Complete Platinum Percula Clownfish Care Guide

All About the Stunning Platinum Percula Clownfish

The platinum percula clownfish (Amphiprion percula) is a truly gorgeous fish that is gaining popularity among saltwater aquarium enthusiasts. With its dazzling platinum coloration and lively personality, it's not hard to see why. In this in-depth guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about keeping this beautiful clownfish species in your own reef tank.

Natural Habitat and Origin

The wild percula clownfish is native to the Indo Pacific region including areas like the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. Here they live among the tentacles of large sea anemones, most notably Stichodactyla bubble tip and carpet anemones. The anemone provides protection to the clownfish with its stinging tentacles that deter predators. In return, the clownfish provides nutrients to the anemone from its waste and also helps lure in more food.

Platinum clownfish are selectively bred color morphs that originated from wild percula clownfish. By crossing those with the most white coloring over generations, aquarium breeders can produce full platinum varieties that stand out beautifully in reef tanks.

Lifespan and Size

In home aquariums, platinum percula clownfish can live 5 years or longer with excellent care and maintenance. With a maximum size around 3 inches, they remain relatively small compared to other clowns like maroons or tomato clowns.

Their petite size makes them a great choice for nano reef tanks as small as 10 gallons. For a single clownfish pair, aim for at least 20 gallons, and provide plenty of live rock and hiding spaces. Doing some research on ideal tank mates that won't bully or nip fins is important too for small, peaceful clowns.

Appearance and Coloration

There’s no question platinum percula clownfish get their name from their breathtaking metallic sheen. Ranging from nearly white platinum to pale gold, every individual fish has a stunning sparkle that makes them prized by aquarists.

Three bold black stripes run vertically along the sides of their bodies, though they may fade slightly into the platinum background. Some fish have a hint of bright orange on the face or edges of the stripes adding a pop of color. Large dorsal and anal fins are edged in black while the tail and pectoral fins remain all white.

In terms of gender differences, females tend to be larger in size than males on average. It can also sometimes be possible to identify males by darker coloration around the throat.

Behavior and Compatibility

Platinum percula clownfish have playful personalities that are highly entertaining to watch. They'll interact with tank mates, explore decorations, dart around the tank, and continually change favorite hiding spots. It's common to see them hover in one area or “perch” themselves high on corals or rocks.

While generally peaceful, they are sometimes aggressive to other tank mates that invade their territory or have similar appearances. Keep only one clownfish pair per tank and avoid combining with maroon, tomato, or other Amphiprion clowns that may fight or bully them.

When housed with the right saltwater fish, sharks, rays, shrimp, snails, crabs, and other inverts they do great. Some top platinum clownfish tank mate choices are angelfish, tangs, triggers, damsels, gobies, blennies, chromis, cardinals, jawfish, firefish, hawkfish, rabbitfish, squirrelfish, assessors, tilefish, grammas, dottybacks, sand perches, and wrasse.

Feeding and Diet

In aquariums, platinum percula clownfish should be fed a varied carnivore diet. Give them a quality pellet or flake food as the dietary base. Feed 2-3 small pinches 1-2 times per day only what can be fully consumed within a couple minutes.

Supplement with meaty treats like mysis or brine shrimp, chopped seafood, live blackworms, and other frozen preparations. Feed these treats 1-2 times per week splitting into smaller portions given over the course of a day. Try soaking gel foods in tank water before feeding for better absorption if they struggle eating large pieces.

For continued good health, soak all dried foods before feeding and feed a rotation that provides trace nutrients. Target feed shy tank mates to ensure everyone is eating when housing with bold, faster fish.

Breeding Behaviors

In nature, clownfish form symbiotic bonds living among sea anemones for protection. They are sequential hermaphrodites that form a strict dominance hierarchy with very interesting breeding behaviors.

The largest female fish is the dominant breeding female, while the second largest fish and all smaller members of the group are non-reproductive males. If the female dies, the alpha breeding male then changes sex and becomes the new female!

The mated breeding pair is generally monogamous. To spawn, they find a flat surface like live rock to lay up to 1,000 eggs that hatch in 7-9 days. Clownfish parents exhibit diligent parental care, tending and aggressively defending the eggs until they hatch and become tiny juvenile clownfish.

