They’re orange, striped, and swim by doing the “wriggly-wriggly” dance. You know ‘em, your nieces know ‘em, the whole world knows ‘em.
Clownfish have been catapulted to stardom by Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Finding Dory. They’re now among the most beloved of all marine Fishes. Ask any toddler what Fishes they want to see and they’ll likely blurt out “Clownfish” in their top five choices.
NO SMALL TRAIT TO LAUGH ABOUT
Clownfish have been around for millions of years, evolving to take advantage of the unique protection offered by Sea Anemones, who are like predatory Corals without skeletons, armed with stinging, harpoon-shaped cells called nematocysts. To the human touch, nematocysts feel like nothing more than either stickiness or a very raspy rug, but for most Fishes, contact with anemones is a death sentence.
Not so for Clownfish, who have evolved to have a protective mucous coating to prevent Sea Anemones from firing off their nematocysts. In return for living in their protective arms, Clownfish aggressively drive off Butterflyfish, Angelfish, and other reef residents who might want to snack on the Anemone’s tentacles.
Clownfish have even been observed sharing their food with their hosts, making their relationship a great example of mutualism, a partnership that benefits all parties.
Of over 1000 known Sea anemone Species, only ten regularly host Clownfish.
5 MAJOR TYPES OF CLOWNFISH
Though they’ve existed long before the first humans, the first Clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, to be discovered was found only in 1830 by French zoologist Georges Cuvier.
As a kid, I read almost every aquarium book I could get my grubby little hands on and memorized the scientific names of the 24 known Clownfish species in the 1980s. Since then, scientists have discovered six more species, raising the number of known Clownfish to 30.
All Clownfish are Damselfish, whom we’ve covered in a previous Wild Side tale. Though we don’t have space to tackle all 30 species, we’ll highlight the main Clownfish archetypes.
PERCULA COMPLEX
This group covers the “classic” Clownfish, those who look like our heroes from Finding Nemo. Most are various shades of orange with three white bands, outlined in black.
Included here are the Common Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris), the rarer Percula Clownfish (Amphiprion percula) and arguably the most beautiful of all Clownfish species, the richly-hued but super aggressive Maroon Clownfish (Amphiprion biaculeatus).
TOMATO COMPLEX
Distinguished by having just a single white band behind the eyes, these disc-shaped Clownfish include the Tomato Clownfish (Amphiprion frenatus) and the Cinnamon Clownfish (Amphiprion melanopus), though juveniles might also have an additional stripe that disappears with age.
An outlier is the rarely-seen Fire Clownfish (Amphiprion ephippium), which ditches the white stripe completely.
CLARK’S COMPLEX
Perhaps the most commonly encountered by divers, this yellow and black-themed group covers around a dozen species, with the Clark’s Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii) possibly being the most common and widespread of all Clownfish species in the Indo-Pacific Region.
SKUNK COMPLEX
Beautifully colored in subdued, pastel shades, the three Skunk Clownfish species feature a single white stripe running along their backs.
This complex includes some of the most peaceful species: the Pink Skunk Clownfish (Amphiprion perideraion), the Skunk Clownfish (Amphiprion akallopisos) and the Orange Skunk Clownfish (Amphiprion sandaracinos).
SADDLEBACK COMPLEX
This is probably the most rarely-encountered group, with predominantly black coloration and unique saddle-like markings on both flanks.
The archetype is the sand-dwelling Saddleback Clownfish (Amphiprion polymnus) and the Black Clownfish (Amphiprion sebae). They are not as popular for their colors are more subdued and monochromatic.
CARING FOR CLOWNS
color morphs. Shown are “Designer Clownfish” sold for upwards of Php 5,000 each, making Clownfish farming a profitable enterprise. (Bali Aquarich)
Clownfish care is uncomplicated, as long as you don’t try to keep their host Sea Anemones. A minimum of 30 gallons is needed, with relatively gentle tankmates (maybe one or two semi-aggressive Damselfish are allowed).
Don’t try to mix Clownfish species unless you introduce them all as juveniles and simultaneously. Clownfish are still Damsels and can thus be as aggressive as African Cichlids.
In contrast, Sea Anemone care is complicated and requires mini-reef skills, upkeep, and investment, so we don’t recommend keeping Clownfish with live Anemones. Keeping Corals, Anemones, and marine invertebrates is a tricky and tedious cross to bear, involving frequent water changes, expensive equipment, and regular feeding and dosing with live plankton, infusoria, and artemia.
Your Fish will happily nestle in the host tentacles of rubber Sea Anemones instead. Properly placed near a powerhead, rubber tentacles will sway and look alive anyway.
(Gregg Yan)
NO CLOWNING WITH THE CLOWNFISH
Clownfish are still fairly commonly encountered in Philippine Coral reefs (though nowhere near as numerous as they were in the 1980s, when you could snorkel over Anemone beds brimming with hundreds of Clownfish).
When you do see them in the wild, never touch their Anemone hosts, and observe them quietly from a distance (although many species will totally charge at you, completely unafraid). They’re a favorite subject of divers since they do one thing most wild Fishes never do: stay put.
This month, we dedicate The Wild Side to the reef’s tiny clowns. May their “wriggly-wriggly” dance keep our seas happy, colorful, and lively.
