Red Sea Clownfish

Amphiprion bicinctus

Also known as Two-Band Clownfish, Two-Banded Anemonefish

SaltwaterFish

Red Sea Clownfish (Amphiprion bicinctus) — 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: 5.5 in (14 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
Origin: Red Sea and Gulf of Aden
Family: Pomacentridae

Overview

A sturdy, undemanding clownfish best kept singly or as a bonded pair, since it turns territorial around a claimed anemone or corner. It accepts flake, pellet, and frozen foods without hesitation and generally ignores unrelated tankmates that respect its patch. Reef safe, and it does not need an anemone to thrive.

In the wild

Native to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where it is the region's common anemonefish from shallow lagoons down the reef slopes. It partners with several host anemones, including bubble-tip and magnificent anemones, and is one of the least picky clownfish about hosts. In the aquarium it happily adopts a rock, a coral, or a powerhead as home if no anemone is present.

Good to know

Amphiprion bicinctus was described by Ruppell in 1830 and reaches about 14 cm, with the female of a pair noticeably larger than the male. Like all clownfish it is a protandrous hermaphrodite, so the biggest fish in a group is the female. It is farmed by several commercial hatcheries, and captive bred fish, including the spotted Spotcinctus line, are widely available.

Did you know

This is the anemonefish most Red Sea divers actually meet, and the spotted Spotcinctus strain in the trade arose from naturally odd-barred fish of this species.

Tank mates

Red Sea Clownfish is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.