Amphiprion ocellaris is perhaps the most famous marine aquarium fish in the world. Many know it simply as "Nemo," but thanks to aquarium breeding, the classic orange-and-white wild type is now just one of numerous different ocellaris color morphs.
The wild type 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 frequently confused with each other.
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 commercial scale. A long history of breeding has also enabled a large number of different color and pattern variations.
Pairing and behavior
Ocellaris should be kept singly or, preferably, as a pair. Clownfish are protandrous hermaphrodites: the larger and dominant fish in a pair is the female, and the smaller 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 cannot turn back into a male.
Ocellaris belongs to the more peaceful clownfish species, but it is not always entirely gentle. A pair usually selects 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 more than one pair of ocellaris can lead to the established pair harassing other individuals.
Does Nemo need a sea anemone?
No, it doesn't. A captive-bred ocellaris does 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 informal. Captive-bred clownfish may adopt, for example, a bubble-tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) as their host, even if it is not one of the ocellaris's natural host species. Sometimes, an LPS coral, soft coral, corallimorph, or even a specific rock crevice or corner of the aquarium is accepted as a host.
If an ocellaris chooses a coral as its host, constant rubbing and lingering 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.
The diet should 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 the eggs and provides water circulation 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 small planktonic fry. In a typical reef aquarium, they easily end up as food for other animals or get caught in the filtration.
Raising the fry requires a separate breeding tank and suitable live starter food, usually rotifers. Later, the feeding can transition to, for example, newly hatched artemia. The actual breeding process is therefore something quite different from a pair spawning successfully.
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 can defend its own 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 become 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 colors and patterns, and new lines are still being developed. The names of the color morphs can also be breeder-specific.
Examples of well-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, for example, Longfin lines are also bred from the species.
