Sebae clownfish
Amphiprion sebae
Also known as Sebae Anemonefish, Yellowtail Clownfish, Brown Clownfish
SaltwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–82°F
- 24–28°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 5.9 in
- 15 cm
- Minimum tank
- 30 gal
- 115 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Egg layer · Hard
- Rarity
- Rare
- Reef safe
- Reef safe
- Family
- Pomacentridae
- Origin
- Northern Indian Ocean reefs, from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal and Sumatra
Overview
The Sebae clownfish is a generally calm clownfish for the middle of a reef tank. It is easy to keep.
Did you know
Many Sebae clownfish sold over the years were really Clark's clownfish that exporters had mislabeled. A lot of hobbyists who believe they kept this species actually had a different fish entirely.
Caring for the Sebae clownfish
Give a Sebae clownfish at least 30 gal (115 L). It is reef safe and a solid pick for a reef tank. It does not need a live anemone and will readily host in mushroom corals, frogspawn or leather corals instead.
Keep the water at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It eats a wide range of prepared, frozen and live foods. Feed it a couple of times a day.
The Sebae clownfish gets along with most fish and invertebrates. Once it has claimed a territory, though, it can turn semi-aggressive, particularly toward other clownfish. Keep it singly or as a bonded pair.
It is a protandrous hermaphrodite. The largest fish in a group becomes the breeding female, and the next largest becomes her mate. The eggs are laid near the host and hatch in 6 to 11 days, depending on temperature. Breeding it is hard.
Good to know
The Sebae clownfish is a deep-bodied, dark brown to near-black fish with two angled white bars. Its tail is bright yellow to orange. Amphiprion sebae is one of the larger clownfish species kept in the hobby.
In the wild
The Sebae clownfish lives on reefs of the northern Indian Ocean, from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal and Sumatra. Most aquarium trade specimens are collected off Sri Lanka. It pairs primarily with the sebae anemone, and occasionally with the saddle carpet anemone.
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.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The Sebae 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.
Forktail fang blenny
Meiacanthus atrodorsalis
Saltwater4.3 in (11 cm) · 30 gal (114 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
Pajama cardinalfish
Sphaeramia nematoptera
Saltwater3.1 in (8 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Yellow watchman goby
Cryptocentrus cinctus
Saltwater3.5 in (9 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Harlequin shrimp
Hymenocera picta
Saltwater2 in (5 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
Tiger / strawberry conch
Conomurex luhuanus
Saltwater2.8 in (7 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
Gold-specs jawfish
Opistognathus randalli
Saltwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a Sebae clownfish need?
A Sebae clownfish needs at least 30 gal (115 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a Sebae clownfish need?
A Sebae clownfish is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
What does a Sebae clownfish eat?
A Sebae clownfish eats a wide range of prepared, frozen and live foods. Feed it a couple of times a day.
How big does a Sebae clownfish get?
An adult Sebae clownfish reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).
How can you tell a male Sebae clownfish from a female?
Males are the smaller fish. The largest Sebae clownfish in a group becomes the breeding female, and the next largest becomes her mate.
How does a Sebae clownfish breed?
A Sebae clownfish lays its eggs near the host, and they hatch in 6 to 11 days, depending on temperature. Breeding it is hard.
Related species
5.5 in (14 cm)30 gal (115 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Clark's clownfish
Amphiprion clarkii
5.5 in (14 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)
5.5 in (14 cm)30 gal (115 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Orange skunk clownfish
Amphiprion sandaracinos
5.5 in (14 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)
5.5 in (14 cm)30 gal (115 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Red saddleback anemonefish
Amphiprion ephippium
5.5 in (14 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)
5.5 in (14 cm)30 gal (115 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Red Sea clownfish
Amphiprion bicinctus
5.5 in (14 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)
5.5 in (14 cm)30 gal (115 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Tomato clownfish
Amphiprion frenatus
5.5 in (14 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)
6.7 in (17 cm)55 gal (210 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Bluestripe clownfish
Amphiprion chrysopterus
6.7 in (17 cm) · 55 gal (210 L)