All fish / Pomacentridae

Orange skunk clownfish

Amphiprion sandaracinos

Also known as orange skunk clown, orange anemonefish, yellow skunk clownfish, golden skunk clownfish, orange skunk anemonefish, skunk clownfish, スカンクアネモネフィッシュ, オレンジスカンク, ikan badut oranye, 橙背双锯鱼, 橙鳍小丑鱼

A deep orange clownfish with a single white stripe running from the snout along the top of the back to the tail, with no body bars. It is kept for its warm colour and the appeal of watching a pair living in a host anemone, and it is one of the larger skunk-type clowns.

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

110 litres

Keep as

A single pair

Diet

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

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean: Christmas Island, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, northwest Australia, southern Japan

Breeding

Pairs lay eggs on a hard surface beside their anemone and the male guards them until they hatch after about a week. Captive-bred fish are now available and spawning is fairly common in a mature tank, though rearing the larvae on rotifers is demanding.

Good to know

In the wild it mainly hosts Stichodactyla mertensii and Heteractis crispa, and it can be shy and timid compared with other clowns. Do not confuse it with the paler pink skunk or Amphiprion akallopisos, which are smaller.