Ocellaris Clownfish: Nemo's Species, Price and Morphs

Amphiprion ocellaris is the ocellaris clownfish, also called the false percula or common clownfish (Wikipedia). It is a real clownfish: one of the anemonefishes in the genus Amphiprion, which live among the tentacles of sea anemones. It is orange or reddish-brown with three white bands edged in black, grows to about 11 cm, and lives on outer reef slopes and in sheltered lagoons of the eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific down to 15 m (Wikipedia). A naturally black form with white bands occurs in northern Australia around Darwin.

For the biology shared by all clownfish, including how they avoid anemone stings and why every clownfish starts life male, see our clownfish page. This page covers the ocellaris as the fish people buy.

The two look almost identical, and shops mix them up. Check:

• Dorsal spines: Wikipedia gives 11 for ocellaris and 10 for percula. The Florida Museum gives 10 to 11 for ocellaris and 10, rarely 9, for percula, so a count of 11 points to ocellaris and 10 is not conclusive.
• Black outlines: thin on ocellaris, sometimes barely visible; thick on percula (Wikipedia; Florida Museum).

To count spines from a photo, the first dorsal fin has to be fully raised and in sharp focus. Photograph the fish side-on in a small viewing box rather than through a large tank.

Nemo is an ocellaris. Wikipedia says the characters Marlin, Nemo and Coral in the 2003 Disney Pixar film represent Amphiprion ocellaris, and that the film was followed by a sharp rise in demand in the aquarium trade. The mix-up comes from the old shop name "false percula", which is the ocellaris, while the "true percula" is A. percula.

Standard captive-bred ocellaris sit at the bottom of the price range; designer morphs cost several times more. Prices on the LiveAquaria clownfish page, checked 2026-09-25:

• Ocellaris clownfish: from $29.99
• Captive-bred ocellaris (including Proaquatix-bred): $29.99
• Proaquatix Orange Storm, captive-bred: $119.99
• Wyoming White, captive-bred: $79.99
• For comparison, true percula: from $49.99; Picasso percula: $49.99; Mocha Storm: $178.99, the most expensive clownfish on the page

Price follows pattern and rarity of the morph, not care difficulty: a $120 ocellaris needs the same care as a $30 one.

Captive breeding has produced a long list of named ocellaris lines. ORA, a US marine fish farm, lists among its A. ocellaris: Black Ocellaris, Caramel, Midnight, Naked, Misbar and Extreme Misbar, Snowflake and Premium Snowflake, Black Ice Snowflake, Domino, Frostbite, Longfin, Snow Storm, Black Storm, Zombie, Gladiator, Mocha Gladiator, Stubby and Wyoming White. Most names describe how much white there is and how the bands are broken or joined. ORA notes that clownfish were the first popular saltwater aquarium species to be aquacultured and have been bred for over 40 years.

Most home aquariums do best with one pair. A group of anemonefish has a strict size order: the largest fish is the breeding female, the next largest the breeding male, and the rest are kept small by aggression (Wikipedia). Because the order is enforced by aggression, every fish beyond the pair is one the others will keep pushing around. LiveAquaria advises buying clownfish in small groups of a single species, describes them as semi-aggressive, easy to care for, extremely hardy and reef compatible, and gives an average size of about three inches in aquariums. Do not mix clownfish species in one tank unless you have a lot of space.

In the wild, the clownfish of most conservation concern is McCulloch's anemonefish. Wikipedia says that as of 2025, 25 of the 29 clownfish species had been assessed by the IUCN, most as Least Concern; McCulloch's is listed as Vulnerable and the wide-band anemonefish as Data Deficient. No clownfish is listed as Endangered. The ocellaris itself is not rare. In the hobby, rarity means expensive morphs rather than threatened species: the priciest clownfish on LiveAquaria on 2026-09-25 was the captive-bred Mocha Storm at $178.99.

Research and drafting for this page were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed below. Every number names the organisation it comes from, and where sources disagree we say so instead of picking one silently. Prices and rules are given with the date we checked them; they change, so confirm before you rely on them. If you find an error, tell us and we will correct it.