Ocellaris clownfish

Care at a glance

The ocellaris clownfish, world-famous as Nemo, is many people's first marine fish, and rightly so: virtually all animals in the trade are captive-bred, hardy and quick to settle. An anemone is fun but genuinely optional; captive-bred fish often adopt corals or a rock crevice as home instead.

Keep them as a pair: clownfish are all born male, and the dominant animal turns female. Two juveniles will sort that out between themselves. They are home-loving, reef-safe fish that need little swimming space, which makes them ideal for a more compact reef tank.

Best not combined with

• Maroon clownfishPremnas biaculeatus
• Clarkii clownfishAmphiprion clarkii
• Tomato clownfishAmphiprion frenatus
• Skunk clownfishAmphiprion akallopisos
• Pink skunk clownfishAmphiprion perideraion
• Saddleback clownfishAmphiprion polymnus

Related species

• Blue tangParacanthurus hepatus
• Yellow tangZebrasoma flavescens
• Royal grammaGramma loreto
• Six-line wrassePseudocheilinus hexataenia
• Firefish gobyNemateleotris magnifica
• Banggai cardinalfishPterapogon kauderni