Tricolor Ocellaris Clownfish-Amphiprion occellaris

One of the most beloved and popular marine fish, the Ocellaris Clownfish, goes by many names. The scientific name is Amphiprion ocellaris, while more common names include clownfish, anemonefish, clown anemonefish, false clownfish, false percula clownfish, false perc, common clownfish and Nemo fish (thanks to the Disney Pixar film Finding Nemo).

Ocellaris Clownfish Description

The Ocellaris Clownfish is easily one of the most recognizable fish in the saltwater aquarium industry and are commonly available at marine retail outlets. They are very hardy, colorful, easy to care for and have a lot of personality in the saltwater tank. The most common variety of Ocellaris Clownfish is mainly an orange fish with three bold white stripes, the center stripe generally bulging toward the head of the fish. The white stripes are outlined by black stripes, generally thin in the Ocellaris (thicker in the Amphiprion percula or True Percula Clownfish).

It is a common error that a False Percula Clownfish is simply a tank raised clownfish. A. percula and A. ocellaris are indeed two distinct fish, although closely related. A. percula, or the True Percula Clownfish, is often more vibrantly colored with larger black lines surrounding the white stripes. A. ocellaris is often not as brightly colored (although this is subjective and not a true test) and usually has thinner black outlines surrounding the white stripes. Also, the True Percula has 10 dorsal fin spines (the fin on top) while the False Percula has 11. However, both Percula and Ocellaris Clownfish can be found in the wild or tank bred.