Amphiprion clarkii, commonly known as Yellowtail clownfish, is a medium-sized anemonefish from the Clarkii complex. When young, these fish are mostly yellowish-orange with two white vertical bars and two black spot. One in the caudal fin and one in the dorsal fin. When they grow their body becomes darker, almost black in some individuals, except for the belly which stays yellowish-orange. Their caudal and pectoral fins become yellow, hence their common name.
These anemonefish can best be kept as a pair. When buying a pair you don't need to worry about male or female because these fish are hermaphroditic. This means the most dominant fish will automatically turn into the female when there is no other female around. Food wise, these fish are easy to feed. They're omnivores and will eat almost anything you offer. Just make sure they receive a balanced diet of live/frozen food and be sure to include some good quality pellets or flakes. These fish may have a hard time settling in an aquarium with aggressive fish, so it's best to introduce these fish before other more aggressive fish are introduced.
As long as no predators are around (which usually isn't the case in our aquaria), there is no need to add an anemone. They might find shelter in another large polyp coral or just hang around a certain rock. Clarkii are associated with almost all anemones known to host anemonefish, so if you want to see the symbiotic relationship they've with their host in nature you can buy a Entacmaea quadricolor, Heteractis cripsa, H. malu, H. aurora (only as juveniles), H. magnifica, Cryptodendrum adhaesivum, Stichodactyla mertensii, S. gigantea, S. haddoni or Macrodactyla doreensis.
