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Scientific Name: Amphiprion polymnus
Alt Scientific Name: Perca polymna
Common Name: Saddleback Clownfish
Alt Common Name: Saddle Back Clownfish, Black Saddleback Clownfish, Brown Saddleback Clownfish
Group: Damselfish (Damsels/Clownfish)
Family: Pomacentridae
Distribution: Pacific Western; Western Pacific; Ryukyu Islands to the Gulf of Thailand, Indonesia. Northern Australia and Solomon Islands.
Adult Size: 5 inches (12.7cm)
Minimum Tank Size: 29 gallons
Temperament: This species is quite territorial and may attack other fish that encroach. This territorial behavior is stronger with other clownfish and can be increased with the addition of an anemone.
Care Difficulty: 3/10
Very Easy |
Moderate |
Very Difficult |
Reef Safety Score : 3/3
Not Safe |
High Risk |
Low Risk |
Reef Safe |
Temperature Range: 75°F - 81°F
74 |
76 |
78 |
80 |
82 |
84 |
pH Range: 8.1 - 8.4
7.8 |
8.0 |
8.2 |
8.4 |
8.6 |
8.8 |
Salinity Range (specific gravity): 1.02 - 1.026
1.016 |
1.020 |
1.024 |
1.028 |
1.032 |
1.036 |
Diet Information: Omnivorous - This species routinely accepts most foods such as flake and pellet. A varied diet including frozen foods will help to ensure health.
Additional Information : Good beginner species, they will readily accept all foods. Tank raised species usually fare best. Although prices for tank raised species tend to be higher than wild caught, they have much higher survival records. If you wish to get an anemone for your clown, it is best to try and find one that has already hosted with an anemone and purchase them together. Attempting to add an anemone at a later date (even if the anemone purchased is the best possible host species) will not guarantee that the clown with take to the anemone.
Tank Mate Compatibility : Can be territorial but generally only gets aggressive with other clownfish. You should not mix clownfish species unless you have a very large tank - on the order of 200 gallons.
Breeding Information: One of the easier saltwater fish to breed. Raising young can prove difficult due to finding acceptable food sources.
Determining Sex: Clownfish are born asexual and the most dominant fish in a group will become a female. The other fish will become males. The females are larger, more colorful and more dominant. If the female clownfish died or is removed from the aquarium, one of the males will take over the dominant role and become a female.
Primary Area in Tank: All over.
