Tomato Clownfish

As the name implies, this popular and beautiful fish has the bright red color of a ripe tomato. This is one of the larger species of clownfish and is very hardy making it a good beginner fish. An interesting fact is that Tomato Clownfish have two white vertical body stripes when they are early juvenile fish. As they grow they lose one of their body stripes and end up with only one vertical white bar right by their operculum (gill cover). There is a big size difference between males and females for this species, and if you buy a large and a small fish you will be able to establish a pair with the large fish becoming the female and the smaller a male. Sometimes Tomato Clownfish can be confused with the Cinnamon Clownfish (Amphriprion melanopus). However, Cinnamon Clownfish typically have a wider headband and black pelvic and **** fins. Tomato Clownfish have a wide range of distribution in South East Pacific. They are found in the South China Sea from the Gulf of Thailand west to Palau east and from Java south to Japan in the north. Tomato Clownfish grow to a large size and often become a dominant species in smaller saltwater aquariums. Though they will defend their territory with vigor they will peacefully coexist with most species of fish not belonging to the clownfish family. Their beautiful look, hardiness and bold behavior make Tomato Clownfish a bulletproof choice for the novice saltwater aquarist. Most clownfish are omnivorous feeders, meaning that they will consume a variety of different food types. In nature the diet of clownfish consists of crustaceans (such as copepods and amphipods), algae, polychaete worms and leftovers from the anemone’s meal. Our captive bred fish are conditioned to eat a variety of aquarium diets including pellets, flake food, frozen Mysis shrimp, and frozen brine shrimp. In the wild tomato clownfish are very selective and is almost always only found hosting in the Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor). Clownfish do not require host anemones to survive or thrive. However, in most cases they will readily accept them and for the Tomato clownfish we recommend the popular and hardy Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor). Photo and text courtesy of Sea & Reef.