TankBud

Barberi clownfish

Amphiprion barberi

Also known as Fiji Barberi Clownfish, Barber's Anemonefish, Fiji Anemonefish, Barberi Clown

SaltwaterFish

Barberi clownfish (Amphiprion barberi)
Pauline Walsh Jacobson · CC BY 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.5 in
9 cm
Minimum tank
30 gal
115 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Easy
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Pomacentridae
Origin
Western Pacific around Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, in shallow reefs with host anemones.

Overview

A 115 litre or larger tank works for a single fish or a pair at 24 to 27 C. It is reef safe and fits either a FOWLR or reef setup, with or without a host anemone. Keep only one or a bonded pair, since clownfish are aggressive to their own kind. Feed mysis, enriched brine and quality clownfish preparations, and expect a hardy, long-lived fish.

In the wild

The barberi clownfish is a bright red-orange clown from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, hosting mainly bubble tip anemones. It was long confused with tomato and cinnamon clownfish before being named as its own species. It is hardy and readily captive bred. Adults keep a single thin head bar.

Good to know

Amphiprion barberi reaches about 9 cm and was described as a distinct species in 2008 after DNA work separated it from Amphiprion melanopus. It hosts bubble tip anemones, Entacmaea quadricolor, and leathery anemones, Heteractis crispa. Most trade fish are captive bred.

Did you know

It was only recognized as its own species in 2008, after DNA testing split it off from the very similar cinnamon clownfish.

Symbiotic relationships

Clownfish and their host anemones

A clownfish lives inside an anemone that stings and eats other fish its size. Its mucus coat keeps the anemone's stinging cells from firing, and a new fish builds that protection up over hours of brief touches. The fish gets a refuge no predator will follow it into and a nest site at the anemone's base. The anemone gets a guard that drives off the butterflyfish that would graze its tentacles, a steady supply of nitrogen from the fish's waste, and water movement at night, when the fish fans its fins among the tentacles and the anemone takes up more oxygen. Only ten anemone species host clownfish in the wild, and each clownfish species uses its own short list of them.

Captive-bred clownfish have never seen an anemone and do not need one; they settle for a coral, a powerhead or a corner of the tank. If you want the pairing, the anemone is the harder animal by far and goes in first, into a mature tank with strong light and stable water, at the tank size its own profile lists. The bubble tip anemone is the hardy host, and the one most clownfish accept in captivity even when it is not a natural host, so a clownfish profile lists it as the usual tank host where that is the case. The sebae, magnificent and carpet anemones are marked difficult, and the carpets eat fish. Expect a paired clownfish to defend its anemone against everything else in the tank.

Every symbiotic relationship in the catalog

Weekly picks

Tank mates

Barberi clownfish is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Barberi clownfish need?

A Barberi clownfish needs at least 30 gal (115 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Barberi clownfish need?

A Barberi clownfish is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

How big does a Barberi clownfish get?

An adult Barberi clownfish reaches about 3.5 in (9 cm).

Related species