Clownfishes typically reach sexual maturity at an age of 8-18 months. As they approach spawning age, they will vie for dominance, which can include some chasing, fighting, tail nipping, and a general bullying attitude by the victor. Once dominance has been established, courtship behaviors will commence. This includes vigorously fanning the bottom as they clean potential spawning sites, side-by-side swimming with the typical clownfish "œwaggle", and a decreased (although not eliminated) level of aggression.
Spawning occurs during daylight hours and a small clutch of eggs is laid usually on the underside of a rock or other solid base. The nest is usually compact, measuring 1-3 inches in diameter, circular, and comprised of small red or orange eggs, each smaller than a match head. A typical nest may contain 100-300 eggs for the smaller species such as percula, Amphiprion percula, and false percula, Amphiprion ocellaris species, or up to several thousand eggs for maroon clownfish, Premnas biaculeatus .
Spawning occurs during daylight hours and a small clutch of eggs is laid usually on the underside of a rock or other solid base. The nest is usually compact, measuring 1-3 inches in diameter, circular, and comprised of small red or orange eggs, each smaller than a match head. A typical nest may contain 100-300 eggs for the smaller species such as percula, Amphiprion percula, and false percula, Amphiprion ocellaris species, or up to several thousand eggs for maroon clownfish, Premnas biaculeatus .
