Friday Fish Facts - Orange Skunk Anemonefish
The Orange Skunk Anemonefish (Amphiprion sandaracinos) is more commonly known as the Skunk Clown Fish because of the orange body color with white stripe running down the spine from the head to the tail.... it resembles a skunk that is orange instead of black. The Orange Skunk Clown hails from the Western Pacific Oceans and can grow to a maximum length of 5.5" inches in the wild. Most Skunk Clown Fish in the aquarium hobby are between 1" inch to 3.5" inches long.
The minimum tank requirements for an Orange Skunk Anemonefish is 30 gallons, making them an excellent choice for nano reef aquariums. They should be fed twice daily a variety of meaty foods including vitamin enriched brine shrimp, mysid shrimp and frozen prepared herbivore blends.
Captive bred Skunk Anemonefish are preferred over the wild caught variety because they are more hardy and less susceptible to disease. Like others in the Damsel Fish family, the female Skunk Clown Fish tends to exhibit aggression towards other Clowns and Damsels. The Orange Skunk Clown Fish is best kept in pairs with a host anemone such as a carpet or leather anemone, but they are known to bond with other anemones in captivity.