Clownfish Purse 12cm

Physical Characteristics
The brilliantly coloured Clownfish gets its name from its distinctive black and white markings. They grow to between 6-13cm long and belong to a group of small, brightly coloured fish called damselfish.

Habitat
Clownfish are native to wide ranges of the tropical warm waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans including the Great Barrier Reef and the Red Sea and live in small groups inhabiting a single host sea anemone.

Behaviour
In addition to providing food for the clownfish, the sea anemone also provides safety due to its poison. Clownfish and certain damselfish are the only species of fishes that can avoid the potent poison of a sea anemone. There are several theories about how this is accomplished: The mucus coating of the fish may trick the anemones into not recognizing the fish as a potential food source and so not firing their nematocysts or sting. The co-evolution of certain species of clownfish with specific anemone host species may mean they have acquired immunity to the stings of their host anemone. Once an anemone or coral has been adopted, the clownfish will defend it from being taken over by other damselfish species.

Breeding
Most Clownfish lay their eggs in batches on the clear coral or rock adjacent to the anemone or within the anemone itself. In the wild, clownfish spawn around the time of the full moon and the male parent guards them until they hatch about 4 to 10 days later, typically 2 hours after dusk. In some species of clownfish, the male cares for the young until they reach sexual maturity at which time they leave to find their own host anemone. Depending on the species, clownfish can lay hundreds or even thousands of eggs.

Diet
Clownfish are omnivorous: In the wild the clownfish has a symbiotic or mutually beneficial, relationship with the sea anemone. It catches most of its food by cooperating with its host anemone. They eat live food such as algae, plankton, molluscs, crustacea, copepods and mysids as well as undigested food caught by their host anemones.

Strange and Interesting Facts
Did you know? Clownfish were the first type of marine ornamental fish to be successfully bred in captivity on a large scale. The most famous Clownfish in hostory is Nemo, from Disney Pixar's movie ' Finding Nemo'.