TankBud

Cinnamon clownfish

Amphiprion melanopus

Also known as Fire Clownfish, Red and Black Anemonefish, Black-backed Anemonefish, Dusky Anemonefish

SaltwaterFish

Cinnamon clownfish (Amphiprion melanopus)
Bruxton · CC0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
4.7 in
12 cm
Minimum tank
30 gal
115 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Pomacentridae
Origin
Western Pacific reefs, from the Great Barrier Reef to Guam and the Marshall Islands

Overview

A hardy clownfish that grows noticeably more territorial with age, especially once it has claimed an anemone or corner of the tank. It generally leaves other fish alone but can be pushy toward other clownfish and smaller, timid tankmates, so it is usually best as the only clownfish in a smaller system. Best kept singly or as a bonded pair. It is an easy eater, taking flake, pellet, and frozen foods without hesitation.

In the wild

Lives on reefs and in sheltered lagoons of the western Pacific, from the Great Barrier Reef north to Guam and the Marshall Islands. Its main host is the bubble-tip anemone, though it will occasionally settle into a leathery or magnificent sea anemone. In the aquarium it does not need a host anemone and will just as happily claim a patch of rock or a powerhead as its territory.

Good to know

Amphiprion melanopus belongs to the 'tomato complex' of larger, more robust clownfish, and its species name comes from the Greek for 'black feet,' a reference to its dark pelvic fins. It is a protandrous hermaphrodite with a strict size-based hierarchy: the largest fish is female, the next largest is the breeding male, and any others in the group stay smaller and non-breeding. Eggs are laid near the host and typically hatch within about a week.

Did you know

Its dark pelvic and anal fins contrast against a body that ranges from deep red to burnt orange, giving rise to the alternate name red and black anemonefish.

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

Cinnamon 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 Cinnamon clownfish need?

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

What temperature and pH does a Cinnamon clownfish need?

A Cinnamon clownfish is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

How big does a Cinnamon clownfish get?

An adult Cinnamon clownfish reaches about 4.7 in (12 cm).

Related species