Onyx Percula Clownfish Care Guide

The Onyx Percula is a heavily melanistic Amphiprion percula strain with an almost black body and orange face. Care follows the wild percula clownfish.

Overview

The Onyx Percula is a heavily melanistic strain of Amphiprion percula, a small reef-associated damselfish of the family Pomacentridae. The dark, almost fully black body with a bright orange face occurs naturally in percula populations from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea and has been concentrated through captive breeding. Its biology and husbandry are those of Amphiprion percula.

Taxonomy

Family: Pomacentridae
Genus: Amphiprion
Scientific name: Amphiprion percula (Lacepède, 1802)
Trade name: Amphiprion percula "Onyx" (melanistic strain)

Habitat

Amphiprion percula occurs in the western Pacific off northern Australia, Southeast Asia and Melanesia, including the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, the source region of the Onyx form. It lives on shallow coral reefs, usually shallower than about 12 m, in association with host sea anemones such as Heteractis magnifica and Stichodactyla gigantea.

Tank requirements

Minimum tank volume: 100 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: 6-10 years

Diet

Amphiprion percula is an omnivore, feeding in the wild on algae, zooplankton, worms and small crustaceans. In the aquarium it takes marine flake and pellet foods plus frozen mysis and brine shrimp, fed about twice daily.

Compatibility

The Onyx Percula is generally peaceful but holds a middle-water territory and can be somewhat territorial. Suitable tank mates include yellow tang, royal gramma, firefish and cleaner shrimp, while triggerfish and lionfish should be avoided. Keeping several unpaired clownfish together in a small tank can cause aggression.

Reef compatibility

Clownfish do not eat coral and are reef-safe. They are kept at reef salinity of 1.024-1.026 specific gravity and carbonate hardness around 8-12 dKH. A host anemone is optional in captivity; a percula will commonly adopt a bubble-tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) when available.

Breeding

Amphiprion percula is a protandrous hermaphrodite with a size-based hierarchy in which the largest fish becomes the breeding female. Monogamous pairs lay demersal eggs guarded and fanned by the male until hatching. The Onyx coloration is maintained and intensified through selective captive breeding.

Conservation status

IUCN Red List: Least Concern. Captive breeding supplies most of the trade and reduces pressure on wild percula populations.