Ocellaris Clownfish

Will the real Nemo please swim forward!  Yes, the Ocellaris or False Percula Clownfish is the real Nemo!

False Percula Clownfish, Common Clownfish, Western Clown Anemonefish

Family: Pomacentridae

The Ocellaris Clownfish Amphiprion ocellaris is the most recognized little orange saltwater fish in the world. It has long been the icon of the saltwater hobby, frequently pictured in books, on magazine covers, and as logos on t-shirts and other advertising mediums. 

Then its popularity really took off when it was featured in the 2003 Pixar film, "Finding Nemo"!

This personable little fish only reaches only about 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) in length. It typically has a bright orange body with three white vertical stripes. 

The first broad stripe is at the head just behind the eye, the second is mid body with a forward projecting bulge, and a third is at base of the tail fin. 

This clownfish is one of two species belonging to the Percula Complex. In its "normal" coloration it is almost identical in appearance to the other complex member, its close cousin the Percula Clownfish Amphiprion percula. 

Yet these two species have distinct natural distributions, with very limited overlap.

Breeding / Reproduction

The Ocellaris Clownfish has been bred in captivity and the fry successfully reared. All clownfish are undifferentiated when born but they are sex switchers. 

With certain social cues they change into juvenile males, and then when the opportunity arises a dominant fish will become female. In nature the Ocellaris spawn when the water is 79° F to 83° F (26° - 28°C). This is also the case when breeding in captivity.

Courtship will begin from 3 to 5 days before spawning. During this time the female’s belly starts to swell with eggs. As the male and female get closer to spawning, they vigorously clean an area of rock very close to the anemone, in order for the eggs to adhere correctly. 

They perform various rituals such as head standing, touching their ventral surfaces, or leaning towards each other with dorsal surfaces touching as they shake their heads.

When the female is ready to lay her eggs she will nip at the anemone so it retracts, exposing the spawning sight. She will then lay her eggs, closely followed by the male who promptly fertilizes them. Spawning is known to occur late morning to early afternoon and can last up to 2 1/2 hours. 

A clutch of Ocellaris Clownfish eggs number between 168 to 313, with an average being 236. Hatching will happen on the eighth day. This usually occurs at night from 1 to 1 1/2 hours after sunset, and all will hatch within two hours. Then the larvae ascending into the water column.

Within 8 to 16 days, the ones who survive not being eaten, become free swimming young clown fish and the search for their anemone for protection begins. 

Two forms of recognition of the host anemone occur when these fish are still growing in their eggs. One is a scent that the particular anemone emits that they have been laid by, and/or the visual recognition of their parents swimming within the tentacles. 

It is thought that the Elephant Ear Mushroom coral emits odors similar to certain anemonefish, which lures the very young juveniles to their death once in the clutches of this very large mushroom.

These fish are a little easier to breed in captivity than other clown fish. They take about five months two mature to the point of being large enough to sell. 

In captivity, at proper temperatures, they will spawn every 10-14 days, and the nest is roughly 350 eggs, which hatch in 7-8 days. See general clownfish breeding techniques on the Breeding Marine Fish page.

source : https://animal-world.com/encyclo/marine/clowns/ocellaris.php