Maroon Clownfish

With its dark red-maroon body and three thin white bands, the maroon clownfish is the largest of the clownfish; females can exceed 15 cm. The sharp spines on the cheek below the eye set it apart from all Amphiprion species and are the reason for its old genus name, Premnas. Some recent sources have moved the species into the genus Amphiprion as Amphiprion biaculeatus; in the hobby it is still referred to as Premnas.

It is hardy and captive-bred fish are widely available, but it is the most aggressive of the clownfish. As the female grows, she claims a large part of the aquarium and chases other fish. For this reason it should be the last fish added to a community tank.

• Gold stripe: a form originating from Sumatra; the bands turn yellow-gold with age.
• White stripe: the usual form, whose bands stay white.
• Lightning: a captive-bred form produced from an individual from Papua New Guinea, whose white bands branch irregularly.

It lives in shallow lagoons and sheltered reefs of the Indo-West Pacific. In the wild it partners only with the bubble-tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor). The pair defends the area around the anemone with great determination, and the anemone in turn protects the fish from predators.

• Volume: at least 150 liters for a pair; larger if there are many fish.
• Water: salinity 1.023–1.026 specific gravity, pH 8.1–8.4, temperature 24–27°C; zero ammonia and nitrite, low nitrate.
• Reef compatibility: reef safe; it does not touch corals or invertebrates, but it can cause problems for small fish.
• Anemone: not essential. It accepts a bubble-tip anemone, which is relatively easy to care for in the aquarium; the anemone should be added to a mature tank, and pump intakes should be covered with sponges.
• Order of addition: add it last, after the other fish have settled in.

Omnivorous and greedy. Offer marine fish granules and flakes, frozen mysis, brine shrimp, krill and chopped seafood. Foods with algae keep the colors vivid. Twice a day.

A female maroon clownfish attacks anything that approaches her home; biting the keeper's hand is routine. It may chase fish smaller than itself or of similar color to the death. It can be kept with large fish able to defend themselves, in a sufficiently large volume.

Good companions: tangs, large sweetlips, dwarf angelfish, cleaner shrimp.

Avoid: other clownfish species, small and shy species such as firefish, mandarins and neon gobies, other aggressive damsels.

Keep a single pair or a single fish in the aquarium; no other clownfish species is added. Pairing is harder than with other clownfish: two adult females of the same size fight to the death. The safest approach is to add a juvenile that is clearly smaller than an established large fish; the smaller one remains male. Buying an already mated pair is also a good option.

Clownfish are born male; the larger fish of the pair turns into the female. The pair lays orange eggs on a rock surface at the base of the anemone; the male fans and guards the eggs. The eggs hatch in about a week. The larvae are planktonic; they can be raised in a separate container on rotifers and newly hatched brine shrimp.

• Brooklynella and Uronema: more common in wild fish; excess mucus and peeling skin.
• Velvet and marine ich: quarantine is the best protection.
• Fin and skin wounds from fighting: watch closely while pairing.

The female can reach two to three times the size of the male and is darker in color. The male stays small and brighter red.