Orange-fin Anemonefish Care Guide
Amphiprion chrysopterus is a widespread western Pacific anemonefish with two white bars and orange fins, reaching about 17 cm.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Amphiprion chrysopterus is a marine anemonefish of the family Pomacentridae with a broad western Pacific distribution. The body is yellow-brown to dark brown with two white vertical bars, the first behind the eye and the second before the anus, and yellow to orange fins. Tail colour varies by region, being yellow in Fiji and Tonga populations and white in Marshall and Solomon Islands populations.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacentridae
- Genus: Amphiprion
- Scientific name: Amphiprion chrysopterus
- Common name: Orange-fin anemonefish
Habitat
The species occurs across the western Pacific from Queensland and New Guinea to the Marshall and Tuamotu islands, inhabiting reef passages and slopes. FishBase records it as a non-migratory, reef-associated fish at depths from the surface to about 40 m. It is a generalist that associates with several anemone species, including bubble-tip, beaded, sebae, magnificent, corkscrew-tentacle, Haddon's and Mertens' carpet anemones.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 200 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 8-12
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Maximum size: about 17 cm
- Lifespan: 14-17 years
Reef compatibility
Amphiprion chrysopterus is reef-safe and does not damage corals or invertebrates. As one of the larger anemonefish, it benefits from a spacious tank and a sizeable host anemone, though a host is not essential in captivity.
Diet
It is omnivorous, feeding in the wild on planktonic copepods, algae, echiuroid and sipunculoid worms and pelagic tunicates. In aquaria it accepts marine pellets, frozen mysis and enriched brine shrimp, offered about twice daily.
Compatibility
The fish is semi-aggressive and defends a territory around its host. Tangs, royal gramma, wrasses and cleaner shrimp are suitable companions, while other clownfish species and aggressive triggerfish should be avoided. Keep one bonded pair per anemone.
Breeding
The species is a protandrous sequential hermaphrodite with a single breeding pair per group within a strict dominance hierarchy. Spawning is oviparous with external fertilization; the demersal eggs adhere to substrate and are guarded and aerated by the male.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern, assessed in 2021.
Orange-fin Anemonefish Breeding Guide
Overview
Amphiprion chrysopterus is a large anemonefish reaching about 17 cm, found in the western Pacific from Queensland and New Guinea east to the Marshall and Tuamotu Islands, from the surface to about 20 m. It is a host generalist, recorded with seven anemone species including the bubble-tip anemone Entacmaea quadricolor, the magnificent sea anemone Heteractis magnifica and Mertens' carpet sea anemone Stichodactyla mertensii.
Sexing
Clownfish are sequential hermaphrodites: they develop into males first and become females when they mature, and only two fish per group, 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 Heteractis magnifica is readily accepted but is not strictly required for spawning in captivity.
Breeding Setup
The breeding setup provides a flat, defensible spawning surface such as rock within the pair's territory near any host anemone present. Because this is a large clownfish, the breeding tank should be sized to give the pair adequate space.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
As an anemonefish it is a demersal substrate spawner: the eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate, and they are fertilized externally on the prepared surface near the pair's territory. A settled pair under stable reef parameters and frequent feeding spawns in repeated cycles.
Egg & Fry Care
The males guard and aerate 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
Species-specific egg counts and incubation figures are not documented, so breeders rely on the general anemonefish behavior. This is a large, 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.