Care
The Common Clownfish is, quite understandably, an all-time favourite amongst many marine aquarists on account of its captivating personality and vibrant colouration. In the wild, clownfish are afforded lifelong protection from predators and skin parasites by a host anemone; Common Clownfish being most commonly associated with the Ritteri anemone (Heteractis magnifica), Stichodactyla gigantea, and S. mertensii. In the community reef aquarium, a host anemone - some of which can be a little tricky to maintain successfully in captivity - is not necessary for your clownfish as most reef set ups contain plenty of hiding places, no large predatory fish, and sometimes cleaner shrimp/cleaner wrasse. In the absence of an anemone, some clownfish take up residence in what they see as a suitable coral substitute - which may cause them to retract in irritation as the clownfish wallow - but this isn't always the case. Many species of clownfish (including the Common) are now captive-raised, so wherever possible the conscientious aquarist should aim to source these hardier specimens for the home aquarium, in turn helping to take pressure off the reefs. As these fish can be quite territorial, in the average sized aquarium you should aim to keep just one known pair. In XXL aquaria, more than one pair could be kept if they are all added at the same time as juvenile specimens and plenty of visual barriers are provided amongst the decor (or in the case of adding host anemones, enough anemones for all the fish, added at the same time as the clowns). If shelters are limited, the dominant clownfish will bully the others, picking them off one-by-one, so careful observation is necessary. Bear in mind that catching fish out of an established reef tank can be extremely difficult, so think carefully about adding more than one pair to your set up! It is also best not to mix this species with other species of clownfish as many will fight. With regards to sexing, all clownfish are born as males. A wild colony may consist of a breeding pair, which cohabit with a few non-reproductive smaller male specimens. When the female dies, the dominant male will change sex and become the female. This is known as protandrous sequential hermaphroditism. In the case of two juvenile specimens in the home aquarium, the larger of the two will become the female. Finally, do not attempt to house Common Clownfish with the Atlantic Carpet anemone (Condylactis sp.) as they may be consumed, and be aware that these fish are very sensitive to treatment with copper remedies. A tank-raised black and white colour variant of this species is often also available. May also be seen on sale as the False Percula Clownfish.
Feeding
Offer a varied diet including meaty items such as Mysis shrimp, chopped krill, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp etc, plus herbivore flakes and greenfoods. Feed small amounts 3 times per day. If living with a symbiotic anemone, many clownfish will share their food with them.
Breeding
The clownfish will clean a smooth rocky surface near to the base of their host anemone. Numerous eggs (numbering between several hundred to a few thousand) will be deposited and the male will aerate them by fanning them with his pectoral fins whilst the female guards them against predators. The eggs will hatch in darkness after 7-10 days, and once free-swimming, the planktonic fry are left to fend for themselves and should be fed on suitably tiny foodstuffs such as live rotifers, moving on to baby brineshrimp after a few days. It is unlikely that fry will survive the attentions of the other fish in a community reef set-up.