Unique Requirements

To keep captively bred platinum percula clownfish healthy long term there are a few key tank requirements to meet:

• Stable Water Quality - Maintain excellent water quality with stable pH 8-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025, temp 74-80°F.
• Aggressive Filtration - Avoid ammonia and nitrite spikes deadly to clownfish with extra biological filtration and 10-20% weekly water changes.
• Saltwater Aquarium Size - House mated pairs in minimum 20 gallon tanks with plenty of live rock for hiding and territories.
• Quality Diet - Feed a varied, protein-rich carnivore diet with meaty foods like mysis shrimp.
• Semi-peaceful Tank Mates - Avoid very large, aggressive species that may harm or bully more passive clownfish.

Providing the above will result in vibrantly-colored, actively swimming platinum percula clownfish that bring boundless beauty to saltwater aquariums!

Finding Healthy Platinum Percula Clownfish for Sale

While color manipulated fish can sometimes have a bad reputation for weak genetics, selectively bred platinum clownfish varieties offer comparable health and hardy traits if purchased from quality sources.

When sourcing your fish, look for reputable online retailers and local fish stores that focus on captive bred saltwater fish. Avoid buying fish from mass chain pet stores that may have higher disease risk from internationally imported livestock.

Indicators of health to look for when buying platinum perculas including:

• Vibrant metallic white coloration with reflective shine and clearly defined black markings
• Active swimming not hanging listless or only breathing heavily at the surface
• Full rounded bellies showing proper nutrition and weight
• Clear eyes without clouding or unwanted accumulation around the edges
• Intact fins without signs of rot, nipping damage or visible parasites
• Responsiveness to feeding when offered food by the retailer

Only choose fish displaying all those good signs of health and vigor for best results. While more expensive, buying juveniles around 1 inch size can help with acclimation over tiny fry. Always quarantine new arrivals 3-4 weeks in a dedicated tank before adding fish to a display aquarium.

Aquascaping a Platinum Percula Clownfish Tank

When it comes to decorating a saltwater tank for platinum percula clownfish, aim to recreate elements of their natural reef habitat. Start with a fine aragonite sand substrate in white or light tan colors that compliments their bright metallic shades.

Pile plenty of porous live rock structures that simulate coral reef crevices and overhangs. Arrange rocks stacked up with tunnels for swimming through along with some open sand beds across the bottom.

Use coral skeleton decoration pieces, large seashells, clay pots, or aquarium-safe PVC pipe to add more holes and hiding spots if lacked from live rock alone. Keep one area completely open for easy feeding access.

Plant soft corals like zoanthids, mushrooms, leathers, Kenya tree, and Xenia across back walls and rock structures. Their gently swaying tentacles provide constant motion to watch while remaining reef safe for clownfish.

Use bright aquarium lighting around 12 hours daily to support coral growth. Keep filtration turned up high with added circulation pumps to prevent debris from settling and decomposing in rock crevices.

Conclusion

From their dazzling good looks to their winning personalities, platinum percula clownfish make an outstanding addition for saltwater aquarium hobbyists. Taking the time to learn proper care guidelines and creatively aquascape to their natural habitat needs will surely result in success keeping this beautiful fish species long term.

FAQs

What do platinum percula clownfish eat?

Platinum perculas should be fed a carnivore diet consisting of a quality flake or pellet along with treats like mysis shrimp, chopped seafood, and other meaty frozen foods. Feed a small amount 2-3 times per day that can be fully consumed within a couple minutes.

How big do platinum clownfish get?

Platinum percula clownfish are relatively small, growing to a maximum length around 3 inches. This makes them well suited for nano reef tanks as small as 10 gallons when housing just a mated pair.

Are platinum clownfish aggressive?

They can show some aggression toward other clownfish varieties or fish with similar appearances. Avoid housing platinum perculas with maroon, tomato, or other Amphiprion clowns in the same tank. They generally do fine with most other peaceful community fish.

How can you tell if a platinum clownfish is healthy?

Signs of a healthy platinum percula include vibrant metallic white coloring, clear eyes, full rounded belly, intact fins, and active responsive swimming when fed or stimulated. Only choose specimens exhibiting those indicators when selecting fish.