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Variety of Ocellaris clownfish

Black Ice clownfish

Amphiprion ocellaris

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

SaltwaterFish

Black Ice clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)

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

Overview

The Black Ice clownfish is a snowflake-patterned ocellaris on a dark orange-brown body, and a good first saltwater fish. ORA and Sustainable Aquatics sell their own stock under the name.

Did you know

Breeders report that a Black Snowflake crossed to an orange ocellaris gives both Mocha ocellaris and Black Ice out of one spawn. The siblings split by how much melanin they express.

Caring for the Black Ice clownfish

Keep one Black Ice clownfish, or a bonded pair, in a tank of at least 20 gal (75 L). It is reef safe and holds a small territory around its chosen host. That host need not be a live anemone, since it will often adopt a coral, a powerhead or a patch of rock.

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

A Black Ice clownfish 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 Ice clownfish are easy to breed, and their species is among the most widely captive-bred marine fish. Tank-raised stock is hardy.

Good to know

The Black Ice clownfish carries the Snowflake bar-widening trait on a dark ground. That is why its three white stripes stay exaggerated and irregular rather than straight.

In the wild

The Black Ice clownfish is a line cross within Amphiprion ocellaris, not a hybrid between species.

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 Ice 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 Ice clownfish a different species from the Ocellaris clownfish?

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

What is a Black Ice clownfish a cross of?

Sea & Reef describes it as its Premium Snowflake ocellaris crossed to its ultra-black Darwin ocellaris, the naturally black population of northern Australia, then stabilized over generations of backcrossing. Both parents are Amphiprion ocellaris.

Does a Black Ice clownfish get darker with age?

Yes. Sea & Reef says the color darkens with maturity, so a juvenile in a shop tank looks lighter than the adult you keep. It sells the fish as Black Ice and Ultra Black Ice, sorted by how much white a fish carries.

What size tank does a Black Ice clownfish need?

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

What does a Black Ice clownfish eat?

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

How big does a Black Ice clownfish get?

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

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

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

How does a Black Ice clownfish breed?

Black Ice clownfish are easy to breed, and their species is among the most widely captive-bred marine fish. Tank-raised stock is hardy as a result.

Related species