Few representatives of the seas and oceans boast as much popularity as clown fish. She has an enchanting and contrasting color. Therefore, even her children are well aware of how she looks. After all, she is the prototype of the characters of many cartoons and toys. Because of the color, the fish is given such a name.
Description
A lot is known about clown fish, it lives in salty and warm waters (in oceans and seas). In Latin, the name sounds like Amphiprioninae, assigned to the Pomocenter family. Today, there are 30 species. Color can vary from purple, yellow to fiery orange and even red.
This is a very courageous amphiprion, always violently defending himself and his housing. He can even fight a diver by biting him as soon as he gets close to the fish. Moreover, it has several completely sharp and very small teeth.
All fish at the beginning of their life’s journey are males and change sex as they grow, if a female dies in the pack. Males are much smaller in size. The maximum female size is 20 centimeters. In an aquarium, fish usually do not grow more than 9 centimeters.
All fish have a flattened body on the sides, a short head and a high back. There are spikes on the front of the upper fin. The head of the school of fish is the largest female.
Natural enemies are sharks, eels and other large fish.
Lifestyle
A distinctive feature of this representative of the deep sea is that it creates a unique symbiosis with sea anemone (anemone). Sea anemones are sea animals without a skeleton and look like a flower. At the tips of the tentacles of the anemone are stinging cells containing poisonous threads. When necessary, while protecting from the enemy, sea anemones shoot poison.
Clown fish at the first "acquaintance" with its anemone gives her a little sting. This determines the composition of the mucus with which the "flower" is coated and which it produces in order not to poison itself. In the future, the fish produces a similar composition of mucus and hides from uninvited guests among the tentacles of the anemone.
For both creatures, the union is beneficial: the fish hides from enemies and sometimes brings food, and the anemone ventilates the water and cleans the "flower" from food that is not digested. If several fish gather around one sea anemone, then a clear hierarchy is formed among them. The dominant is the largest individual - the female. As soon as it disappears, the largest male will change sex and take the place of the most important fish.
Habitats and lifespan
In the natural environment, clown fish lives in the waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. You can meet her off the coast of Japan and Polynesia, in eastern Africa and on the reefs of Australia, in the Red Sea. The main thing is that the waters are warm and clean. Although today, even with the existing environmental disaster, fish is not an endangered species.
In the waters of the ocean, the fish lives up to 10 years. If it is contained in an aquarium, then it can live 20 years. Indeed, in an artificial reservoir, the fish has no enemies.
Natural food
Sea clown fish is predominantly content with what it brings, as it does not swim far from its habitat. Algae and plankton are present in the diet. Often the fish pick up what the sea anemone did not eat, and these are the remains of small fish that the anemone could not digest.
Spawning in natural waters
Clown fish lays eggs on almost any flat surface, but not far from the sea anemone. Caring for the younger generation is carried out by the male. Transformation into fry from eggs occurs in full dependence on the phases of the moon in complete darkness after 7-10 days from the time of laying eggs.
Aquarium Maintenance
Aquarium clown fish is very popular among aquarists. She is loved for her bright color and quite interesting behavior, which can be observed for several hours. In addition, the fish is completely unpretentious, but when kept in an artificial pond, it very quickly becomes aggressive, so it can not be kept with any kind of fish for aquariums.
Before buying an amphiprion, an anemone must be planted in the aquarium, several corals will be required so that the fish can create a symbiosis and hide somewhere. This is not the smallest representative of the sea depths, therefore, for keeping one individual, at least 50 liters of water will be required, and preferably 70. The water temperature should not drop below 25 degrees, and it will have to be changed at least 4 times a month.
Aquarium diet
What does a clown fish eat in an aquarium? Ideally, it is best to feed artemia, the remnants of sea fish or squid, shrimp. Spirulina and algae are suitable. The fish perceives dry food for aquarium fish well.
Feeding should be carried out at least 3 times a day. In this case, the feed is given in small portions. You can not pour a lot of food into the aquarium so that the food does not begin to rot, and the composition of the water does not spoil.
Artificial breeding
Fish spawning necessarily occurs in the evening, it is moonlight that activates the behavior of males. For laying eggs, it is necessary to equip the place. It can be a clay pot or saucer near the anemone. The place where spawning will occur should be clean. Caviar throwing lasts for 2 hours. As soon as the masonry has occurred, it is better to turn off the lighting for about a day.
After spawning, the male takes care of the eggs, removes the dead and protects from unwanted guests. As soon as the fry is born, he is already able to eat on his own. In the first week of life, it is impossible to determine the future color of the fish, it appears only 7 days after birth.
If other types of fish are contained in the aquarium, it is advisable to plant the fry so that they are not eaten. Feeding the younger generation can be the same as that of adults. Special demands are made on the quality of water, since this representative of the sea depths in childhood is particularly susceptible to various diseases: bacterial and fungal infections.
Compatibility
Clown fish is quite demanding on its environment. In no case should you contain this species with predators: imperial perches, moray eels and groupers. It is not recommended to mix different types of amphiprion in one artificial pond.
The most common aquarium species
Clark is chocolate. Very easy to maintain and good offspring. The best pairs come from one brood. It is not recommended to keep this species with smaller clowns, as they can behave very aggressively towards them.
"Snowflake". It has three white lines vertically, and itself red-orange. It grows to 9 centimeters, so you need a minimum volume of an aquarium of 80 liters. Usually does not show aggression and can live even without anemone.
The black clown. This is a small fish, not aggressive. Cohabits well with other species of aquarium fish.
Mauritanian. The only clown in its form that has side spikes. These individuals are quite large, stretch up to 17 centimeters, very aggressive. With age, the color from red and brown gradually turns to black. In many ways, such changes depend on the composition of the food. Vertical stripes can be white or golden. The presence of sea anemones in the aquarium is not necessary.
The uniqueness of the fish: interesting facts
There are many interesting facts about clown fish. Amphiprion is the only creature among all those who can live in the aquarium and know how to “speak,” or rather, make interesting sounds, clicks and even a little grumble.
The presence of protective mucus, similar to that containing anemone, allows the clown to live where other fish become victims of this sea “flower”. Some biologists argue that the grinding process between two completely different species can last several hours, until the clown recreates identical mucus, like his future "mistress".
The union of the clown and sea anemone is not a whim, but a necessity. Amphiprion swims very poorly, and the venomous tentacles of the “patroness” allow them to defend themselves from enemies. In addition, under the sea anemone, the fish makes laying eggs.
In turn, the amphiprion not only ventilates the tentacles and removes the remnants of undigested food, aerates the water, but also protects the sea anemone from butterfly fish. After a series of studies, it was found that anemones die from butterfly fish for 24 hours if there is no clown nearby that drives them away.
An interesting fact: the clown fish is a brave individual, but it never swims more than one meter from its “patroness”. The bravest females. Typically, females are involved in protection, although all fry are born by males. This species of inhabitants of the deep sea has a pronounced sequential hermaphroditism. In the event of the death of a female, the male takes its place and turns into a female. Clown society is full of matriarchy.
The uniqueness of the fish lies in the fact that the laying of eggs always occurs at the full moon, and fry appear only in the dark. A stable population is achieved due to the fact that after the birth of the fish are completely ready for independent living.
The fish knows how to control the process of its own growth, slows it down or accelerates it. If the amphiprion is growing rapidly, which causes dissatisfaction with its relatives, then it can completely stop the growth process, so as not to be expelled from the pack.