Ocellaris Clownfish

Looks how to spot one

Small, rounded reef fish with a slimy protective coat

A compact, oval-bodied fish in bright orange with three white bands across the head, middle and tail base. Each white band and every fin edge is trimmed with a thin black line. A protective layer of mucus covers the body and lets it live among anemone tentacles. It has a slightly taller dorsal fin than its close look-alike, the percula clownfish.3247

Personality what they are like

Calm by clownfish standards, but it does claim a home spot and defends it. Groups follow a clear pecking order with one large female, one breeding male and smaller non-breeding fish below them. Wild fish rarely stray more than about 30 cm from their anemone.635

Daily activity how busy a day looks

A short-range swimmer that stays close to a chosen home base, such as an anemone, coral or rock, and wiggles in and out of it through the day rather than patrolling the whole tank.53

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

A fully marine fish kept at normal sea-water salinity (about 35 parts per thousand). It is described as easy to keep and adaptable. Stable, clean reef-style water conditions suit it, and an anemone is not required in captivity.367

Home where they are happiest

A saltwater aquarium with rockwork or a host to settle into. In the wild it lives on coastal reefs and in calm, sheltered lagoons at roughly 1 to 15 m depth, nestled in one of three large sea anemone species. In aquariums it will also adopt other anemones, corals or simply a favourite spot.1537

Food basics what goes in the bowl

An omnivore. In nature it eats zooplankton, copepods, small crustaceans and algae, plus scraps left over from its anemone's meals. In aquariums it takes a wide variety of marine flakes, pellets and frozen foods.3246

Company who they like around

Usually kept as a single fish or as a bonded pair. Two young fish placed together will sort out roles, with the larger one becoming the female. It is less tolerant of other clownfish with the same banding pattern.1376

The story where it all began

Georges Cuvier described the species in 1830. In the wild it lives in partnership with large sea anemones across the warm reefs of the Indo-Pacific. It was one of the first marine aquarium fish bred successfully in captivity, and that early success helped launch commercial breeding of ornamental marine fish; farms such as those in Florida now raise it in large numbers. Between 1997 and 2002 it ranked among the most traded marine fish, and in 2011 it made up almost half of all clownfish imported into the United States. Its fame grew further after the 2003 film Finding Nemo, whose main characters are ocellaris clownfish. Captive breeders have since developed many 'designer' colour and pattern forms.3617

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Assessed as Least Concern (February 2021)1

Georges Cuvier

Species scientifically described by Cuvier in 18303

Popularity Ranked among the most traded marine aquarium fish in 1997 to 2002; in 2011 made up nearly half of all clownfish imported into the USA