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.
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).