Cinnamon Clownfish Care Guide
Amphiprion melanopus, the cinnamon clownfish, is a hardy western Pacific anemonefish with a reddish body and a single white head bar. It is mildly territorial.
Overview
Amphiprion melanopus, known as the cinnamon or fire clownfish, is a reef-associated damselfish of the family Pomacentridae. Adults have a reddish to cinnamon body with a dark belly and a single white bar behind the head. It is widely distributed across the western Pacific and reaches a maximum length of about 12 cm.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacentridae
- Genus: Amphiprion
- Scientific name: Amphiprion melanopus Bleeker, 1852
Habitat
The species ranges across the western Pacific from eastern Indonesia and the south-eastern Philippines through Papua New Guinea, eastern Queensland, the Coral Sea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Palau and islands of Micronesia. It inhabits lagoon and outer reef environments at depths of about 1 to 18 m. In the wild it hosts mainly the bubble-tip anemone Entacmaea quadricolor, occasionally Heteractis crispa, and rarely Heteractis magnifica.
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 melanopus is an omnivore that feeds predominantly on planktonic copepods and algae in the wild. In the aquarium it accepts a varied diet of marine flake and pellet foods plus frozen mysis and brine shrimp, offered about twice daily.
Compatibility
This clownfish occupies the middle water column and may become territorial and aggressive once it establishes itself in a tank. 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. Established individuals may move sand against corals.
Reef compatibility
Amphiprion melanopus does not eat coral and is reef-safe, although established fish may shift sand around the base of corals. It is kept at reef salinity of 1.024-1.026 specific gravity and carbonate hardness around 8-12 dKH. A host bubble-tip anemone is appreciated but not required.
Breeding
The species is a protandrous hermaphrodite that forms distinct breeding pairs in which the female is the largest fish. It is oviparous, depositing demersal eggs that the male guards and aerates. The cinnamon clownfish has been successfully reared in captivity.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2010).