Clownfish And Their Dirty Secrets

Clownfish And Their Dirty Secrets

The Colourful Clownfish Facade Hides A Very Peculiar Private Life

Finding clownfish/anemonefish in Phuket is not a difficult task for our diving guides. We have four different species of the 28 known that we regularly find. All colourful and all have the quirky clownfish attitude that makes them a favourite with divers but behind the cute colours are some very strange facts.

I’m sure you’re aware that they have a symbiotic relationship with anemone’s but this doesn’t come as easy to the clownfish as you might think. The fish don’t hatch with an immunity to the stinging cells of the anemone. When they find their chosen host the juvenile clownfish have to touch it gently with various parts of their body until they eventually get covered with a layer of mucus that doesn’t trigger the neurotoxin laced harpoons that kill other fish.

Skunk Anemone Fish (Amphiprion akallopisos) At Anemone Reef

Skunk Anemone Fish (Amphiprion akallopisos) At Anemone Reef

Once the tricky process is complete they have a secure home and won’t stray more than a metre or so from the host for the rest of its life which can be 10 years in the wild. However if they do go for a bit of a wander then their loud colours reduce that life expectancy to around 10 seconds..

A Great Deal!

So the clownfish has got a very secure home for all the family. A perfect location with lots of food that just passes by but what does the anemone get in return? Pooh is the short answer. In return for the perfect house the clownfish drops its pooh on the anemone. Can’t imagine what kind of sophistry was involved in those negotiations. The clownfish also removes parasites, oxygenates and chases away anemone predators but lets not have the truth get in the way of a good story.

Clark's clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii) At Koh Bida Nok

Clark’s clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii) At Koh Bida Nok

The Dirt

All clownfish are born males. So this begs the question of how they reproduce, this is where things get a little weird. The largest male in the group will change sex and become the dominant female. If that female dies then the next male in line will slap on the lippy and become the lady of the house. It puts a very different twist on the nemo movie – father/mother travels around the world to find its son/daughter to make him/her his wife/husband when they return. Probably not the story-line that Disney had in mind. Having the clownfish flushed down the toilet was also ill advised. Many newly acquired pets found themselves ‘freed’ into the local sewers.

Why The Clowning?

Along with their bright colours, the seemingly endless game of hide and seek that amuses divers and annoys photographers to the point of insanity is believed to have a purpose. Scientists suggest that the constant motion benefits the anemone by oxygenating the water. Clownfish remain fairly active at night when water oxygen levels are lower so the anemone possibly gets an extra oxygen boost. One thing we definitely know is that anemones with clownfish are on average larger than ones without, suggesting that they are healthier.

An Anemone is an Anemone?

Apparently not. Different species of clownfish prefer different anemones. Nemo’s and skunk prefer magnificent anemones, Clark’s prefer carpet anemone and saddleback like bubble-tip anemone. Why? We simply don’t know

Red Saddleback Anemone Fish (Amphiprion ephippium) At Shark Point

Red Saddleback Anemone Fish (Amphiprion ephippium) At Shark Point

Where To Find?

Skunk anemonefish can be found on all of our dive sites. To get more of the species then Anemone Reef (rather obviously) and Shark Point are the dive sites of choice. On both dive sites it’s impossible not to find skunk, clark’s, and false clown anemonefish (nemo) but you’ll have to go to Shark Point to get the much more difficult to find red saddleback anemonefish.

Find Your Nemo With Local Dive Thailand

By Justin Hartrey

I've been enjoying the incredible marine life in our oceans for over 25 years. 13 years ago I became a PADI professional, hoping to introduce as many people as possible to the incredible beauty of the seas.

Having been fortunate enough to dive all over south east and especially Thailand, I enjoy sharing my experience and passion on this blog.

Posted in Rare & Peculiar Critters on .

Popular Services

huge schools of fish on the king cruiser wreck in phuket

The King Cruiser Wreck Dive

The King Cruiser Wreck's unplanned underwater life began in May 1997. The adventurous captain of the King Cruiser car ferry strayed miles off course on his way to Phi Phi from Phuket. With an incredible feat of marine navigation he 'found' the only submerged reef for miles around. Unfortunately the intrepid captain's wanderlust resulted in a large hole in the ferry and the inevitable consequences. So was created Phuket's first wreck dive. For [...]

