TankBud

Variety of Ocellaris clownfish

Domino clownfish

Amphiprion ocellaris

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

Also known as Domino Ocellaris Clownfish

SaltwaterFish

Domino 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 domino clownfish is a dark ocellaris carrying white dots instead of bars. It turns up in ones and twos rather than as a stocked line. It is a good first saltwater fish.

Did you know

A mostly black clownfish carrying one or two isolated white spots looks a lot like a domino tile. That likeness gave the domino clownfish its name, and the name stuck.

Caring for the domino clownfish

Keep a domino 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 will often settle on a coral, a powerhead or a patch of rock 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 domino 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.

Domino 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 domino clownfish sits at the point in the Midnight line where only an isolated white mark is left. Otherwise it is a Midnight, which ORA says starts life orange and turns black with age.

In the wild

ORA describes the Midnight line, the source of the domino clownfish, as a natural mutation discovered in its grow-out systems.

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 domino 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 domino clownfish a different species from the Ocellaris clownfish?

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

Why are Domino clownfish so rare?

They are sorted out of ORA's Midnight breeding program rather than bred to order. Midnight offspring range from completely stripeless to extreme misbars, and the ones carrying isolated white dots get pulled out and named Domino. ORA calls them very precious and rare.

Where is the white spot on a Domino clownfish?

Anywhere. ORA says the dot can sit on the cheek or any other area of the body, and placement is random, so shops list individual fish and no two match. The name came with help from the aquarium author Julian Sprung.

What size tank does a domino clownfish need?

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

What does a domino clownfish eat?

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

How big does a domino clownfish get?

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

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

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

How does a domino clownfish breed?

Domino 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