Tomato Clownfish

Scientific Name : Amphiprion Frenatus

Origin : Indo-Pacific

Difficulty : Easy

Minimum Size Tank : 50 gallons

Temperament : Aggressive

Temperature : 72 - 82°F

Reef Safe : Yes

Maximum Size : 5 Inches

Diet : Omnivore

I rank the Tomato Clownfish as the 4th most popular Clown Fish among hobbyists after the Ocellaris Clownfish, Percula and the Maroon Clownfish.

They are very similar in size and shape to the Cinnamon Clownfish, Fire Clownfish and Barberi Clownfish. They are usually bright orange to red, with a single white band running down their cheeks.

Another heavily collected clown fish, they are commonly found throughout the Indo-Pacific.

One of the cheaper clownfish available to hobbyists, expect to pay between $12 to $14 for juveniles while adults can fetch up to $20 or so. They are heavily tank bred and are widely available. As usual, a few more dollars will get you a tank-raised specimen.

I'm a big proponent towards tank raised fish because it makes the hobby sustainable in the long run. I feel everyone in the hobby should be buying them instead of wild specimens, when they're available of course.

Tank raised specimens are also much hardier than their wild caught counterparts as they've already adapted to captive life and readily accept prepared foods.

They are called anemonefish because they share a symbiosis with anemones in their natural habitats. They have developed a way to avoid getting stung by the anemone, it is speculated that clownfish produce a mucus that renders them invisible to the anemone. While Tomato clownfish are always found hosting anemones in the wild, anemones are not required for survival in captivity.

The Tomato Clownfish is considered an aggressive fish.

They do not tolerate other members of the Pomacentridae family. Which basically means any other clown or damselfish.

They will defend their territory against any fish, even those that are much larger than themselves.

They also have been known to display hostilities towards..........us. Nothing too serious, just some finger nipping to let us know their displeasure.

The Tomato Clownfish can attain a length of 5 inches, making it one of the larger clownfish in the family.

They require an aquarium no smaller than 50 gallons. While they can be housed in smaller tanks as juveniles, they will outgrow them.

And unless they're the only fish in the nano, you will have an aggression problem on your hands.

These fishes are very easy to feed because they consume almost anything offered.

While they are omnivores in the wild, both meaty and algae based foods are eaten in an aquarium.

Offer them a wide variety of foods. Prime reef, Formula One and Formula two are some good dry foods to offer.

Formula two is a seafood mix with an added amount of algae thrown into it while Prime reef is mostly meaty.

New Life Spectrum produces in my opinion the best pellet food on the market.

Add in some frozen food like krill or mysis shrimp. Avoid brine shrimp like a plague. If you must, buy enriched artemia. Normal versions just don't pack enough nutrition. Mysis and krill is far superior.

The Tomato Clownfish has been bred in captivity. Clownfish are among the easiest bred fish in the industry and are a natural choice for those looking to try their hand at marine fish breeding.

All clownfish start life unsexed, they turn into males and only the strongest may become females.

Sexless ----------> Male ---------> Strongest in the group ---------> Female

This process cannot be reversed.

They lay their eggs on a wide variety of items ranging from plastic egg crate, live rock and even flower pots.

Raising the larvae are not easy by any means. For those looking to take up breeding, i'd suggest two books that will make your life much easier.

Breeders Guide to Marine Aquarium Fishes. By far the most comprehensive book on marine fish breeding.

Clownfishes by Joyce Wilkerson. Published in 1997. Still the best book on clownfishes. Covers all species as well as breeding.