Skunk Clownfish Care Guide
Amphiprion akallopisos, the skunk clownfish, is a slender Indian Ocean anemonefish with a pink-orange body and a single white dorsal stripe and no head bar.
Overview
Amphiprion akallopisos, the skunk clownfish, is a reef-associated damselfish of the family Pomacentridae. It has a slender, light-orange body with a single narrow white stripe running from the mouth along the back to the caudal peduncle, and no head bar. It reaches a maximum standard length of about 11 cm.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacentridae
- Genus: Amphiprion
- Scientific name: Amphiprion akallopisos Bleeker, 1853
Habitat
The species ranges across the Indo-West Pacific, including East Africa, Madagascar, the Comoro Islands, the Seychelles, the Andaman Sea, Sumatra and the Java Sea. It lives on shallow inshore reefs with moderate to strong current at depths of about 3 to 25 m. It associates with the anemones Heteractis magnifica and Stichodactyla mertensii. FishBase reports a preferred temperature range of roughly 25.6-29.3 °C.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 100 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 8-12
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Lifespan: 11-12 years
Diet
Amphiprion akallopisos is an omnivore. In the aquarium it accepts marine flake and pellet foods together with frozen mysis and brine shrimp, fed about twice daily.
Compatibility
This species occupies the middle water column and lives in groups with a large dominant female, a functional male and several smaller juveniles. It uses sound, including pops and chirps, to defend its territory. It can be kept with tangs, royal gramma, wrasses and cleaner shrimp, while other clownfish species and aggressive predators such as triggerfish should be avoided.
Reef compatibility
Amphiprion akallopisos does not eat coral and is reef-safe. It is maintained at reef salinity of 1.024-1.026 specific gravity and carbonate hardness around 8-12 dKH. A host anemone is appreciated but not required in captivity.
Breeding
The species is a monogamous protandrous hermaphrodite: when the female is removed, the functional male changes sex to replace her. Captive breeding is feasible.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2010).