfish ever (saltaquarium.about.com)

Anemones aren't required to keep clownfish in the home aquarium, but they do improve the overall health and happiness of your clownfish. The anemone also benefits from the clownfish, which pay rent by doing chores. This includes, but is not limited to, cleaning the tentacles of the anemone, cleaning the anemone's oral disc, scaring away predators of the anemone, increasing the oxygen levels around the anemone via swimming about, and providing a friend to complain to about how Nemo leaves the seat up.

From Marlin to Marlene

Another neat thing about clownfish is that they go through what is delightfully referred to as protandrous hermaphroditism. That is an extensively lengthy way to say that the males turn into females when there is no dominant female present. Clownfish are born without a determined gender. Then, if no male is present, the largest undetermined juvenile will morph to become a male, and then continue to morph into a female if there is no dominant female present. Once this happens, another juvenile will morph into a male and the two will become a mated pair. The rest of the clownfish associated with that anemone will remain undetermined juveniles for the rest of their lives, or until either the male or female dies. In this case, the process repeats itself. I think you know where this is going...

Marlene, Nemo's eventual wife-father.

I really hope I'm not ruining this movie for you, but I can't help but be truthful. Sensing that there was no dominant female in the group, Marlin, Nemo's dad, would have changed into the dominant female. In turn, Nemo would morph into the male, and they would live hap... well they would live ever after. But this is awesome! Many fish are born without a gender, and then morph to fit whatever is needed. Clownfish are special in that they become males first and then females, as opposed to becoming females first and then males.

Mature pair with an undetermined juvenile (photos.nwf.org).

Size Matters

When trying to form a mated pair of clownfish for your aquarium, it's important to know what you should be looking for. Females are generally larger than the males. What you're looking for when you're trying to pair two individuals is a big size difference. You want the largest clownfish possible to be isolated with the smallest clownfish possible. This increases your chance of getting a female and either a small male or a genderless juvenile.

Romeo and Juliette (again) with their anemone, Shakespeare.

It might be a little difficult to tell, but Juliette (right) is probably three to four times as big as Romeo (left). This is a good thing! When I first got Juliette, she was already pretty big and paired with a decently sized male. Unfortunately the male didn't make it and I had to replace him. So, I did what any smart aquarist would. I found her the smallest tomato clown I could and quite literally tossed him to the fishes. He's grown maybe an inch in the last five years. Since clownfish hit a terminal size depending on their gender, a good way to tell how old one might be is to look at the depth of their color. The longer a fish lives in an aquarium, the deeper its colors (generally).

The Black and White Ocellaris clownfish darkens with color as it matures.

The larger the size disparity, the less likely the male (or genderless juvenile) will resist the dominant female. The male will do a sort of subservient dance where he'll sort of shake his entire body like he's being electrocuted. It's the same little dance clownfish will do prior to spawning. Here's a video on youtube that shows it pretty well. The magic starts around 0:24 if you don't want to sit through the musical delight.

 

Common Aquarium Clowns

I've been resisting the entire time, and I'm not entirely sure why, but it's common to refer to clowfish as just "clowns." I know I'm not going to throw anybody for a loop and have them picturing a curly haired, red-nosed demon-spawn with a permanent smile when I say clown, but I like to make sure we're all still on the same page here. Now I'd like to take a minute and show you some pictures of some clowns that are fairly common in the aquarium trade.

True Percula Clownfish (Amphiprion percula)

"I'm like Nemo, but better!"

The Percula or True Percula Clownfish looks very similar to the Ocellaris Clownfish from earlier. The most notable difference is that it has a little bit more black around the midsection. It's also not as hardy as the Ocellaris Clownfish and requires a little better water parameters and hardier meals. These generally stay small, about 3" max, and do well in almost all marine aquariums.

Tomato Clownfish (Amphiprion frenatus)

"I will eat your face." - Juliette

 The Tomato Clownfish or Red Clownfish has a red body that gets darker with age. It only has one stripe, located behind the eye. The stripe tends to glow if the clown is very healthy. Tomato Clownfish get a bit bigger than the Ocellaris and Percula clowns, growing up to about 5". They're also incredibly aggressive. I'll post a video in my next update about how I feed my aquatic friends, and in it you'll see just how aggressive Juliette is. When I put my hand into the tank, I'm expecting her to get at least a couple bites on me before I can finish what I need to get done. Oh, and she has teeth; tiny, sharp, vicious little teeth, and they hurt.

Yellowstripe Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus)

"I hope you don't think Juliette is mean." - Ms. Approachable

 The Yellowstripe Maroon Clownfish is very similar to the common Maroon Clownfish except that its stripes are (wait for it...) yellow! The clown in this picture isn't particularly dark, but I've seen some maroon clowns get very, very dark, and their stripes become golden. They're incredibly gorgeous fish. However, as the caption suggests, maroon clowns are notorious for their aggression. They grow up to about 6" in the home aquarium, and more vicious with each inch. I wouldn't put these in a tank with more docile fish, and definitely the bigger the tank the better. Large tanks reduce aggression because it provides all the inhabitants with more room to stretch their fins. This of course has a much smaller impact if you overstock your tank.

