Ocellaris "False Percula" Clownfish

the Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) is also know commonly as a false percula which is the same fish that playes "nemo". This is one of the more docile clowns in the family of clownfish which is the same as damsel fish and are great beginner fish due to their hardiness and ease of care. These fish are not schooling fish but can be kept in pairs or even groups if enough space is provided. All clown fish are essentially male and the largest, healthiest specimen wil become female and the dominant clown. This fish is one of the most distributed reef safe fish on the market due its ease of breeding in captivity. This fish is in the anemone fish catagory and will host an anemone for protection and will defend its home although these fish get along well with other tankmates of diferent species making them a great addition to any non aggressive or reef tank. An anemone is not need for the fish and it has been known to host powerheads, caves in rocks and almost anything esle in the tank. Corals may also become the target home for a false percula and should be watched so that the fish does not pester the coral to death. Clown fish will fight with other clown fish so it is not recommended to keep different species together. This fish commonly comes in orange with 3 white stripes but can also be found in black version which is black with white stripes or the "naked" percula which is orange without and white stripes. Amphiprion ocellaris is site attached meaning that they do not stray far from their territory. Because of this they can housed in tanks as small as 20 gallons

care- easy
reef safe-yes/community(except with other species of clownfish)
tank size- 20 gal minimum for pair
size- 3 inches
food- varied diet of small meaty foods and algae based foods
water- Specific gravity 1.020 and 1.026. pH 8 to 8.5 and hardness of dKH 8-12.
temp- 72F-78F (22C-26C)

Nice...check these out.they start out looking like regular clowns but turn black with age.there called black onyx clowns.I'm going to get me a pair here pretty soon.i think it would be cool to watch them turn black over time.

http://www.uberfrags.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3493

those are nice! I agree that it would be great to watch them fade from orange to black. I wqonder how much they run for

also keep in mind all clowns are born male and some (one of your mated pair) will eventually take on the role of female, with that said it is also a possibility that you female clown today may be you male in time and vice versa

fern, you might want to move this post to the saltwater fish section of teh libray since it is a saltwater fish :D

In a group of clownfish, there is a strict hierarchy of dominance. The largest and most aggressive female is found at the top. Only two clownfish, a male and a female, in a group reproduce through external fertilization. The clownfish are hermaphrodites, meaning that they develop into males first, and when they mature, they become females. Also, as mentioned earlier, more than one clownfish is able to live in a sea anemone. If the female clownfish is removed from the group, such as by death, one of the largest and most dominant males would become a female. The rest of the remaining males will move up a rank on the hierarchy.