Amphiprion ocellaris is perhaps the world's most well-known marine aquarium fish. Many simply know it as "Nemo," but thanks to aquarium breeding, the classic orange-and-white natural form is today just one of numerous different Ocellaris color morphs.
The natural form has a bright orange base color and three white vertical stripes, usually bordered by a thin black area. The species very closely resembles the Amphiprion percula clownfish, and these two species are still often confused with one another.
The Amphiprion ocellaris clownfish sold at Korallifarmi are always captive-bred, not wild-caught. Ocellaris was also one of the first marine aquarium fish to be successfully bred on a large commercial scale. A long breeding history has also enabled a large number of different color and pattern variations.
Pairing and behavior
It is recommended to keep Ocellaris singly or, preferably, as a pair. Clownfish are protandrous hermaphrodites: the larger and dominant fish of the pair is the female, and the smaller one is the male. If the female disappears, the male can change sex and develop into a female. The sex change only works in this direction; a female will not turn back into a male.
Ocellaris is among the more peaceful clownfish, though it is not always perfectly gentle. A pair will usually select their own territory in the aquarium and may defend it against other fish, especially when sexually mature and during spawning. In a small aquarium, keeping multiple Ocellaris can lead to the formed pair harassing other individuals.
Does Nemo need a sea anemone?
No, it doesn't. A captive-bred Ocellaris fares perfectly fine without a sea anemone.
In the wild, A. ocellaris lives in symbiosis with sea anemones. Its natural hosts include Heteractis magnifica, Stichodactyla gigantea, and Stichodactyla mertensii.
In an aquarium, the situation can be significantly more flexible. Captive-bred clownfish may host, for example, a bubble-tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor), even though it is not one of the natural host species for Ocellaris. Sometimes an LPS coral, soft coral, corallimorph, or even a specific rock crevice or corner of the aquarium will suffice as a host.
If an Ocellaris chooses a coral as its host, constant rubbing and dwelling in the coral can sometimes irritate it.
Feeding
Ocellaris is omnivorous and usually very easy to feed. Captive-bred individuals are already accustomed to standard aquarium foods.
It is recommended to combine high-quality marine fish pellets or granules with various frozen foods, such as mysis shrimp and artemia. Foods containing algae are also suitable as part of a varied diet.
Spawning in the aquarium
A well-acclimated, sexually mature pair may also start spawning in a standard reef aquarium. The female usually lays the eggs on a cleaned hard surface near their territory or host. The male plays a major role in caring for the eggs: it guards them and keeps water circulating over them with its fins. The eggs hatch after about a week, depending on the temperature.
Spawning, however, does not mean that small Nemos will suddenly appear in the aquarium. Newly hatched larvae are extremely tiny planktonic fry. In a standard reef aquarium, they easily end up as food for other animals or get caught in the filtration.
Rearing the fry requires a separate grow-out tank and suitable live starter food, usually rotifers. Later, the feeding can progress to, for example, newly hatched artemia. Thus, actual rearing is a completely different matter than a pair successfully spawning.
Care instructions
Minimum aquarium size: approx. 75 liters for one or a pair
Temperature: approx. 24–27 °C
Salinity: approx. 34–35 ppt
Diet: omnivorous; high-quality dry foods and diverse frozen foods
Behavior: generally peaceful, but may defend its territory especially as a pair and during spawning
Maximum size: approx. 11 cm
Reef safe: yes. Does not eat corals or common reef invertebrates, but a coral chosen as a host can sometimes be irritated by the fish's constant presence.
Difficulty level: easy
Natural distribution: Indo-West Pacific
Individuals sold at Korallifarmi: always captive-bred
Color morphs
All the different-looking "designer" Ocellaris are still the same Amphiprion ocellaris species. Advanced selective breeding has produced very different colorations and patterns, and new lines are still being developed. The names of the color morphs can also be breeder-specific.
Examples of known color morphs include Ocellaris, Misbar, Extreme Misbar, Black Ocellaris, Misbar Black Ocellaris, Extreme Misbar Black Ocellaris, Caramel, Snowflake, Premium Snowflake, Black Snowflake, Premium Black Snowflake, Black Ice Snowflake, Gladiator, Premium Gladiator, Mocha Gladiator, Wyoming White, Naked Ocellaris, Midnight, Domino, Frostbite, Black Frostbite, Black Storm, Snow Storm, and Zombie. In addition, Longfin lines are also being bred.
