Amphiprion Ocellaris
Scientific Name : Amphiprion Ocellaris
Origin : South East Asia
Temperament : Mostly Peaceful
Temperature : 72F - 82F
Maximum Size : 3 Inches
Diet : Omnivore
Difficulty : Easy
Reef Safe : Yes
Tank Size : 20 Gallons
Amphiprion Ocellaris together with the similar Amphiprion Percula make up the most famous and recognizable clown fish in the marine aquarium hobby. Both these species are entirely simliar with one important difference. The number of their dorsal spines. They are known as the False Percula while Amphiprion percula go by the nickname, True Percula.
Ocellaris are supposed to have 11 spines while percula usually have 10. Unless you are going to count dorsal spines all day, there may be an easier way.
Amphiprion usually has little to no black outlines on its white bars on its body while amphiprion percula has outlines that are very apparent and thicker. This should increase you chance of telling the two apart but there are no guarentees with this method of differentiation.
They are a common fish throughout South East Asian coral reefs and are imported in very large numbers to satisfy the huge demand that the marine aquarium trade has for them. They are always found with an anemone host in the wild as they have a symbiotic relationship with them. They do not get stung by the stinging cells of the anemone and use it as shelter. In return, Amphiprion Ocellaris protects the anemone from would be predators themselves.
Because they areso abundant in the trade, they are one of the cheaper fish in this hobby. Smaller specimens can fetch as little as $10 per fish. Tank raised specimens are generally more expensive and well suited for the marine aquarium as they were born and raised in one. Given a choice, hobbyists should always opt for tank raised specimens over wild ones. It is the only chance we have towards sustainable reefkeeping in the long run.
Clown fish are some of the easiest marine ornamental fish to keep in the marine aquarium. Very hardy, they adapt well to life in captivity and will feed on a wide variety of foods with little to no trouble.
Because they are such easy fish to feed, we can begin planning the best diet for them. The key is to keep things varied to they get all the nutrients they need from an assortment of foods. While primarily carnivores, they will earn to eat vegetable matter as well.
Get them on a good pellet food like those produced by * New Life Spectrum. These pellets are very well balanced and highly reputable. Some meaty frozen foods to offer include * Mysis Shrimp, * Frozen Krill
and * Prime Reef which is a great seafood mix which includes squid, scallops, lobster, shrimp along with various vitamins ans supplements added in. If you feed your clown fish the above mentioned foods daily, they will go on to lead long and healthy lives.
Amphiprion Ocellaris are small fish that rarely exceed 3 inches in captivity. They are suitable for nano aquariums as small as 20 gallons. If an anemone is present, they hardly need any space at all mainly because they are a site attached fish in the wild. That site, its the anemone.
However, they will do perfectly fine without an anemone. If you are thinking of keeping an anemone, ensure that you have strong lighting, good flow and good water quality. Too many perish in captivity because buyers did not read up on the care and husbandry of these long lived creatures.
Always a great choice for any marine aquarium except large predator fish tanks, Amphiprion Ocellaris is a colorful clown fish that is suitable for both veterans of the hobby as well as those that are just starting out.
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