Tomato Clownfish

The tomato clownfish, Amphiprion frenatus,

is a clownfish that is found in the waters of the Western Pacific, from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, to Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also known as the bridled clownfish, red clownfish, or tomato anemonefish.

The adult fish is bright orange-red, with one white vertical stripe just behind the eyes, joined over the head. Some varieties have darker coloration or dark spots on their flanks. Juveniles are a darker red, with three vertical white bands and black pectoral fins.

They can grow to 14 cm (5.5 in) in length, however the female is usually larger than the male. The eggs are deposited on a flat surface and tended by the pair until they hatch (6 to 11 days). They prefer to nestle in purple anemones such as the bubble-tip anemone, Entacmaea quadricolor, or the Sebae anemone, Heteractis crispa.

In the aquarium
As a pet, an aquarium of at least 10 gallons is necessary, however, larger is recommended for this fish to have ample room for maneuvering. A quarantine tank is suggested prior to introduction into the main tank as it helps to rid the Tomato Clownfish of saltwater-borne diseases. This species of fish thrives well even without a host anemone, and will eat most meat or vegetable food preparations. It has been reported to be aggressive and territorial when mature, and specimens have been known to be extremely aggressive even towards clownfish of other species. For this reason, it is best kept singly or in mated pairs; but some claim that it will cohabit with other clownfish varieties if they are introduced at the same time[citation needed]. The Tomato Clownfish is easy to breed; the fry can be fed on baby brine shrimp and rotifers.