TankBud

Variety of Ocellaris clownfish

Snowflake clownfish

Amphiprion ocellaris

One of 17 varieties of Amphiprion ocellaris · See all varieties →

Also known as Snowflake Ocellaris Clownfish

SaltwaterFish

Snowflake clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)

Varieties · Amphiprion ocellaris

See all 17 →

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.1 in
8 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Beginner
Breeding
Easy
Rarity
Very common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Pomacentridae

Overview

The snowflake clownfish is a designer ocellaris, and ORA says no two are alike. It is easy to keep and hardy enough for a first saltwater tank.

Did you know

The snowflake clownfish became one of the foundations of the designer clownfish trade. Black Ice, Frostbite and the black snowflake lines all build on it.

Caring for the snowflake clownfish

Keep a snowflake clownfish singly or as a bonded pair in at least 20 gal (75 L). It is reef safe and stays in a small territory around its chosen host. It does not need a live anemone, and it will often adopt a coral, a powerhead or a patch of rock instead.

Hold the water at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. A snowflake clownfish accepts virtually all prepared, frozen and live foods.

It is mostly peaceful and rarely bothers other species. It can be territorial toward other clownfish, though, and will usually harass a second clown that is not its mate. All clownfish are born male. The largest, most dominant fish in a group becomes the female, so she is the bigger fish of a pair.

Snowflake clownfish are easy to breed, and breeders report that snowflake stock throws snowflakes. The amount of white varies from fish to fish, though. Their species is among the most widely captive-bred marine fish, and tank-raised stock is hardy.

Good to know

In the snowflake clownfish, the trait widens and reshapes the three white bars until they spill across the flanks in jagged patches. Research on clownfish barring finds the white bars are built from iridophores, the reflective pigment cells. That makes the snowflake's change one of pattern rather than body form.

In the wild

The snowflake clownfish is still being selected at ORA, which aims for a hardier and more colorful strain.

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 snowflake 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

Is a snowflake clownfish a different species from the Ocellaris clownfish?

No. A snowflake clownfish is a variety of the Ocellaris clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.

Where did the Snowflake clownfish come from?

Tropical Marine Centre in the United Kingdom first produced the pattern around 1999, when extra white was still treated as a fault. ORA obtained its first pair of F1 Snowflakes in 2005 and has selected the line since. No wild ocellaris population carries it.

What does Premium Snowflake mean?

Heavier marking, not a separate line. ORA grades each fish on the percentage of white and the attractiveness of the striping, so two Snowflakes on one shelf can look unrelated. Buy from a photo of the actual fish if the pattern matters to you.

What size tank does a snowflake clownfish need?

A snowflake clownfish needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What does a snowflake clownfish eat?

A snowflake clownfish eats virtually all prepared, frozen and live foods.

How big does a snowflake clownfish get?

An adult snowflake clownfish reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).

How can you tell a male snowflake clownfish from a female?

Males are the smaller fish of a pair. Snowflake clownfish are all born male, and the largest, most dominant fish in a group becomes the female.

How does a snowflake clownfish breed?

Snowflake clownfish are easy to breed, and breeders report that snowflake stock throws snowflakes. The amount of white still varies from fish to fish.

Related species