CLOWN / ANEMONE FISH

The Clown / Anemone fish can be recognised by its orange colour with white bars and black markings on the fins.

They have a symbiotic relationship with the anemone, they use the stinging tentacles of the sea anemone for protection.

If a predator approaches the anemone fish will retreat into the tentacles and any predators will get stung by the anemone's stinging cells.
It is thought that the anemone fish themselves are protected by a coat of mucous. The fish in turn will also protect the anemone by attacking any threats.

There are over 1,000 species of sea anemones, of which only ten are host to anemone fishes and there are about 28 species of anemone fishes.

This species grows to about 8cm in length and feeds on algae and zooplankton.
The Clown fish is found in depths from 1 to 12m.