Percula Clownfish

The Percula Clownfish, often called the True Percula to distinguish it from its close relative the Ocellaris, is a stunning marine fish with bold orange coloration and thick black borders around its three white bars. While visually similar to the Ocellaris Clownfish, the Percula can be identified by its more vivid orange coloration, thicker black margining on the white bands, and slightly smaller adult size. The species has a more limited natural range, found primarily around Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the northern Great Barrier Reef.

Like all clownfish, the Percula is a protandrous hermaphrodite and forms a strict social hierarchy within its group. The largest, most dominant individual becomes the breeding female, while the second-largest serves as the breeding male. All other individuals remain sexually immature. This social structure means that in the home aquarium, it is best to keep Percula Clownfish as a single specimen or a bonded pair to avoid aggression between conspecifics.

The Percula Clownfish is an excellent aquarium inhabitant that is well-suited to beginners. Captive-bred specimens are widely available and adapt quickly to aquarium life, accepting prepared foods within days of introduction. While they naturally associate with Heteractis crispa and Stichodactyla gigantea anemones, they readily adopt substitutes such as torch corals, hammer corals, or even powerhead outputs in the absence of a true anemone host.