Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Picasso Clownfish
Amphiprion percula
Also called Picasso Percula, Picasso Percula Clownfish
From A rare natural pattern of the percula clownfish from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, now produced mainly by captive breeding1
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Personality what they are like
Like the standard percula, it is a peaceful aquarium fish that keeps close to its chosen home.2
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Stays near its host anemone or favourite spot, darting out briefly to feed.2
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
A fully marine fish. In the wild its parent species lives in shallow, warm reef water of about 25 to 28 °C. Stable reef-style conditions suit it well.2
Home where they are happiest
A saltwater aquarium with rockwork or a host anemone. Wild fish live in shallow reef water no deeper than about 12 to 15 m, mainly in Heteractis magnifica and Stichodactyla gigantea anemones.23
Food basics what goes in the bowl
An omnivore; in nature it eats algae, zooplankton, worms and small crustaceans.2
Company who they like around
Lives as a pair or small group led by one female, with the largest male next in line.2
The story where it all began
Picasso markings occur in the wild but are very rare. ORA began its breeding line in 2004 by pairing one wild male from the Solomon Islands with an ordinary Onyx female, and later added more wild Picassos. Much of the Picasso stock in the hobby traces back to that programme.1
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Only a small share of babies from each Picasso spawn grow up with enough extra white to be sold as Picassos; most look like regular perculas.1
- 2
Young Picassos usually lack the black body markings, which fill in as they mature.1
- 3
Percula clownfish have 10 spines in the first dorsal fin, while the look-alike ocellaris usually has 11.2
- 4
A percula pair lays roughly 400 to 1,500 eggs per spawning, and they hatch in 6 to 8 days.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Parent species Amphiprion percula assessed as Least Concern; the Picasso is a pattern variety3
- ORA (aquaculture breeder)
- Hand-graded into Picasso and Premium Picasso grades1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Picasso 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
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Snowflake Clownfish
Black Ocellaris ClownfishLike what we are building? Buy us a coffee.
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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.
- ORA: Picasso Clownfish orafarm.comused for origin, history, pattern, grading, development
- Wikipedia: Orange clownfish (Amphiprion percula) en.wikipedia.orgused for size, lifespan note, habitat, diet, temperament, dorsal spines, spawning
- FishBase: Amphiprion percula fishbase.seused for max size, depth, host anemones, IUCN status of parent species
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.