Platinum Percula Clownfish Care Guide

The Platinum Percula is a captive-bred, almost fully white Amphiprion percula designer line with thin black outlines. Care follows the wild percula clownfish.

Overview

The Platinum Percula is a captive-bred designer line of Amphiprion percula, a small reef-associated damselfish of the family Pomacentridae. It is selectively bred for an almost fully white body with thin black fin outlines and a small orange face, representing one of the most extreme white-pattern percula selections. Its biology, husbandry and conservation status are those of the parent Amphiprion percula.

Taxonomy

Family: Pomacentridae
Genus: Amphiprion
Scientific name: Amphiprion percula (Lacepède, 1802)
Trade name: Amphiprion percula "Platinum" (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. Platinum fish are produced entirely in captivity and have no wild population of their own.

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 together with frozen mysis and brine shrimp, fed about twice daily.

Compatibility

The Platinum Percula is generally peaceful and occupies the middle water column, though percula can be somewhat territorial. Suitable tank mates include yellow tang, royal gramma, firefish and cleaner shrimp, while triggerfish and lionfish should be avoided. Keeping multiple unpaired clownfish together in a small system can lead to 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 offered.

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 that the male guards and fans until hatching. Designer lines such as the Platinum are produced by selectively breeding fish carrying extensive white patterning.

Conservation status

IUCN Red List: Least Concern. Captive breeding of percula supplies most of the aquarium trade and reduces collection from the wild.