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Variety of Ocellaris clownfish

DaVinci clownfish

Amphiprion ocellaris

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

SaltwaterFish

DaVinci 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 DaVinci clownfish is an ocellaris with curved, connected bars instead of three clean stripes. Shops sell it by grade, and more fused white costs more. It is a good first saltwater fish.

Did you know

The DaVinci clownfish's pattern comes from bars that spread and join along the flank, not from any new pigment.

Caring for the DaVinci clownfish

Keep a DaVinci 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. That host does not have to be a live anemone, because 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) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It accepts virtually all prepared, frozen and live foods.

The DaVinci 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.

DaVinci 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 DaVinci clownfish takes its name from Leonardo da Vinci, according to Sea & Reef. Both its parent lines are Amphiprion ocellaris, so it is a line cross and not a hybrid between species.

In the wild

The DaVinci clownfish was introduced by Sea & Reef Aquaculture in Maine, which crossed its Wyoming White to a standard orange ocellaris. Nothing in the wild looks like it.

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 DaVinci 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 DaVinci clownfish a different species from the Ocellaris clownfish?

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

What is the difference between a DaVinci and a Gladiator clownfish?

The farm that raised it. Sea & Reef sells the swept, connected bars as DaVinci. ORA sells the same look as Gladiator and lists DaVinci and Fancy as other names for it, so compare photos rather than names.

What do DaVinci clownfish grades mean?

Sea & Reef splits the line into B, A and Extreme, with Extreme carrying the most white. The grade is assigned at the hatchery by counting how many bars have fused on each side, because one pair produces fish across a wide range of coverage.

What size tank does a DaVinci clownfish need?

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

What does a DaVinci clownfish eat?

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

How big does a DaVinci clownfish get?

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

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

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

How does a DaVinci clownfish breed?

DaVinci 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.

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