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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

The Dalmatian clownfish is an ocellaris with scattered dark freckling over the usual pattern. It suits a reef tank and makes a good first saltwater fish.

Did you know

The black speckling of the Dalmatian clownfish shows up in several unrelated designer lines. One shop's Dalmatian can be another shop's heavily spotted Frostbite.

Caring for the Dalmatian clownfish

Keep a Dalmatian 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 a coral, a powerhead or a patch of rock will often do 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.

The Dalmatian 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.

Dalmatian 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 Dalmatian clownfish's freckling varies enough that two fish from one shop can look unrelated. Sellers list individual fish rather than working to a grade. Fins and body shape are unaffected.

In the wild

Dalmatian shop stock is captive bred and sold under a range of farm labels. The speckling is a selected captive trait, not a wild pattern.

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 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.

What does a Dalmatian clownfish eat?

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

How big does a Dalmatian clownfish get?

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

How can you tell a male Dalmatian clownfish from a female?

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

How does a Dalmatian clownfish breed?

Dalmatian 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