Clown fish are often acquired for young children who are interested in this creature after watching the animated film "Finding Nemo", in which the main character was just a clown fish.
Despite the bright appearance and apparent simplicity of the fish, caring for it is considered quite difficult.
It will not be easy for a novice aquarist to organize optimal conditions of detention, as well as ensure the correct breeding of offspring.
Description
In nature, a clown fish, whose official name is amphiprion, lives in the coral reefs of the Pacific and Indian oceans.
It is important to understand that an aquarium fish is not freshwater, as it prefers salt water, which largely determines the conditions of its maintenance. In fresh water, her distant relative lives - botsiya-clown.
The clown fish looks relatively small - its size is in the range from 7 to 11 centimeters. The shape of the body slightly resembles a torpedo and has a slight bulge on the forehead, reminiscent of a frog.
Black smart eyes are surrounded by a bright orange iris.
Regardless of age, the body of the fish in most cases is covered with strips of saturated orange, white and black.
Sometimes, however, there are amphiprions coated with blue stripes, or having a red or yellow pigment as the main tone. On the dorsal fin of the clown fish there is a characteristic notch, as if dividing it into two components. The pectoral fins are very dense and equipped with spikes, and the caudal fin is quite soft, but they all have a well-defined black outline.
In natural conditions, the fish lives for 10 years, but in aquarium conditions, life expectancy can almost double. Amphiprion is born male, but after some time, the largest representatives are transformed into females. If a female dies, then one of the males changes sex and takes its place.
The female representatives are much more aggressive than the “men” and a little larger in size - somewhere by a centimeter.
Amphiprion differs from other inhabitants of the aquarium and unusual manner of behavior. For example, a creature even speaks in a peculiar way - clicks, “grumbles” and makes other sounds. In nature, they prefer to live in symbiosis with sea anemones. The tentacles of the latter contain stinging cells, and therefore act as “protectors” for fish.
Amphiprions themselves quickly lose their sensitivity to burns due to the production of protective mucus.
They cleanse sea anemone from dirt and organize the required ventilation of water. In addition, they lure predators to the sea anemone, after which they feed on leftover food. They exchange other services.
Fish can exist both individually and in small schools.
In an aquarium, it is better to populate it with anemones, or in the absence of such an opportunity to organize the necessary number of grottoes and other shelters.
Clown fish gets along with almost all the inhabitants of the aquarium, but don’t choose sharks, eels and lion fish for them in the “neighbor”.
In general, within the framework of a flock, a clown fish behaves quite unusual. As Since females are initially absent in principle, the community of fry appears to be purely male.
Their development to adulthood is largely determined by the existing hierarchy, since the largest male suppresses the growth and development of the rest. In addition, another large male transforms into a female, which is the only female in the community.
The size of the flock is determined by the size of the anemone. In addition, it is adjusted from the inside - as soon as the number of fish exceeds the norm, the smallest of them are expelled.
When several flocks are populated in one tank, collisions occur between them from time to time. To reduce the level of aggression, an increase in the number of anemones, grottoes and other shelters available in the tank is recommended.
Underwater inhabitants gradually get acquainted with anemone. First, the individual slowly swims nearby, gradually touching it with different parts of the body. It starts with the fins, then the sides go and, finally, the whole body. This all happens over a period of several minutes to a couple of hours. Such a “meeting” should be enough for amphiprion to develop protective mucus, due to which the interaction with the anemone will become full.
But if the fish is far away from the anemones for a long time, then the substance may disappear.
Species overview
In clown fish, it is customary to distinguish 26 subspecies that differ in color and in the form of stripes. One of the most popular is considered white-orange amphiprion ocellaris.
Its dimensions range from only 7 to 11 centimeters, and they live no more than 6 years. Although, of course, there are exceptions to the rules - there are cases when such a clown fish lived for 2 decades.
Ocellaris looks quite peaceful, but in fact quite often bites the other inhabitants of the aquarium and chews the vegetation in the tank.
Clark Clark has a chocolate color that looks very good in the presence of white stripes.
