TankBud

Red saddleback anemonefish

Amphiprion ephippium

Also known as Red Saddleback Clownfish, Saddle Anemonefish, Fire Clown, Ephippium Clownfish

SaltwaterFish

Red saddleback anemonefish (Amphiprion ephippium)
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Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
5.5 in
14 cm
Minimum tank
30 gal
115 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Easy
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Pomacentridae
Origin
Eastern Indian Ocean from the Andaman Sea to Java and Sumatra, in lagoons and coastal reefs with host anemones.

Overview

A 115 litre or larger tank suits a single fish or a pair at 24 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4. It is reef safe and does not need an anemone, though without one it may host in a stony coral, which the coral dislikes. It is feistier than most clowns, so keep only one or a bonded pair and choose tankmates that can stand up to it. Feed a varied diet of mysis, enriched brine and quality clownfish preparations.

In the wild

The red saddleback anemonefish is a deep red-orange clownfish with a single black saddle on the flank and no white bars as an adult. It lives with bubble tip and leathery sea anemones on Indian Ocean reefs. It is hardy and bold, more so than many clownfish. Juveniles show a faint head bar that fades with age.

Good to know

Amphiprion ephippium reaches about 14 cm, making it one of the larger clownfish, with females the bigger sex. It naturally hosts bubble tip anemones, Entacmaea quadricolor, and leathery anemones, Heteractis crispa. All clownfish begin life as males and the dominant one becomes female.

Did you know

Adults lose the white bars most clownfish keep, ending up an almost solid fiery red with one dark saddle.

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

Red saddleback anemonefish 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 Red saddleback anemonefish need?

A Red saddleback anemonefish needs at least 30 gal (115 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Red saddleback anemonefish need?

A Red saddleback anemonefish is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

How big does a Red saddleback anemonefish get?

An adult Red saddleback anemonefish reaches about 5.5 in (14 cm).

Related species