Clownfish Care Guide for UK Reef Keepers

Minimum 75L for a pair of ocellaris or percula. 150L+ for the larger Clarkii or maroon clownfish.

Salinity 1.025 SG, temperature 25–26 °C, pH 8.1–8.4.

A mature tank — wait until your cycle is fully complete and parameters have been stable for two weeks.

Buy two small juveniles of the same species — the larger one will become female, the smaller will stay male. Never add a new clownfish to a tank that already has an established pair; they'll kill the newcomer.

Twice-daily feedings of varied food: high-quality marine pellets, frozen mysis, brine shrimp and Nori once a week.

Vitamin-soak frozen food (Selcon, Vita-Chem) once a week to prevent HLLE and boost colour.

Captive-bred clownfish rarely host wild-type anemones. Bubble tip (Entacmaea quadricolor) is the most likely match for ocellaris and percula. Skip anemones entirely until your tank is 12+ months old — they need rock-solid parameters and intense light.

A well-fed bonded pair will lay eggs on a flat rock near their territory every 10–14 days. Raising the fry is intensive — rotifer cultures, blackout tanks, daily water changes — but absolutely doable. There's a whole TankBase community thread on it.