The Breeder’s Registry© Information contained in this report is taken from submitted observations from aquarist unless noted otherwise (see comments). Information may be reproduced providing the Breeder’s Registry is cited.

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Breeder ID: AMPOCE-041897-KERRIS-006

Date received: 4/18/97

Identification: Amphiprion ocellaris (Cuvier, 1830)

Geographic origin: Indo-Pacific

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Taxonomy: (after I.C.Z.N.)

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata

Class Osteichthyes

Order Perciformes Superorder Teleostei

Family Pomacentridae

Genus Amphiprion

Species ocellaris (Cuvier, 1830) 

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Description: Orange body with three distinct white body stripes (or bars ); the head stripe is anterior to the eye and continues down across the preoperculum. The body stripe extends from between the spinous (anterior) and soft-rayed portion of the dorsal through the body to the abdomen just in front of the anal fin with the center of the stripe “bulging” towards the head. The tail stripe covers the caudal peduncle. The stripes have narrow black margins. The fins are rimmed in black just prior to a small non-pigmented edge. A. ocellaris is commonly confused with A. percula which is “shorter” in height (A. Percula is 3.1 – 3.3 in head-length compared to 2.1 – 2.9 head-length for A. ocellaris). Additionally A. ocellaris has 11 dorsal spines (rarely 10) compared to A. percula having 10 dorsal spines (rarely 9). Maximum size is listed by most sources at 90 mm – 95 mm, however, Burgess, 1988, lists 150 mm. Females are typically larger than the male.

Distribution is from the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago, Philippines, southward to northwestern Australia and northward to the Ryukyu Islands. The symbiotic relationship of clownfishes is well documented and this species is found with Heteractis magnifica (Qouy & Gaimard, 1833), Stichodactyla gigantea (Forsskål, 1775) and S. mertensii (Brandt, 1835).

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Duration male(yr): 0.6

Size male (mm): 50

Duration female (yr): 0.6

Size female (mm): 90

Broodstock notes: Imported from Singapore

Physical differences: Female is larger than male

Adult diet: Frozen foods, chopped shrimp. Fed daily.

Pre-spawning activity: Head shaking, chasing and nest site cleaning (both male and female)

Time spawning began: 1700 – 1800 hours

Area spawning occurred: Base of host anemone Heteractis crispa

Frequency of spawning: 10 – 11 days

Egg Description: tight oval mass; ~30 x 60 mm

Approximate quantity: 400 -600

Size: not indicated

Incubation: 7 days

Time hatching occurred: ~ 40 minutes after lights out

Size at hatching: ~4 mm

Yolk sac present? No

Egg changes / development: day 1: orange; day 2: light grey; day 3-4: dark grey; day 5-7: silver

Transfer / removal method: moved to rearing tank with ladle and flashlight (attracted to light)

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Spawning tank size (liter): 520; (140 cm l x 60 cm w x 62 cm h)

Sides of tank covered? Yes, dark blue

Lighting & photo period: 2 – 150 watt MH 8 hours; 2 40 watt actinic fluorescent 12 hours; 1 36 watt daylight fluorescent 12 hours. MH 50 cm rom surface. Others 10 cm from surface. MH ~ 70 cm above host anemone. MH changed twice yearly.

Filtration: Live rock, oversized protein skimmer. ~8000 lph.

Additives and dosages: Tropic Marine, 5% weekly water changes. Tropic Marin BioCalsium

Water temperature: 25 – 29 C

Specific gravity: 1.023

pH: 8.2

Nitrate: < 10 ppm

Other parameters: Calcium: 420 ppm; Alkalinity 3.0 meq/l

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Fry development / changes: Larvae seem to have only big eyes, rest is transparent. Head bands visible at day 7 – 8.

First Food Offered: Branchionus plicatilis, 6 times per day

Second Food Offered: Newly hatched Artemia, (day 3) then powdered flake and lobster eggs (according to size).

Survival: High mortalities day 7 – 10. Long term survival 5 – 10%

Development description: Metamorphosis at day 7 – 10. All bands developed by day 20 -2 5.  

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Rearing tank size (liter): 96 , but only half full. ( 80 cm l x 30 cm w x 40 cm h)

Sides covered?: Yes, all sides black

Lighting & photo period: 2 18 watt fluorescent, 16 hours

Filtration: Airstones only. Bare bottom; airstone and heater

Additives & doses: Change water transfered from parents tank. 50% daily

Water parameters: not indicated. Refer to Spawning  

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Original description: Cuvier first described Amphiprion ocellaris in 1830 in Cuvier & Valenciennes 1830:399 in the Hist. Nat. Poiss. V.5 reference 999, from a specimen collected in Sumatra, Indonesia. Validated by Ida in Masuda et al., 1984 and Allen in 1991.

Synonomy:

Amphiprion melanurus, Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes 1830:400 in Hist. Nat. Poiss. v. 5; ref.
999, From a single (Holotype ) specimen also collected in Sumatra, Indonesia. Synonym of
Amphiprion ocellaris Cuvier 1830 (Allen 1991:237 [ref. 19344]).

Amphiprion bicolor, Castelnau 1873:92 in Proc. Zool. Acclim. Soc. Victoria v. 2; ref. 758. From
a single (Holotype) specimen collected near Darwin, Northern Terr., Synonym of Amphiprion
ocellaris Cuvier1830 (Allen 1991:237 [ref. 19344]).

Vernacular name: Common clownfish, Ocellaris clownfish, Anemone Demoiselle, False Clown Anemonefish, False percula clownfish

Word origin: Amphiprion is from the Greek roots amph, -i, -o, meaning Around, on both sides; double, and -prion which means a saw. The genus ocellaris is confusing; the Latin root o, meaning an egg; cell, -a, -i, meaning a cell; or perhaps ocell, =us, meaning little eye and -ris meaning laughter (little laughing eye?). The synonym melanurus is composed of the Greek rootsmelan, -o, meaning black; and ur, =a, -o, meaning tail (thus black tail). The synonymbicolor means two colors (bi = two).

Suggested Reading:

Fautine, Daphine G. and Allen, Gerald R., Anemone Fishes and their Host Sea Anemones, 1994,
Tetra-Press, Tetra Werke, Dr. rer. Nat. Ulrich Baensch GmbH, P. O. Box 1580, D-49304 Mella,
Germany. Distributed in USA by TetraSales (Division of Warner Lambert), 3001 Commerce
Street, Blacksburg, VA 24060-6671, USA. WL-Code: 16088. ISBN 1-56465-118-5, hardbound,
157 pages.

Hoff, Frank H., Conditioning, Spawning and rearing of Fish with Emphasis on Marine
Clownfish, 1996, Aquaculture Consultants, Inc., 33418 Old Saint Joe Road, Dade City, FL
33525, USA, softbound, 212 pages.

Moe, Martin A., The Marine Aquarium Reference: systems and invertebrates, Green Turtle
Publications, Plantation, FL 33318 USA 1989 ISBN 0-939960-05-2 : 21.95

Wilkerson, Joyce D., 1998, Clownfishes: A Guide to their Captive Care, Breeding & Natural History, Microcosm Ltd., Shelburne, Vermont. ISBN 1-890087-04-1 softbound, 240 pages.

About this report: Information contained in this report is taken from submitted observations. Taxonomy, Synonomy, Original description , Word origin and Suggested reading are provided by member(s) of The Breeder’s Registry staff. Information is presented under the belief that it is accurate. If you have information in addition to, or contrary to that presented you are encouraged to contact the Breeder’s Registry. Permission is granted for “one-time” personal use. Reproduction as distributed or accessible media is prohibited without prior written permission. All rights reserved. 1997