Black Ice Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)

The Black Ice Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) is what happens when you cross a Premium Snowflake Ocellaris with an ultra-black Darwin Ocellaris: a dark, smoky body carrying the Snowflake's wild, oversized white bars, with a warm orange face to set it off. The white does not follow the tidy three-bar pattern of a normal clown, it spills and splits and runs together differently on every single fish. Captive bred, hardy, peaceful, and fully reef safe. Browse the rest of our saltwater livestock and supplies to build out the tank.

Standard Fin, and One of a Kind

This is the standard-finned Black Ice. If you are after the flowing, oversized fins, see our Black Ice Longfin Clownfish, which carries the same coloration on a longfin body.

No two Black Ice carry the same markings, which is why they are sold as individuals. The photo here shows the look of the variety, not the exact fish in our tank. Come see the one we have in person, or ask us to send a photo of the actual fish before you reserve it.

Care Guide

• Tank size: 20 gallons for a single fish, 30 gallons or more for a pair. They are not big swimmers, but they need a stable water volume.
• Water parameters: 72 to 78°F, pH 8.1 to 8.4, salinity 1.020 to 1.026. Forgiving once the tank is cycled and steady.
• Feeding: omnivore and a confident eater. Marine pellets, flake, and frozen PE Mysis or brine shrimp. Two small feedings a day keeps the color rich and the fish filling out.
• Anemone not required. This fish is captive bred and has never met a wild anemone. It will settle happily into a bare reef, a coral, or even a powerhead corner.
• If you want a host: a Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) is the hardiest and most reliable pairing. Wait until the tank has six months of stability and lighting that can support it.
• Pairing: clownfish start out sexually undifferentiated and the dominant fish becomes female. Add two small fish at the same time and let them sort it out. Introducing a second adult to an established adult usually goes badly.
• Reef safe: yes. It will not touch corals, though a settled clown sometimes adopts a large LPS and pesters it by wriggling into the flesh.

Specifications

Compatibility

Peaceful with almost everything and an easy fit in a mixed reef. Good tank mates include the Firefish Goby, Royal Gramma, Blue Green Chromis, Banggai Cardinalfish, and cleanup crew inverts like the Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp.

Keep one clownfish species per tank. Two different species, or two unpaired adults of any kind, will fight over territory. Also skip anything big enough to eat a four inch fish, such as lionfish, groupers, and large eels.

Shopping the dark designer clowns? The Black Darwin Ocellaris is this fish's parent and the solid black end of the range, the Black Photon adds Percula blood and heavier facial orange, and the Flurry and Nearly Naked flip the ratio toward white.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• Piscine Energetics PE Mysis frozen staple
• Xtreme Marine PeeWee Pellets slow-sinking daily pellet
• Vitalis Marine Grazing Pellets
• Green Bulb Anemone or Snowflake Bulb Anemone if you want a host
• Saltwater Refractometer for accurate salinity

FAQ

Mine looks brown rather than black. Is that right?
Yes. Young Black Ice come out orange-brown and the body darkens toward black as the fish matures. A juvenile is still developing its contrast, so expect it to deepen over the first year or two.

How is this different from a Snowflake Ocellaris?
Same wild white patterning, different background. A Snowflake sits on an orange body, a Black Ice sits on a dark one because of the Black Darwin parent. The white reads much louder against the black.

What is the difference between Black Ice, Premium, and Ultra?
Those are Sea & Reef grades based on how much white the fish carries and how dramatic the pattern is. Ultra has the most. Grading is about looks only, the care is identical across all three.

Does it need an anemone?
No. Captive-bred clownfish live full, healthy lives without one, and an anemone is a far bigger commitment than the fish. Add one later only if the tank is mature and your lighting supports it.