Cinnamon Clownfish (Amphiprion melanopus)

Juliette's cousin.

The Cinnamon Clownfish is similar to the Tomato Clownfish in all regards, except for the slight difference in coloration. Instead of being red, the cinnamon clown has a dark orange body with yellow fins. Like the tomato, it also only has one band, located just behind its eye. They grow to be about 5" in the home aquarium. Generally the larger the clown the more aggressive. However, an anemone can have the added benefit of controlling their aggression. While the addition of an anemone might make the clownfish more aggressive, it will also reduce the range of its aggression to wherever the anemone is. Clownfish don't like to leave their anemone. With that in mind, if you can place the anemone to one side of the aquarium, you'll reduce the range of your beautiful, though overly aggressive, clownfish.

Clarkii Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii)

Big beautiful clownfish.

I love Clarkii clowns. When I first found out that clownfish came in colors other than orange, I immediately tried to find the most exotic one. For me, it was the Clarkii Clownfish. They have the size that the maroon and tomato clowns have, growing up to 6" in the home aquarium, but their heads are a little more rounded in the front. This makes them seem massive in comparison. They also have a deep black body contrasted with stripes so white they almost glow blue. To finish off this beautiful clown, it has a bright yellow belly. Pictures honestly don't do this clown justice.

Pink Skunk Clownfish (Amphiprion perideraion)

Nemo's naked cousins.

If hippie fish existed, these would be them. The Pink Skunk Clownfish grow to about 4", but they're not aggressive. It's perfectly acceptable to have several juvenile skunks live in harmony with a mature pair in an anemone. Most clowns, especially the larger ones, would not allow this unless it was in a very big system and all of the clowns were introduced to the aquarium at the same time. Skunk clowns are a light creamy orange color with one white stripe behind their eyes and one white stripe that runs along the entire length of their back.

Saddleback Clownfish (Amphiprion polymnus)

"Yeehaw! No seriously don't ride me."

The Saddleback Clownfish is unique in its appearance. Its middle bar stops about halfway down its body giving it the appearance of having a saddle on its back. They are also easily recognizable from the way they swim. Saddleback clowns kind of bob their entire bodies up and down while they tread water. It's like they're on a treadmill that has hills. Saddleback clowns can also be kept in small groups, like the skunk clowns. They're generally peaceful towards their tankmates. Saddleback clowns grow to about 4". They come in brown, tan, black, and yellow. As with most clowns, their bodies darken with age, becoming close to a dark black as they mature.

But I have all this money and clownfish are too affordable!

"Said no one ever." I know, I know. If you didn't know, saltwater aquariums are very, very expensive. A "cheap" fish costs between $20 and $30, and corals generally start at $30 or so for a small fragment of a few polyps. Most of the clowns on this list range anywhere from $10 (the cinnamon clown) up to about $45 (the black ocellaris clown). All things considered, that's cheap for saltwater fish.

These are actually made entirely of gold.

The reason clownfish are relatively cheap is because they're one of the few fish that are aggressively bred in captivity. Due to their relatively simple lifecycle and spawning prowess, clownfish are the ideal candidates for aquaculture (the practice of breeding and growing aquatic life in aquariums). Due to the advances in aquaculture technology, it is now very easy for companies to breed clownfish in large numbers. Occasionally, odd genetic morphs appear in the offspring. These individuals are then selected out and bred, creating clownfish with very unique morph patterns. This is where the money comes in. While it's not uncommon to pay $80 to $120 for a mature mated pair of clowns, these "designer" clowns fetch anywhere from $150 to $800 per pair. The sky really is the limit when it comes to what people will pay for exclusive, uniquely morphed patterns.

USA Tank Bred "Gladiator Clownfish" (Amphiprion ocellaris) $150

ORA "Premium Snowflake Ocellaris Clownfish" (Amphiprion ocellaris) $380

SA "Fancy Ocellaris Clownfish" (Amphiprion percula) $250

ORA "Ultra Spotcinctus Clownfish" (Amphiprion bicinctus) $250

ORA "Tank Bred McCulloch's Clownfish" (Amphiprion mccullochi) $800

These are just some of the exotic clownfish available. Personally, I don't think I could put up that much for a pair of clowns, though I'm sure my family would say otherwise. If I had my choice, I'd get a pair of black snowflake ocellaris clowns. They run about $450 for a pair. Here's the best picture I could find of them:

Sea & reef Aquaculture "Phantom Clownfish"

Some people might say I have a problem. Well, yes. Yes I have a problem.

As always, if you have any questions about anything aquarium related, don't hesitate to ask! Thanks for reading.