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Variety of Ocellaris clownfish

Black Darwin clownfish

Amphiprion ocellaris

One of 17 varieties of Amphiprion ocellaris · See all varieties →

Also known as Black Darwin Ocellaris Clownfish, Black Ocellaris Clownfish, Darwin Ocellaris Clownfish

SaltwaterFish

Black Darwin clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
Biota · Used with permission

Varieties · Amphiprion ocellaris

See all 17 →

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.1 in
8 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Beginner
Breeding
Easy
Rarity
Very common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Pomacentridae
Origin
Darwin, northern Australia

Overview

The Black Darwin clownfish is a black ocellaris for a reef tank, and a good first saltwater fish.

Did you know

Scientists have considered describing the Black Darwin clownfish's population as its own species. For now it is still treated as a variant of Amphiprion ocellaris.

Caring for the Black Darwin clownfish

Keep a Black Darwin clownfish singly or as a bonded pair in a tank of at least 20 gal (75 L). It is reef safe and stays in a small territory around its chosen host. It does not need a live anemone, and it will often adopt a coral, a powerhead or a patch of rock instead.

Hold the water at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It accepts virtually all prepared, frozen and live foods.

It is mostly peaceful and rarely bothers other species. It can be territorial toward other clownfish, though, and will usually harass a second clown that is not its mate. All clownfish are born male, and the largest, most dominant fish in a group becomes the female.

Black Darwin clownfish are easy to breed, and nearly all the stock in shops is captive bred. Tank-raised fish are hardy.

Good to know

The Black Darwin clownfish's black comes from a population-level difference in melanin expression across the body. The black blends rather than switching on and off, and the fins and body are wild-type. Crossed to an orange ocellaris it gives the Mocha, and crossed to a Snowflake it gives Black Ice. Shops list the same fish as Black Ocellaris or Darwin Ocellaris about as often as Black Darwin.

In the wild

Wild Black Darwin clownfish come from one stretch of coast near Darwin, in northern Australia.

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

The Black Darwin 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

Is a Black Darwin clownfish a different species from the Ocellaris clownfish?

No. A Black Darwin clownfish is a variety of the Ocellaris clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.

Are Black Darwin clownfish naturally occurring?

Yes. The black ground is the natural pattern of ocellaris in a confined area around Darwin in northern Australia, not something built in a hatchery. Wild import is limited, so nearly all shop stock is captive bred, and the population is the starting point for the black designer lines.

Do Black Darwin clownfish turn completely black?

Nearly. Juveniles show orange on the face and belly and darken as they mature, so a young fish is not the finished color. An adult is a jet-black ocellaris with three white bars.

What size tank does a Black Darwin clownfish need?

A Black Darwin clownfish needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What does a Black Darwin clownfish eat?

A Black Darwin clownfish eats virtually all prepared, frozen and live foods.

How big does a Black Darwin clownfish get?

An adult Black Darwin clownfish reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).

How can you tell a male Black Darwin clownfish from a female?

Males are the smaller fish of a pair. Black Darwin clownfish are all born male, and the largest, most dominant fish in a group becomes the female.

How does a Black Darwin clownfish breed?

Black Darwin clownfish are easy to breed. Nearly all the fish sold in shops are captive bred, and tank-raised stock is hardy.

Related species