Clownfish
Clownfish are the most forgiving marine fish there is, and the reason most reef tanks get started. Gallery Aquatica stocks six species at our shop in Tingalpa, east of the Brisbane CBD.
Clownfish are in-store purchase and pickup only. We do not send live fish by courier or freight. Stock arrives in batches, so ring 0420 484 584 if you are after a particular species.
Do clownfish need an anemone?
No. This is the most common misconception about them and it is worth clearing up before anything else.
On the reef, clownfish shelter in anemones and gain protection from predators in exchange for driving off the anemone's own predators. In a tank there are no predators, so the arrangement has nothing to do. Clownfish live full, healthy lives without ever seeing an anemone, and they will often adopt a substitute instead - a torch coral, a frogspawn, a powerhead, or occasionally a corner of the glass.
The reason it matters: anemones are considerably harder to keep than clownfish. They need mature, stable water and strong lighting, they wander until they find a spot they like, and they can sting coral on the way. Buying an anemone for the sake of a clownfish is taking on the difficult animal to serve the easy one. If you want one, keep the tank running well for six months first.
Pairs, groups and aggression
All clownfish are born male, and in each group the dominant fish becomes female. She is the larger of a pair. This has a practical consequence: two adult clownfish that have not paired up will fight, sometimes fatally, because neither will concede.
So keep clownfish singly, or as a bonded pair, and buy them as a pair or as two juveniles small enough to sort it out themselves. Do not add a second adult to an established clownfish later - that is the most common way people lose one.
Different species should not be mixed either. A tank holds one clownfish species.
The clownfish we stock
Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
Sometimes written Occelaris, and the fish everyone recognises from Finding Nemo. Orange with three white bars edged in thin black. Reaches about 8 cm and is comfortable in 100 litres.
This is the hardiest marine fish we sell and the right first choice for almost any new tank. It eats prepared food immediately, tolerates a wider range of water conditions than anything else on the shelf, stays small, and it is reef safe. If you are setting up your first marine tank, start here.
Percula Clownfish (Amphiprion percula)
Very close to the ocellaris and often confused with it. The distinguishing feature is the black edging around the white bars, which is noticeably thicker on a percula and can broaden into large black panels on some individuals. Same 8 cm adult size, same 100 litres, same easy care.
Usually a little more expensive than the ocellaris. Whether the difference is worth it is purely a matter of which one you prefer looking at. Reef safe.
Akindynos Clownfish (Amphiprion akindynos, Barrier Reef clownfish)
The clownfish native to the Great Barrier Reef, and the one to buy if you would rather stock an Australian species. Orange-brown with two white bars, and the bars often carry a faint bluish edge. Reaches around 12 cm, so allow 150 litres.
Slightly larger and slightly more assertive than an ocellaris, but the same undemanding fish in every practical respect. Reef safe.
Tomato Clownfish (Amphiprion frenatus)
Deep red-orange with a single white head bar. Reaches 14 cm - noticeably bigger than an ocellaris - and wants 200 litres.
Worth knowing that females grow large and get territorial with age. A mature tomato clownfish will claim a section of the tank and defend it against tankmates and against the hand that goes in to do maintenance. Not a problem in a big enough tank, but a poor choice for a small peaceful community. Reef safe.
Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus, listed as Premna)
The largest and by a clear margin the most aggressive clownfish. Deep maroon with white or gold bars, and the only clownfish in a genus of its own - it carries a spine on the cheek the others lack. Females reach 17 cm and want 250 litres.
A mature female maroon is a genuinely formidable fish. She will dominate a tank, harass fish several times her size, and bite during maintenance. Kept for what she is, in a tank with robust tankmates, she is a striking animal. Kept in a small peaceful reef, she is a problem. Reef safe as far as coral goes.
Other clownfish we regularly stock
Also part of our regular range. Ask us in store or ring 0420 484 584 and we will talk you through size and temperament.
- Skunk Clownfish
Which clownfish should you buy?
For a first marine tank, an ocellaris. Nothing else here is meaningfully easier and nothing else is cheaper.
If you want an Australian species, the akindynos. If you want a big personality and have the tank to absorb it, the maroon - but go in knowing what she becomes.
A note on captive-bred fish generally: clownfish are one of the few marine species bred commercially at scale, and captive-bred stock is usually hardier and better adapted to prepared food than wild-caught. It is worth asking about when you visit.
Tankmates
Clownfish suit almost everything. Reliable combinations include gobies, blennies, chromis, anthias, Banggai cardinals and, in a large enough tank, tangs.
Avoid lionfish and morays, both of which will eat a clownfish. Large angelfish and triggerfish will bully one.
The one combination to think twice about is a maroon or tomato clownfish with small peaceful fish - the clownfish is the aggressor in that pairing, not the victim.
Common questions
Do you ship clownfish?
No. All marine fish are in-store purchase and pickup only. We do not send live fish by courier or freight.
Are these clownfish in stock right now?
These are the species we stock as our regular range, not a live inventory. Ring 0420 484 584 or email shop@galleryaquatica.com.au to check before travelling.
Do clownfish need an anemone?
No. Clownfish live perfectly well without one and will often adopt a coral or a piece of equipment instead. Anemones are considerably harder to keep than clownfish are, so do not buy one for the fish's sake.
What size tank does a clownfish need?
An ocellaris or percula is comfortable in around 100 litres. Allow 150 litres for an akindynos, 200 for a tomato and 250 for a maroon.
Can I keep two clownfish together?
As a bonded pair, yes. Buy them as a pair or as two juveniles small enough to establish a hierarchy between themselves. Do not add a second adult clownfish to an established one, and do not mix species - a tank holds one clownfish species.
Why is one of my clownfish bigger than the other?
That is normal and expected. All clownfish are born male and the dominant fish of a pair becomes female, growing larger. The size difference means the pair has bonded correctly.
Are clownfish reef safe?
Yes. They may host in a coral and irritate it by constantly rubbing against it, but they do not eat coral.
What do clownfish eat?
Prepared marine food - flake, pellet and frozen - which they take readily from day one. Feed a varied diet rather than one product. We stock a range of marine foods.
More marine fish
See all the marine fish we stock, or the Brisbane store page for coral, equipment and everything else we carry.