feeding a clownfish

In the nature clownfish feed on zooplankton (copepods and tunicate larvae) and filamentous algae. They also benefit from the debris of the meal of their anemone, Clownfish are also called "anemone fish". This name comes from the mutual relationship they maintain with the anemones. The clownfish use the tentacles of the latter both as refuge and as protection against predators. They belong to a
group of fish that are not bitten by the nematocysts anemones (urticating organs), especially thanks to the thick layer of mucous that covers their body, anemones are vital for clownfish to thrive in their habitat. There is a symbiosis between both species that favors their existence. Therefore, you should have an anemone for each clownfish. These fish are very territorial and will fight each other if there aren't enough anemones.

Food in the anemone
The clownfish feeds on food waste and parasites of the anemone. For this reason, there is a symbiotic coexistence between the two existing animal species.
In addition to its usefulness as clownfish partners, anemones add indescribable beauty to aquariums. Anemones need very clean water and specific lighting.

in the aquarium:
In the aquarium, clownfish are very easy to feed: they eat everything without making a fuss. Clowns readily accept a wide variety of foods. In general, any flake or granule of quality is very good. Above all, they must benefit from a varied diet. A mix of some frozen foods (artemia, mysus, small krill ...) or even live food (artemia, freshwater daphnia) can keep your clowns healthy for years. Also think of the food directly purchased from the fishmonger: pieces of flesh of pink shrimps, marine fish, whelks, etc. It is best to feed at least 2 times a day, and 3 times a day at least if the goal is to obtain a reproduction. Avoid feeding only once a day: like all fish, clownfish have no stomach for storing food, feeding them only once is starving your fish a great deal. part of the day! It also drives dwarfism.
Regular clownfish food includes:
Cooked mussels
White fish
Squid
Peeled shrimp
Cockles Octopus
Chicken livers
Small crustaceans

The anemone and the clownfish

Clownfish and sea anemones have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship, each providing a number of benefits to each other. The different actinic species generally harbor specific fish, in particular the sea anemones of the genera Heteractis and Stichodactyla, and the species Entacmaea quadricolor is a frequent clown partner. The sea anemone protects the clownfish from predators, and provides food through the remains left by the anemone meals and the occasional dead tentacles of the anemone. In return, the clownfish defends the anemone of its predators and parasites. The anemone also takes nutrients from clownfish excrement (and its other occupants: other small fish, crabs, shrimps ...), and it functions as a safe nesting site. Nitrogen excreted by clowns increases the amount of symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) incorporated into the tissue of their hosts, facilitating the growth and regeneration of the anemone. It has been theorized that clownfish use its bright color to attract small fish in the anemone, and that clown activity creates greater circulation of water around the sea anemone (promoting some exchange ionic). Clown studies have found that clownfish modify the circulation of water around the tentacles of sea anemones by certain behaviors and movements such as "wedging" and "switching". The aeration of the tentacles of the host anemone provides benefits to the metabolism of both partners, mainly by increasing the body size of the anemone and for both, clownfish and anemone, respiration (oxygenation). Clownfish, cardinals, Apogon, some damselflies and a few small species of goby are among the few species of fish that can avoid the powerful poison of a sea anemone. There are several theories about how they can survive the poison of anemone cnidocysts: The mucus layer of fish may be based on sugars rather than proteins. This would mean that the anemones fail to recognize the fish as a potential food source and do not release their nematocysts with their pungent and poisonous organelles. The coevolution of some clownfish species with specific species of host anemones may have led to the acquisition of immunity to nematocysts and the toxins of their host anemone. Experimentation has shown that Amphiprion percula can develop resistance to the toxin of Heteractis magnifica, but it is not fully protected because it has been shown experimentally to be able to die when its skin, free from mucus, has been exposed to nematocysts. from his host.