Although this species is quite unpretentious and requires only good water and high-quality lighting, it coexists very poorly with other fish, especially if the latter are smaller. The tomato clown, it is also red, is quite popular with aquarists, due to its bright color, as well as sizes reaching 14 centimeters.
In addition, variegated, fiery, pink, saddle and other amphiprions are popular among aquarists.
Content Features
The content of clown fish in the aquarium has its own specifics.
The volume of the tank should be at least 80 liters for a pair of individuals, and its dimensions should be at least 80x45x35 centimeters.
The ideal soil is coral sand with a particle size of 3 to 5 millimeters in diameter. Live anemones should be planted inside, corals and grottoes should be placed.
The temperature of the water must be maintained in the region of 25-26 degrees of heat, and the acidity at the level of 8.1 to 8.4 pH.
Since the clown fish is an inhabitant of the deep sea, it is important to ensure the required salt content in the aquarium, approximately 34.5 grams per liter.
Water will have to be replaced either once a week, using 10% of the total volume, or every two weeks, but twice as much fluid.
Procedures such as filtration, aeration and tank cleaning.
It is very important that the nitrite level is normal, as the clown fish is extremely poorly tolerated by their excess.
Another mandatory indicator is adequate lighting.
As for nutrition, the amphiprion is completely undemanding in this matter, because in natural conditions it quite often picks up the remains of an anemone meal. Therefore, combined dry food intended for reef fish and live mixes of shrimp, squid and shellfish are suitable.
A good solution is a mixture of fish meat and algae. Of the latter, clowns prefer spirulina, blue-green or red bottom algae. Clowns are fed twice, or even thrice a day, but always in small portions.
Large pieces first have to grind.
Fish "teenage" age must be given such an amount of food, which is at least 6% of their total body weight.
Breeding
As mentioned above, initially, clown fish possess both male and female reproductive organs, but in fact at birth it is a male.
During growth and development, large individuals transform into females and choose sexual partners.
Moreover, each flock has a dominant pair of two large individuals, which are responsible for reproduction. If the female suddenly dies, the male will change sex and choose a new partner.
In nature, the moon becomes a kind of signal for males that it is time for them to show their activity.
In order for clown fish to feel as comfortable as possible during spawning, it is recommended to turn off the light in the aquarium for a time from 22 to 23 hours and set the temperature to 26 degrees Celsius.
The female will spawn under the tentacles of the anemone on the leeward side, next to the corals or in existing grottoes.
The selected place is pre-cleaned for several days. As a rule, spawning begins in the morning, and the process lasts for two hours. The male protects the masonry, ventilates it and cleanses from unfertilized units.
Sometimes the female helps him in protection. Due to the presence of warm waters, offspring can be reproduced throughout the year. As a rule, during the spawning period, the female brings from several hundred to one and a half thousand eggs.
The exact amount will be determined depending on the age and size of the female. The female is suitable for breeding until she is 12 years old.
Larvae hatch somewhere in a week or a little later. They are immediately attributed to them from the anemones, which is why they simply "swing" in water flows for about 8-12 days. To feed the offspring that appeared, ordinary plankton will be required.
After the above period, the fry will return to look for their anemone.
By the way, despite the fact that the male continues to protect the offspring until the eggs are transformed into fry, for a while it is better to plant them from a common aquarium.
The growth and development of clowns in this case will not suffer at all, but the danger of eating other fish will disappear. It is recommended to transplant fry when they turn 2-3 weeks old.
When populating an aquarium, you should choose those fish that have already been born in aquarium conditions.
Such a choice will make it possible to acquire creatures that are already adapted to the specifics of life in captivity, as well as with less stress undergoing “moving”.
In addition, wild fish most often become carriers of diseases such as brooklinellosis and cryptocariosis. During transportation in aquariums with a limited volume, they often die.
Before buying, a thorough examination of the creatures is required. Clown fish should have a bright color with smooth scales and clean eyes.
In behavior, it is important to monitor parameters such as mobility, activity, and good mood. It’s better to turn to a trusted supplier who can present all the required papers. The cost of one individual varies from 1 to 4 thousand rubles, depending on the rarity of the species.
Watch the video clip about clown fish and keeping it in the aquarium below.
