TankBud

Pink skunk clownfish

Amphiprion perideraion

Also known as Pink Anemonefish, Pink Skunk Anemonefish, False Skunk-striped Anemonefish

SaltwaterFish

Pink skunk clownfish (Amphiprion perideraion)
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
30 gal
115 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Medium
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Pomacentridae
Origin
Western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean reefs

Overview

The pink skunk clownfish is a calm, easygoing clownfish and a good fit for a peaceful reef community. It is easy to keep and swims in the middle of the tank.

Did you know

A newly paired pink skunk clownfish can take years to mature into an active breeding pair. Some aquarists report waiting up to five years before their pair spawns for the first time.

Caring for the pink skunk clownfish

Give a pink skunk clownfish a tank of at least 30 gal (115 L). It is reef safe and settles well near a host anemone, certain corals or a favorite piece of rockwork.

Keep the water at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Feed a wide range of meaty and herbivore preparations, from mysis and brine shrimp to flake and pellet foods.

The pink skunk clownfish tends to be less pushy than many of its relatives. It is not aggressive toward other species, but it will defend its anemone or territory against other clownfish. Keep it singly or as a bonded pair.

It is a protandrous hermaphrodite, born male and able to turn female if the dominant female in its group is lost. A mated pair lays eggs on a cleared flat surface near the host anemone. The eggs typically hatch in 8 to 11 days, depending on temperature, and breeding takes some experience.

Good to know

The pink skunk clownfish, Amphiprion perideraion, belongs to the family Pomacentridae. Its juveniles often show a strong schooling or "balling" instinct around their host, which can persist into adulthood.

In the wild

The pink skunk clownfish lives on coral reefs and in lagoons across the western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean. It usually shelters in a host anemone, such as the magnificent sea anemone, sebae anemone or giant carpet anemone. It stays close to its host through the day, venturing only a short distance to catch drifting plankton.

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 pink skunk 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 pink skunk clownfish need?

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

What temperature and pH does a pink skunk clownfish need?

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

What does a pink skunk clownfish eat?

A pink skunk clownfish eats a wide range of meaty and herbivore preparations, from mysis and brine shrimp to flake and pellet foods.

How big does a pink skunk clownfish get?

An adult pink skunk clownfish reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

How does a pink skunk clownfish breed?

A pink skunk clownfish pair lays its eggs on a cleared flat surface near the host anemone. The eggs typically hatch in 8 to 11 days, depending on temperature, and breeding takes some experience.

Related species