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
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Pomacentridae
Origin
Western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean reefs

Overview

A calm, easygoing clownfish that tends to be less pushy than many of its relatives, which makes it a good fit for a peaceful reef community. It is not aggressive toward other species but will defend its anemone or territory against other clownfish. Best kept singly or as a bonded pair rather than in a group. It eats a wide range of meaty and herbivore preparations, from mysis and brine shrimp to flake and pellet foods.

In the wild

Lives on coral reefs and in lagoons across the western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean, usually sheltering 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, only venturing a short distance to catch drifting plankton. In the aquarium it settles well near a host anemone, certain corals, or a favorite piece of rockwork.

Good to know

Amphiprion perideraion is a protandrous hermaphrodite, born male and capable of turning female if the dominant female in its group is lost. A mated pair lays eggs on a cleared flat surface near the host anemone, and the eggs typically hatch in 8 to 11 days depending on temperature. Juveniles often show a strong schooling or 'balling' instinct around their host that can persist into adulthood.

Did you know

A newly paired Pink Skunk Clownfish can take years to mature into an active breeding pair, with some aquarists reporting waits of up to five years before their pair spawns for the first time.

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

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.

How big does a Pink skunk clownfish get?

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

Related species