Three-band Anemonefish Care Guide
Amphiprion tricinctus is a Marshall Islands anemonefish with three white bars and a dark, often melanistic body, growing to about 13 cm.
Overview
Amphiprion tricinctus is a marine anemonefish of the family Pomacentridae endemic to the Marshall Islands. It carries three white body bands and a coloration that varies from predominantly orange to nearly black; individuals hosting in Stichodactyla mertensii are frequently melanistic except for the snout and bars. The yellow-orange snout and belly contrast with the dark tail.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacentridae
- Genus: Amphiprion
- Scientific name: Amphiprion tricinctus
- Common name: Three-band anemonefish
Habitat
The species is endemic to the Marshall Islands in the western Pacific, occupying lagoons, pinnacle reefs and seaward reef slopes. FishBase records it as a non-migratory, reef-associated fish at depths of about 3-40 m. It is unusually versatile in its host choice, associating with most of the host anemones present locally, including Entacmaea quadricolor, Heteractis aurora, Heteractis crispa, Stichodactyla haddoni and Stichodactyla mertensii. This flexibility reduces its extinction risk despite the small range.
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
- Maximum size: about 13 cm
- Lifespan: 11-13 years
Reef compatibility
Amphiprion tricinctus is reef-safe and does not harm corals or invertebrates. A host anemone is accepted but not required for captive husbandry.
Diet
It is omnivorous, feeding in the wild on planktonic copepods, algae and small benthic invertebrates such as echiuroid and sipunculoid worms. In aquaria it accepts marine pellets, frozen mysis and enriched brine shrimp, fed about twice daily.
Compatibility
The fish is semi-aggressive and territorial near its host. Tangs, royal gramma, wrasses and cleaner shrimp make suitable companions, while other clownfish species and aggressive triggerfish should be avoided. Keep a single bonded pair per anemone.
Breeding
Like other anemonefish, the species is a protandrous sequential hermaphrodite with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy: the breeding male becomes female if the female dies. Spawning is oviparous, the demersal eggs adhere to substrate near the anemone, and the male guards and aerates them. Maturity is reached at roughly 7.5 cm.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern, assessed in 2010.