Eastern Skunk Anemonefish

About

The Eastern Skunk Anemonefish (Amphiprion sandaracinos) gets its name from that unmistakable white stripe running straight down the midline of its back, from the tip of the snout all the way to the base of the dorsal fin, with no other white markings on the body. The rest of the fish is a warm, uniform orange, which is why it also goes by names like Golden Anemonefish or Orange Anemonefish in the trade. In the wild, this species ranges across a broad sweep of the Western Pacific, from Western Australia and Christmas Island up through the Philippines, New Guinea, and as far north as the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan, where it lives on lagoon and outer reef slopes. Like other clownfish, it forms tight bonds with specific host anemones. In this case primarily Heteractis crispa and Stichodactyla mertensii. It typically lives in pairs or small groups, and pairs are monogamous and devoted: the male actively guards and fans the clutch of eggs until they hatch. As with all clownfish, it is a protandrous hermaphrodite, meaning the dominant fish in a group becomes female. Captive breeding of this species is well established, so tank-raised specimens are available, which is always the preferred choice. This is a manageable reef fish for intermediate keepers who can provide a suitable host anemone.