All fish / Pomacentridae

Australian Clownfish

Amphiprion rubrocinctus

Also known as australian clownfish, australian anemonefish, red anemonefish, australian red clownfish, rubrocinctus clownfish, australian clown, オーストラリアンクマノミ, 澳洲红小丑, 澳洲小丑鱼

This is a stocky reddish-brown to orange-red clownfish. Adults usually have a white bar just behind the eye, and some also have a thin second bar near the middle of the body. It belongs to the tomato clown group and is kept for its hardiness and rich colour, and because it is seldom seen in the trade. In the wild it lives in bubble-tip and leathery sea anemones (Entacmaea quadricolor and Stichodactyla gigantea), and it usually takes to bubble-tip anemones in aquariums.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

11 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

150 litres

Keep as

A single fish or one mated pair

Diet

Omnivore: quality marine pellets, frozen mysis and brine shrimp, chopped seafood, algae-based foods

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Northwestern and northern Australia (Western Australia, Northern Territory)

Breeding

Like all clownfish, it starts life as a male, and the dominant fish of a pair becomes female. Pairs lay eggs on hard surfaces near their anemone and guard them until they hatch after about a week. Raising the larvae on rotifers and then newly hatched brine shrimp works but is moderately difficult, and few captive-bred fish are offered for sale.

Good to know

Like other tomato-group clowns, it can become very territorial as it grows, so keep only one pair to a tank and avoid other clownfish. It looks very like the tomato clownfish (A. frenatus) and the cinnamon clownfish (A. melanopus), and dealers sometimes mix them up. Australian export rules mean wild fish rarely reach the trade.