In their natural environment ocellaris clownfish will host in magnificent sea anemone heteractis magnifica giant carpet sea anemone stichodactyla gigantean and merten s carpet sea anemone stichodactyla mertensii.
Giant carpet anemone and ocellaris clownfish.
Clownfish do not require host anemones to survive or thrive.
Clownfish rely on anemones for protection from predators while anemones rely on clownfish for food.
Both need the other to survive.
There s just something about the symbiosis of it.
Watching a clownfish seemingly playing in its anemone host is one of the most magical things that can happen in our aquariums.
They would simply be picked off by a predator as they would have no place to hide.
1 different types of clownfish tend to prefer living with or hosting different types of anemones.
Most anemones are treated as sessile but the ones inhabited by anemonefish are in fact motile.
Clarkii clark s anemonefish a.
They also possess a powerful poison.
Giant carpet anemone these large sea anemones are favored by the ocellaris clownfish and the red spotted porcelain crab which form symbiotic relationships with this species.
Bicinctus two band anemonefish a.
Zooxanthellae are obligate symbionts within the anemone.
The species exhibits a rich range of color variation including brown yellow blue green and more.