Australian Clownfish Care Guide
Amphiprion rubrocinctus, the Australian clownfish, is a north-west Australian endemic with a dark body, red face and fins, and a single thin white head bar.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Amphiprion rubrocinctus, the Australian or red anemonefish, is a reef-associated damselfish of the family Pomacentridae. It has blackish to dark-brown sides with a red snout, breast, belly and fins, and a single white head bar that is often poorly developed and lacks a pronounced black margin. It reaches a maximum length of about 12 cm.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacentridae
- Genus: Amphiprion
- Scientific name: Amphiprion rubrocinctus Richardson, 1842
Habitat
The species is endemic to the tropical seas of north-western Australia, from Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia to Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory. It is reef-associated and non-migratory at depths of about 1 to 8 m. It usually hosts the bubble-tip anemone Entacmaea quadricolor and also the giant carpet anemone Stichodactyla gigantea.
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: 11-12 years
Diet
Amphiprion rubrocinctus is an omnivore with a trophic level of 2.6 whose natural diet includes zooplankton. 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 with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy in which the female is largest. 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 rubrocinctus 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 bubble-tip anemone is appreciated but not required in captivity.
Breeding
The species is a protandrous hermaphrodite: the breeding male transforms into a female if the sole breeding female dies. It is oviparous; the demersal eggs adhere to the substrate and are guarded and aerated by the male until they hatch.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2010).
Australian Clownfish Breeding Guide
Overview
Amphiprion rubrocinctus is endemic to the tropical seas of north-western Australia, from Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia to Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is a host specialist, associating with only two of the host anemones in its range: usually the bubble-tip anemone Entacmaea quadricolor and the giant carpet anemone Stichodactyla gigantea.
Sexing
The species is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy in which the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest and male non-breeders get progressively smaller. It exhibits protandry: the breeding male changes to female if the sole breeding female dies. Raising juveniles together so the dominant fish becomes the female is the standard way to form a pair.
Conditioning
A bonded pair held in a stable, warm reef and fed frequently on a varied diet comes into breeding condition. The natural diet includes zooplankton, which can be reflected in conditioning feeds. 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.
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. 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.