The Percula Clownfish (Amphiprion Percula) is the most heavily collected marine fish in the hobby along with the Ocellaris clownfish. Many people might correlate their popularity with the release of the hit animated film, Finding Nemo. But these clown fish were just as popular before Finding Nemo was released.

Percula clownfish are staple offerings in the hobby. Heavily collected from the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Northern Queensland. A common fish that is only outdone by their twin, the ocellaris.They are also heavily bred in captivity with tank-raised specimens costing slightly more than wild percula's.

These fishes are all orange with a thick white band (outlined with black) running down their bodies, heads and right before their tails. To the casual onlooker both the ocellaris and percula look the same. But they are both physically different, only slightly. The difference is in the number of dorsal spines they both have, 11 for the ocellaris and 10 for the percula. Fortunately, there is an easier way. Percula clownfish have thicker, more pronounced black outlines while those on the ocelaris are always thin.

They usually cost twice what ocellaris clownfish go for, with juveniles fetching up to $20 per specimen. Tank raised percula's usually cost a few dollars more. Given a choice, you should always go for tank-bred clownfish as they're generally better suited to captive life.

Their common names include the true percula clown and the true clown anemonefish. They are called anemonefish because of the symbiotic relationship they have with anemones. The anemone cannot sting clownfish, it is thought they have a layer of mucus on their bodies that fool the anemone into thinking there's nothing there. While percula clownfish are always found hosting anemones (H.Crispa, H.Magnifica) in the wild, anemones are not required for survival in captivity.

Percula clownfish are generally peaceful fish that get along well with tank mates. However, they are aggressive towards other clownfish outside or within their species. There are three routes you can take when looking for pair :-

* Buy a pair from the pet store * Put a large one in with a small one and hope they pair up * Buy two small ones and put them together, they'll fight, with the winner turning into a female

There are no guarantees that options 2 and 3 will work.

Considered a small fish, percula clownfish only reach 3 inches in length. All clownfish are site attached, which means they rarely stray from their territory (a small area). Their territory can be anything from an anemone to some pieces of live rock. When an anemone isn't available, they can even host other corals such as mushroom or elegance corals. They can be housed aquariums as small as 20 gallons due to this behaviour.

Captive percula clownfishes are very easy to feed because they consume almost anything offered. While they are omnivores in the wild, they will eat both algae and meaty foods in an aquarium. A wide variety of foods should be given. Prime reef, Formula One and Formula two are some good dry foods to offer. Formula two has an added amount of algae mixed in with seafood while Prime reef is mostly made up of seafood.

The best pellet food on the market are those made by New Life Spectrum. Add in some frozen food like krill or mysis shrimp and you're set.

Overall, the ocellaris is great choice for both beginners and experienced hobbyists.

• The Most Recognizable fish In The Marine Tank Industry There is a vast choice of fishes available to marine aquarium hobbyists. They all differ to some extent in size, color plus shape from the hundreds of species collected for sale. However, there are a few that constantly garner notice from the community due to their beauty. Let us......
• The French Angelfish : Care And Requirements by Gabriela Desouyez The french angelfish (Pomacanthus Paru) is among the three most popular angelfish in the marine aquarium hobby. The Emperor Angelfish and the Queen Angelfish make up the other two. It is closely related to the Gray Angelfish (Pomacanthus Arcuatus) and to the untrained eye they are very......
• How to Choose Betta Fish Tanks and Supplies by Darren Bradley The brightly colored betta fish from the tropical countries of Cambodia and Thailand is a favorite of people who like to have fish as pets. The betta fish, which originated from fresh waters, may be bought in a variety of colors including turquoise, red, orange, blue, yellow,......
• Small Pet Supplies: What You Need For Your New Pet Pets have always been a part of many people's lives. The usual pets are dogs and cats. To take proper care of them, owners are often looking for the best small pet supplies for them. The most common pets are as follows: hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish, ferrets, rats,......

• Fishing Report: January 15, 2010 Striped Bass, Crab and Halibut At Rio Vista, you can find sturgeon from the Slough to Sherman Island. The water's not crystal clear but it's not quite muddy. No catch has been terribly good here for a few weeks aside from the occasional 20 to 30 pound striper being......
• 4 Ideas to Create Multiple Income Streams Online In the past, creating multiple streams of income required a lot of footwork and there were few passive stream opportunities available. However, thanks to the Internet, it has never been easier to create multiple streams of income online and many are passive! Let’s go into a few ideas that you......
• Anemones And Anemonefish For me I just love the sight of an anenomefish living in symbiosis with an anemone. An anemone which due to its very nature loves to eat fish and any other animal which fall prey to it. But not the anenomefish. It could be said I suppose that the anemone......
• The Bubble Tip Anemone There are a few anemones that find favour with aquarists and this is one of them. As well as the name in the title they are also commonly known as the four coloured anemone, the bulb tentacle anemone, and the bulb anemone. The proper name is Entacmaea quadricolor. The anemone......

Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Saltwater Fish List Price: $17.95 Sale Price: $14.34 Used From: $26.45

The definitive field guide to North American saltwater fish–from the absolute authority on sportfishing Before you head out to the open seas, listen up: Your tackle box is not complete without Ken Schultz’s Field Guide to Saltwater Fish! Written by one of the foremost experts in sportfishing, this colorful reference provides anglers and fish enthusiasts of all levels an easy-to-use, indispensable guide to help you identify and learn about the most common species found off the North American coastlines–from albacore to yellowtail...

	Mardel CopperSafe Fish Treatment (Freshwater/Saltwater), 16-Ounce List Price: $12.99 Sale Price: $10.84
CopperSafe (Freshwater/Saltwater) 16-ounce

Written by Henry Logan using tags: amphiprion percula, clown fish, clownfish, marine aquarium fish, marine clownfish, percula clownfish, percula clownfish care, percula clownfish care guide, percula clownfish guide, Pets, pomacentridae, saltwater aquarium fish, saltwater clownfish, saltwater fish