Picasso Percula Clownfish Care Guide
The Picasso Percula is a captive-bred Amphiprion percula selection with broken, irregular white bars. Husbandry follows the wild percula clownfish.
Overview
The Picasso Percula is a captive-bred designer line of Amphiprion percula, a small reef-associated damselfish of the family Pomacentridae. It is selectively bred for interrupted, irregular white bars and a frequently missing or broken tail stripe instead of the three clean bars of standard percula. According to ORA, the strain originated in 2004 from a wild Picasso-patterned percula from the Solomon Islands. Its biology and care are those of the parent Amphiprion percula.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacentridae
- Genus: Amphiprion
- Scientific name: Amphiprion percula (Lacepède, 1802)
- Trade name: Amphiprion percula "Picasso" (captive-bred designer line)
Habitat
Wild Amphiprion percula occurs in the western Pacific off northern Australia, Southeast Asia and Melanesia. 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. Picasso fish are bred in captivity and have no separate wild population.
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 accepts marine flake and pellet foods with frozen mysis and brine shrimp, fed about twice daily.
Compatibility
Captive-bred percula are generally peaceful, middle-water fish, though they can be somewhat more territorial than ocellaris. They suit small to medium reef communities with tank mates such as yellow tang, royal gramma, firefish and cleaner shrimp, while triggerfish and lionfish should be avoided. Mixing multiple unpaired clownfish in a small system can trigger 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 often adopt a bubble-tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) when one is offered.
Breeding
Amphiprion percula is a protandrous hermaphrodite with a size-based hierarchy in which the largest fish is the breeding female. Monogamous pairs lay demersal eggs that the male guards and fans until they hatch. Picasso and similar designer lines are produced by selectively breeding fish that carry the broken-bar pattern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern. Captive breeding of percula supplies most of the aquarium trade and reduces collection from the wild.