Cinnamon Clownfish
Amphiprion melanopus
Marine Marine Indo-Pacific Usually captive bred
Recognisable by its deep reddish-black body, vivid orange face, and single broad white head stripe. Unlike passive clownfish species, adults become exceptionally territorial and can harass timid tankmates or bite the keeper's hand during routine tank cleaning.
Try it in the planner Opens a tank sized to its minimum with 1 fish added.
What it needs
| Item | Value | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Adult length | 11 cm | Used for the Space check: the tank must be long enough for the fish to turn round. |
| Smallest tank | 150 L, at least 80 cm long estimated | The least water and floor length this species is kept in for good, as a single fish or smallest group. |
| Extra water per added fish | 50 L estimated | What each further fish adds once the minimum is met. |
| Waste load | Class 3 of 5 estimated | How much waste an adult makes against its size. Feeds the Load check. |
| Temperature | 24 to 28 C | Stock sharing a tank need overlapping ranges. |
| pH | 8.1 to 8.4 | Compared with tankmates in the Water check. |
| Hardness | GH 8 to 12, KH 8 to 12 | Degrees of general and carbonate hardness. |
| Flow | Medium | Low-flow fish are stressed in a strong current. |
| Light | Moderate | Matched to the lighting class on the needs sheet. |
| Group size | Single fish is fine | Not a schooling species. |
| Temperament | Aggressive | Territorial: strong. |
| Swims in | All levels | Fish that use different levels share a tank more easily. |
| Lifespan | About 12 years | A fish is a long commitment. |
| Experience | Suits a first tank | A guide to how forgiving the species is of mistakes. |
| Salinity | Marine, about SG 1.023 to 1.025 | Needs salt water, a different build and a longer-running tank than a freshwater set-up. |
Tags marked estimated are judged from the size and habits of the species rather than measured, so treat them as a sensible default.
Diet and tank layout
Cinnamon Clownfish is an omnivore that swims in all levels of the tank. It is safe with plants. Give it some cover.
Tankmates
Works with
No close matches in the data. Check the pair tool.
Depends
Nothing flagged.
Avoid
- Blue Tang
- Ocellaris Clownfish
- Banggai Cardinalfish
- Blue Green Chromis
- Firefish Goby
- Foxface Rabbitfish
- Green Mandarin
- Percula Clownfish
- Royal Gramma
- Sixline Wrasse
- Volitan Lionfish
- Yellow Tang
- Bicolor Angelfish
- Bicolor Blenny
- Blue Damselfish
- Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse
- Clark's Clownfish
- Copperband Butterflyfish
- Coral Beauty Angelfish
- Diamond Watchman Goby
- Domino Damselfish
- Emperor Angelfish
- Flame Angelfish
- Four Stripe Damselfish
- Lawnmower Blenny
- Lyretail Anthias
- Maroon Clownfish
- Midas Blenny
- Neon Goby
- Orchid Dottyback
- Pajama Cardinalfish
- Powder Blue Tang
- Purple Firefish
- Purple Tang
- Sailfin Tang
- Snowflake Moray Eel
- Spotted Mandarin
- Tailspot Blenny
- Three Stripe Damselfish
- Tomato Clownfish
- Yellow Clown Goby
- Yellow Coris Wrasse
- Yellow Watchman Goby
- African Flameback Angelfish
- Antennata Lionfish
- Atlantic Blue Tang
- Azure Damselfish
- Blue Chromis
- Blueface Angelfish
- Bristletail Filefish
- Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
- Cherubfish
- Citron Clown Goby
- Convict Tang
- Flame Hawkfish
- Golden Head Sleeper Goby
- Green Clown Goby
- Harlequin Tuskfish
- Koran Angelfish
- Lemon Damselfish
- Lemonpeel Angelfish
- Lined Seahorse
- Longfin Bannerfish
- Longnose Hawkfish
- Longspine Porcupinefish
- Magenta Dottyback
- Majestic Angelfish
- McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
- Moorish Idol
- Naso Tang
- Niger Triggerfish
- One-Spot Foxface
- Picasso Triggerfish
- Pink Skunk Clownfish
- Raccoon Butterflyfish
- Randall's Shrimp Goby
- Royal Dottyback
- Schooling Bannerfish
- Scopas Tang
- Sebae Clownfish
- Sixspot Sleeper Goby
- Threadfin Butterflyfish
- Valentini Puffer
- Wheeler's Shrimp Goby
- Yellow Seahorse
- Yellowhead Jawfish
- Zebra Moray
- Achilles Tang
- Arc-eye Hawkfish
- Banded Sleeper Goby
- Bicolor Anthias
- Bicolor Chromis
- Bird Wrasse
- Blackcap Basslet
- Blue Star Leopard Wrasse
- Bluejaw Triggerfish
- Bluestripe Pipefish
- Chalk Bass
- Clearfin Lionfish
- Clown Tang
- Clown Triggerfish
- Diadem Dottyback
- Disco Blenny
- Dispar Anthias
- Dragon Wrasse
- Eibl's Angelfish
- Engineer Goby
- Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
- Falco Hawkfish
- Filamented Flasher Wrasse
- Forktail Blenny
- Freckled Hawkfish
- Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish
- Golden Butterflyfish
- Goldrim Tang
- Harlequin Filefish
- Herald's Angelfish
- Hi Fin Red Banded Goby
- Humuhumu Triggerfish
- Klein's Butterflyfish
- Kole Yellow Eye Tang
- Lamarck's Angelfish
- Leopard Wrasse
- Longhorn Cowfish
- Longnose Butterflyfish
- Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse
- Lunar Wrasse
- Mimic Tang
- Neon Damselfish
- Neon Dottyback
- Orange Skunk Clownfish
- Orange Skunk Clownfish
- Pinkbar Goby
- Pinktail Triggerfish
- Pyramid Butterflyfish
- Queen Angelfish
- Radiant Wrasse
- Regal Angelfish
- Rock Beauty Angelfish
- Ruby Dragonet
- Rusty Angelfish
- Saddleback Clownfish
- Scissortail Dartfish
- Silver-Belly Wrasse
- Sohal Tang
- Spotted Prawn Goby
- Starry Dragonet
- Stars and Stripes Puffer
- Steinitz' Shrimp Goby
Compare any two fish on the compatibility page, or print the equipment for a stock on the needs sheet. How this is worked out: the method.