Goldflake Maroon Clownfish - Premnas biaculeatus - Captive Bred

The Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus) typically has a deep red body color and three thin white stripes: behind the head, through the middle of the fish and at the base of the tail. The Goldflake Maroon Clownfish is a natural color variety that has thicker golden yellow stripes instead of white. Small individuals may have very faintly yellow or ivory-white stripes which deepen to gold as the fish matures. This Goldflake Maroon is a very rare further variation of the Goldstripe Maroon Clownfish and has irregular stripes that can vary between individuals. Though Maroon Clowns grow larger and more aggressive than most other clownfish species, the Goldstripe variety tends to stay smaller than the white-striped variant.

Clownfish are some of the hardiest and most traditional fish for marine aquariums. They generally come from two genuses - most are in the genus Amphiprion with one species in the genus Premnas - and all are found in the Pomacentridae family along with damsels and chromises. They are some of the mostly widely tankraised fish, leading to more man-made variations becoming available like Misbars and Albinos as species are selectively bred and crossed.

It is usually best to keep one clownfish per tank, though a pair can sometimes be kept if one is significantly smaller than the other or are about the same size when added as juveniles. One fish will develop into a female and become larger in size while the other (or others, in large tanks) will remain male. As the fish mature, they may also become aggressive towards new arrivals (or hands in the tank), so be prepared for aggression to follow even if the new fish is large in size. Mixing tankraised and wild-caught individuals is generally not recommended since their immunity to diseases and parasites may be different.

Clownfish are generally not fussy eaters, and will accept a range of frozen and prepared foods like flakes, pellets, and frozen formulas. They can benefit from some plant matter in their diet, although they are not considered herbivores and do need some meaty foods. Some clownfish can be sensitive to toxins, especially heavy metal based medications like copper.

Though the interaction between anemones and clownfish is amusing to watch, it is not necessary to the survival of either animal. Some clownfish will only host in specific anemones and vice versa. A host anemone should generally have a diameter of at least twice the length of the clownfish when introduced together. Tankraised fish can also be less likely to use a host anemone than wild-caught fish.

Visit That Fish Blog for more information from our marine biologists on clownfish social structure and gender, anemone selection and preferences and other clownfish-related topics.