Twobar Anemonefish

About

Allard's anemonefish (Amphiprion allardi) is one of the lesser-known members of the clownfish family, but it holds its own against the more familiar species. Native to the western Indian Ocean, it turns up along the East African coastline and around islands like the Comoros and Seychelles, where it forms tight partnerships with large carpet and other host anemones. In terms of looks, it sports the classic clownfish pattern. A dark body, usually a deep brown to near-black, broken up by two clean white bars, one behind the head and one mid-body. The fins often carry a warm orange-yellow tone that contrasts nicely with the darker base color. Behaviorally, Allard's anemonefish shares the same feisty, anemone-defending personality you'd expect from any clownfish. It will patrol its host aggressively and won't hesitate to nip at tankmates that venture too close. Like all clownfish, it's a sequential hermaphrodite. The dominant fish in a pair becomes female, with the male being the smaller of the two. It's listed as intermediate in care, so some prior experience with marine tanks is worthwhile before taking one on, particularly when sourcing and maintaining a compatible host anemone.