Giant Carpet Anemone And Ocellaris Clownfish

Watching a clownfish seemingly playing in its anemone host is one of the most magical things that can happen in our aquariums.

Giant carpet anemone and ocellaris clownfish.

The species exhibits a rich range of color variation including brown yellow blue green and more. Most anemones are treated as sessile but the ones inhabited by anemonefish are in fact motile. Gigantea hosts 7 different species of anemonefish amphiprion akindynos barrier reef anemonefish a. 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.

They would simply be picked off by a predator as they would have no place to hide. Clarkii clark s anemonefish a. Clownfish rely on anemones for protection from predators while anemones rely on clownfish for food. Clownfish do not require host anemones to survive or thrive.

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. Zooxanthellae are obligate symbionts within the anemone. In nature a clownfish cannot survive without a host anemone. In their natural habitats clownfish and anemones have a symbiotic relationship.

Both need the other to survive. Bicinctus two band anemonefish a.