Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus) Care Guide
The largest and most aggressive clownfish species, reaching up to 17 cm. Has a deep maroon body with three distinctive white or gold bands. Named for the spine on its cheek.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Premnas biaculeatus is a species in the family Pomacentridae. The largest and most aggressive clownfish species, reaching up to 17 cm. Has a deep maroon body with three distinctive white or gold bands. Named for the spine on its cheek. Females are significantly larger and more dominant than males.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacentridae
- Genus: Premnas
- Scientific name: Premnas biaculeatus
- Other names: Spine-Cheeked Clownfish
- Origin: Indo-Pacific
Habitat
Distributed across the Indo-Pacific from the eastern Indian Ocean to the western Pacific, including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Great Barrier Reef. The largest of all anemonefishes; lives exclusively with the bubble-tip anemone Entacmaea quadricolor. Currently placed in the monotypic genus Premnas.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 150 L
- Temperature: 24-27 °C
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- GH: 8-12 °dGH
- Water flow: moderate
- Adult size: 10-17 cm
- Lifespan: 10-20 years
- Difficulty: intermediate
Diet
Classified as omnivore. Recommended feeding frequency: 2x daily. In captivity, offer a varied diet appropriate to the species — quality prepared foods supplemented with frozen or live items of suitable size.
Compatibility
- Temperament: aggressive
- Swimming level: middle
- Compatible tank mates: Large Wrasses, Tangs, Large Angelfish
- Avoid with: Other Clownfish, Small Fish, Peaceful Fish
Reef compatibility
Generally classified as reef-safe: does not feed on stony or soft corals, tridacnid clams or ornamental shrimps under normal conditions.
Breeding
- Breeding strategy: substrate-spawner
- Breeding difficulty: intermediate
Maroon Clownfish Breeding Guide
Overview
Amphiprion biaculeatus (also placed in Premnas), the maroon clownfish, has successfully bred in home aquariums and shows the most extreme size dimorphism of the anemonefish. Like other clownfish it lays demersal eggs on cleaned rock and the male tends them. Its specialized host is the bubble-tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor).
Sexing
The species is a protandrous sequential hermaphrodite with a strict size-based hierarchy: the female is largest and the breeding male second largest, and the breeding male changes to female if the sole female dies. Females are among the largest anemonefish, growing up to 17 cm (6.7 in), while males are much smaller, usually 6-7 cm (2.4-2.8 in); this dramatic size gap makes the pair easy to recognize.
Conditioning
Maroon clownfish are usually found as a single mated pair rather than a group, so a bonded pair must be established carefully, ideally by raising a small juvenile (future male) alongside a larger fish that becomes the female. A mature, stable marine system and regular feeding bring the pair into spawning condition; rotifer and microalgae cultures should be ready beforehand.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
As with other anemonefish, the pair cleans a flat rock near the anemone and the female deposits eggs there for the male to fertilize. Maroon clownfish defend the nest aggressively. The female can lay a large clutch (well into the hundreds), and the eggs are adhesive and attached to the substrate.
Egg & Fry Care
The male cleans, guards and fans the eggs. The eggs take around seven days to hatch, releasing pelagic larvae that must be reared in a separate larval tank. Newly hatched larvae are fed enriched rotifers and then graduate to baby brine shrimp once large enough, following the standard anemonefish rearing sequence.
Common Challenges
Maroon clownfish are the largest and most aggressive clownfish, so the female can dominate or harm an undersized or unready male; pair them with care. As with all anemonefish, the pelagic first-feeding larvae are the bottleneck and require live food of the correct size from hatching. The species is widely tank-raised and subject to selective breeding, notably the lightning morph with broken, jagged, honeycomb-patterned bars.