TankBud

Variety of Ocellaris clownfish

Dalmatian clownfish

Amphiprion ocellaris

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

SaltwaterFish

Dalmatian 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

Dalmatian fish carry scattered dark freckling over the usual pattern, and the amount varies enough that two fish from one shop can look unrelated. Black speckling in ocellaris lines generally darkens and spreads with age, so a lightly marked juvenile is no guarantee. Sellers list individual fish rather than working to a grade.

In the wild

Dalmatian is a farm name for the black-speckled look, not a documented line. Its origin does not appear in the usual breeder sources, so treat it as a trade line of uncertain history. Shop stock is captive bred and sold under a range of farm labels. The speckling is a selected captive trait, not a wild pattern.

Good to know

Sea & Reef says the dalmatian-like spots on its Frostbite turn black and become more pronounced as the fish grows, so the speckling accumulates rather than arriving all at once. Since the same speckling turns up in several unrelated designer lines, it is a trait breeders select for and not one line's signature. Fins and body shape are unaffected.

Did you know

Dalmatian names a look, not a lineage. The same black speckling shows up on Frostbite stock, which is why one shop's Dalmatian can be another shop's heavily spotted Frostbite.

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

Dalmatian 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 Dalmatian clownfish a different species from the Ocellaris clownfish?

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

Is the Dalmatian clownfish a real breeding line?

Not a documented one. Dalmatian is a farm name for the black-speckled look, its origin does not appear in the usual breeder sources, and the same speckling turns up on Frostbite stock. Treat it as a trade line of uncertain history.

Will the spots on a Dalmatian clownfish spread?

Usually. Black speckling in ocellaris lines darkens and spreads with age, so a lightly marked juvenile is no guarantee of a lightly marked adult.

What size tank does a Dalmatian clownfish need?

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

How big does a Dalmatian clownfish get?

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

Related species