Not furry, but we like them anyway.

Cinnamon Clownfish

Amphiprion melanopus

Also called Fire clownfish, Red and black anemonefish, Black-backed anemonefish, Blackback anemonefish, Dusky anemonefish

SpeciesShort profile

From Western Pacific: eastern Indonesia, the south-eastern Philippines, Papua New Guinea, eastern Queensland and the Coral Sea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Palau and Micronesia1 2

At a glance the quick version

Length9 to 12 cm1 2 3

Sizesmall

Rich red, black and blue colouring

Accepts a wide variety of foods

Breeds in captivity

3 2

Looks how to spot one

Coloursred to orange with dark mahogany or black sides and a white head barNew Caledonia form: red body, black saddle, yellow or orange fins, blue head bar2 3

Personality what they are like

Similar in character to the tomato clownfish: confident and territorial once settled in, and keen to guard its home.3 2

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Stays close to its host anemone, most often a bubble-tip, or to a favourite spot in the tank.1 2

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

A fully marine reef fish that accepts flakes, pellets and frozen foods. It can become territorial once it has settled into a tank, so tank mates are best chosen with that in mind.2 3

Home where they are happiest

A saltwater aquarium with rockwork or a host anemone. In the wild it lives in lagoons and on outer reefs at about 1 to 18 m, usually with the bubble-tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor).1 2

Food basics what goes in the bowl

An omnivore. Wild fish eat planktonic copepods, small crustaceans and algae; in aquariums it takes flakes, brine shrimp, mysid shrimp, algae and pellets.1 2

Company who they like around

Lives in small size-ranked groups led by one breeding female and one breeding male, and forms close pairs when breeding.2 1

The story where it all began

Bleeker described the cinnamon clownfish in 1852. It is found across the western Pacific and has been bred successfully in aquariums, with captive-bred fish now offered in the hobby.1 2 3

Fun facts for the dinner table

1
Young fish have a white head stripe that turns blue in adult fish from New Caledonia.3
2
If the breeding female is lost, the breeding male changes sex and takes her place.2
3
An average nest holds around 250 eggs.3
4
It reaches breeding size at roughly 5 to 5.5 cm long.1

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2010)1
Pieter Bleeker: Species described by Bleeker in 18521

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Cinnamon Clownfish. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.

FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
Temperature checkevery day
Salinity checkevery week
Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
Water testevery week
Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
Glass cleanevery week

Start a free diary

Tomato Clownfish

Maroon Clownfish

Clark's Clownfish

Pink Skunk Clownfish

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Where this comes from

Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

FishBase: Amphiprion melanopus, Fire clownfish fishbase.seused for range, max size, depth, host anemone, diet, IUCN status, describer, maturity size, max recorded age
Wikipedia: Cinnamon clownfish en.wikipedia.orgused for names, appearance, size, temperament, host anemones, diet, sex change, aquarium foods
ORA: Cinnamon Clownfish orafarm.comused for New Caledonia colour form, size, temperament, nest size, captive breeding

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.