McCulloch's Anemonefish Breeding Guide

Breeding Amphiprion mccullochi: protandrous pair formation in subtropical conditions, the anemonefish demersal spawning pattern, male egg care, and rearing on rotifers then Artemia.

Overview

Amphiprion mccullochi is a subtropical anemonefish endemic to Lord Howe Island, Middleton Reef, Elizabeth Reef and Norfolk Island in the south-western Pacific, reaching about 12 cm. It is a strict host specialist, associating only with the bubble-tip anemone Entacmaea quadricolor. This species has been bred in captivity.

Sexing

It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy and exhibits protandry: the breeding male changes to female if the sole breeding female dies. Sex follows social rank, so raising juveniles together and allowing the largest to mature into the female is the standard route to a pair.

Conditioning

Because the species comes from subtropical waters, conditioning is best done at the cooler end of the clownfish range rather than full tropical temperatures. A bonded pair in stable conditions and fed frequently on a varied diet comes into breeding condition; the host anemone 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, held at subtropical temperatures.

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 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

The subtropical origin means stable, cooler conditions are important, and quantitative egg and incubation data are not published. As with all clownfish, the planktonic larval phase is the bottleneck, demanding a continuous supply of correctly sized live food and stable, high-quality water.