Find Out More
Surin Island Dive Site Koh Tachai

Koh Tachai Pinnacle

Koh Tachai is a picture postcard tropical island with lush greenery and white sand beaches. Situated 20km north of Koh Bon and the Similan Island National Park. Underwater it's even more spectacular, huge granite boulders, healthy corals and tonnes of fish. A couple of mooring buoys is all you will see above the surface. The top of the dome shaped pinnacle is at 12m and falls away to 45m on the deepest side. The site is usually exposed to [...]

Find Out More

Daily Schedules

M/V Kepsub Schedule

Jobs @ Local Dive Thailand

Local Dive Thailand is one of Phuket's fatest growing & most vibrant scuba diving operations, we are always looking for quality staff to join us, so feel free to have a look at our jobs listing page.

Job Listings

Contact LDT

Local Guides, Local Knowledge, Local Experiences

Don't trust your diving to amateurs or freshly minted dive guides, dive with local experienced experts from Local Dive Thailand. Our Scuba Diving Phuket Tours will take you to see the rarest of the rare critters, you will be amazed by the macro life our guides can find, in the secret places only they know. To put it in perspective, if you were going to climb Mount Everest you would certainly hire a local sherpa to lead the way & keep you safe. Diving is similar because there is absolutely no substitute for local experience & local knowledge, Local Dive Thailand's guides are Phuket's Sherpa's of the Andaman Sea!

Learn More About Us

Scuba Diving Phuket, Phi Phi & Thailand

When talking about Scuba Diving in Phuket, you should believe the hype, many seasons we have had Whale Sharks grace us on our regular and easy to reach dive sites and on a good day you can add Sea Horses, Sea Moths, Snake Eels, Frog Fish & Octopus to what you can see on any given dive and so much more. If we are heading to Phi Phi Island for the day, you can possibly see Hawksbill Sea Turtles and Black Tip Reef Sharks, also don't forget the King Cruiser, 84 meters of beautiful wreck and the most amazing reef nursery for fish and nudibranch. Local Dive Thailand day trip tours to these locations are not to be missed when you are scuba diving Phuket, get in touch with us and book an 'awesome' day of diving.

Book Your Day Trip

Related News From Local Dive Thailand

See why we are Thailand's leading scuba diving Phuket tour provider, stay up to date & watch out for news & special liveaboard offers!

Diving Discounts & Special Offers

diving discounts from local Dive Thailand

Our prices are very competitive but everybody loves great diving discounts. Local Dive Thailand are very proud of our staff and high service levels but sometimes we need to encourage divers to give us a try. We're 100% confident that once you dive with us we'll be your go to PADI 5* dive centre in Phuket If you're planning to join us for a number of days then take advantage of our multiple trip discounts: 3+ Days Diving with own equip [...]

Read Full Story
Stonefish @ Racha noi, Banana Rocks Rare & Peculiar Critters

The Stonefish

The Stonefish can be found in many of the popular day trip destinations in Phuket. They are not small, reaching an average length of 30 to 40 centimeters and up to 2 kg in weight. They have the ability to blend in the environment quite well and they can be quite difficult to notice underwater. A bottom-dweller, their appearance gives them the look of a rock or stone while they lay still waiting for a prey. Their odd shape works well for l [...]

Read Full Story
Phuket PADI Advanced Open Water Adventure Dives The Archives

Advanced Open Water: Phuket Dive Options

An Advanced Open Water in Phuket gives plenty of adventure dive options. So it can be difficult choosing the right ones for you. Your experience level, chosen venue and conditions on the day can all help narrow down your choices. Deep and Navigation are compulsory dives on the PADI Advanced Open Water in Phuket or anywhere else. So that will leave you with three more adventure dives to complete the course. The Deep dive will take you t [...]

Read Full Story

Local Dive Thailand Office In Phuket


Find Us On Google Maps