Chagos Anemonefish

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Endemic to the coral reefs of the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean. Found on reef slopes at depths of 10 to 25 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the family Pomacentridae. Features an oval, compressed body shape. Reaches a maximum length of 11 cm. Standard tropical reef fish morphology.

Social Behavior: Highly territorial toward intruders. Symbiotically associates with host sea anemones. Establishes a small social group with a single dominant female.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Orange-brown base color with two black-edged vertical white bars. The caudal fin is pale or dusky. Females are larger than males.

Aquarium Setup: Requires a minimum tank volume of 150 liters with live rock. Introducing a host anemone (such as Entacmaea quadricolor) helps promote natural behavior.

Diet and Feeding: Omnivorous diet. Feed frozen foods like artemia and mysis, high-quality dry foods, and marine plant matter preparations.

Water Quality: Standard marine parameters must be maintained: temperature 24-28 °C, pH 8.1-8.4, and salinity range 1.020-1.025 with moderate current.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Compatible with peaceful reef tankmates. Do not house with other clownfish species to avoid severe territorial behavior.

Aquarium Breeding: Oviparous, protandrous hermaphrodite. Deposits adhesive eggs on flat rock surfaces near the host anemone. The male guards the nest.

Risks and Diseases: Susceptible to marine parasites like Brooklynella and Marine Velvet. Maintaining excellent water quality and quarantine is highly recommended.