Allard's Clownfish Care Guide
Amphiprion allardi, Allard's clownfish, is an East African anemonefish with a dark body, two black-edged white bars and a white tail. It is hardy and adaptable.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Amphiprion allardi, Allard's clownfish or the twobar anemonefish, is a reef-associated damselfish of the family Pomacentridae. It has a dark-brown to black body crossed by two white bars with black edging, a white caudal fin and orange remaining fins. It reaches a maximum length of about 15 cm.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacentridae
- Genus: Amphiprion
- Scientific name: Amphiprion allardi Klausewitz, 1970
Habitat
The species occurs in the western Indian Ocean along the East African coast between Kenya and Durban, extending east to the Seychelles, Mauritius and the Mascarene Islands. It inhabits sheltered reefs and shallow lagoons at depths of about 1 to 30 m and associates with the anemones Entacmaea quadricolor, Heteractis aurora and Stichodactyla mertensii.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 150 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: 12-14 years
Diet
Amphiprion allardi is an omnivore with a trophic level of 2.7. 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 strict dominance hierarchy in which only one male and one female breed. 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 allardi 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 sequential (protandrous) hermaphrodite forming distinct breeding pairs. It is oviparous; eggs are laid at the base of the host anemone, and the male guards and aerates them. It shows high resilience, with a minimum population doubling time under 15 months.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2010).
Allard's Clownfish Breeding Guide
Overview
Amphiprion allardi is an East African anemonefish reaching about 14 cm, found between Kenya and Durban and extending east to the Seychelles and Mascarene Islands. It associates with the bubble-tip anemone Entacmaea quadricolor, the beaded sea anemone Heteractis aurora and Mertens' carpet sea anemone Stichodactyla mertensii. Like other clownfish it is a sequential hermaphrodite.
Sexing
Clownfish develop into males first and become females when they mature, and within a group only two fish, a male and a female, reproduce through external fertilization. Sex follows social rank, so raising juveniles together and allowing the largest to mature into the female is the standard route to a breeding pair.
Conditioning
A bonded pair held in a stable, warm reef and fed frequently on a varied diet comes into breeding condition. A host anemone such as Entacmaea quadricolor is readily accepted but is not strictly required for spawning in captivity.
Breeding Setup
Species-level egg and larval data are not documented, so breeding follows the general anemonefish pattern. The breeding setup provides a flat, defensible spawning surface such as rock within the pair's territory near any host anemone present, and the tank should be sized for this comparatively large clownfish.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
As an anemonefish it is a demersal substrate spawner: the pair deposits adhesive eggs on the prepared flat surface near its territory and fertilizes them externally. A settled pair under stable reef parameters and frequent feeding spawns in repeated cycles.
Egg & Fry Care
Following the anemonefish pattern, the male tends the nest, fanning and cleaning the eggs until they hatch. Larvae are pelagic and are reared in captivity on small live foods, starting with rotifers and moving to Artemia nauplii as the larvae grow.
Common Challenges
Because species-specific egg, incubation and larval figures are not documented, breeders rely on the general anemonefish behavior. This is a larger, assertive clownfish, so the breeding tank must give the pair space and limit harassment, and the planktonic larval phase still requires dense, correctly sized live food and stable water.