Clownfish living in Anemones was made famous in the movie, ‘Finding Nemo‘.

But why can clownfish live in anemones while other fish are stung, paralyzed, and either eaten, left for dead, or flee when they snap out of it?

Scientists have theorized that clownfish can live in anemones without being stung because the clownfish at some point becomes coated with some of the mucus from the anemone or the clownfish is simply camouflaged because of their color.

There is no consensus as of this writing.

New research has also shown that clownfish just need to be in the same area as an anemone so they can trade chemical cues and certain bacteria which stick to the mucous that covers the clownfish’s body.

Once the clownfish has received a certain amount of this bacteria or chemicals that can make the clownfish immune to anemone stings, the clownfish can approach the anemone and gently rub at the base of the anemone to get an even stronger coat of the anemone mucus to prevent being stung by the anemone.

Here is the source: microbiomejournal

There is more to the entire relationship, so let’s dive in!

How Do Clownfish Survive in Anemones?

First and foremost, clownfish survive in anemones by not getting stung.

Clownfish in an aquarium absolutely do not require an anemone, but in the wild ocean reefs, clownfish would not last long without an anemone, especially since they are very slow swimmers.

Once a clownfish is living in an anemone, it survives by eating dead tentacles, parasites that could hurt the anemone, leftover fish the anemone didn’t eat, or invertebrates and algae from the ocean floor.

Clownfish never stray very far from the anemone for fear of being eaten.

Clownfish help keep the anemone alive by pooping.

Yes, you heard me right, the anemone consumes the poop for nitrogen and even shares it with algae that grow in the cells of the anemone. These algae that are nourished by clownfish poop, in turn nourish the anemone.

Clownfish also chase away fish that would otherwise eat an anemone.

Can Clownfish Live in Any Anemone?

No Clownfish can not live in any anemone.

There are around 1,000 different sea anemones but only ten of these are considered hosts for certain types of clownfish.

We created an easy table for you to reference, even showing different combinations that would work in an aquarium, but we do not recommend trying to keep an anemone in an aquarium as it is very difficult to keep alive.

SEA ANEMONE:	COMPATIBLE CLOWNFISH:
Bulb Tentacle, Bubble Tip, Rose, or Maroon Sea Anemone	Red Saddleback Clownfish Red and Black Clownfish Barrier-Reef Clownfish Allard’s Clownfish Two-band Clownfish Orange-fin Clownfish Clark’s Clownfish Tomato Clownfish McCulloch’s Clownfish Oman Clownfish Australian Clownfish Three-band Clownfish Maroon Clownfish In Aquarium But Not in Wild: Ocellaris\False Percula clownfish
Corkscrew Tentacle, Long Tentacle Sea anemone	Mauritian Clownfish Clark’s Clownfish Pink Skunk Clownfish Saddleback Clownfish In Aquarium But Not in Wild: Maroon Clownfish
Adhesive, Sticky Carpet, or Pizza Sea Anemone	Clark’s Clownfish In Aquarium But Not in Wild: Tomato Clownfish Maroon Clownfish
Delicate, Sebae, Hawaiian, or White Sand Sean Anemone	Clark’s Clownfish In Aquarium But Not in Wild: Maroon Clownfish
Magnificent or Ritteri Sea Anemone	Clark’s Clownfish Ocellaris Clownfish Skunk Clownfish Barrier Reef Clownfish Two-band Clownfish Mauritian Clownfish Orange-fin Clownfish White-bonnet Clownfish Red and Black Clownfish Maldives Clownfish Percula Clownfish
Leathery or Sebae Sea Anemone	Three-Band Clownfish Percula Clownfish Barrier Reef Clownfish Two-band Clownfish Orange-fin Clownfish Clark’s Clownfish Red Saddleback Clownfish Wide-band Clownfish White-bonnet Clownfish Red and Black Clownfish Oman Clownfish Pink Skunk Clownfish Saddleback Clownfish Orange Skunk Clownfish
Beaded or Aurora Sea Anemone	Barrier Reef Clownfish Two-band Clownfish Allard’s Clownfish Mauritian Clownfish Orange-fin Clownfish Clark’s Clownfish Three-Band Clownfish
Gigantic or Giant Sea Anemone	Ocellaris Clownfish Clark’s Clownfish Barrier Reef Clownfish Two-band Clownfish Percula Clownfish Pink Skunk Clownfish Australian Clownfish
Haddon’s or Saddle Carpet Anemone	Clark’s Clownfish Barrier Reef Clownfish Mauritian Clownfish Orange-fin Clownfish Saddleback Clownfish Sebae Clownfish In Aquarium But Not in Wild: Ocellaris Clownfish Allard’s Clownfish Percula Clownfish
Merten’s Carpet Sea Anemone	Orange-fin Clownfish Skunk Clownfish Barrier Reef Clownfish Allard’s Clownfish Mauritian Clownfish Clark’s Clownfish Seychelles Clownfish Madagascar Clownfish White-bonnet Clownfish Ocellaris Clownfish Orange Skunk Clownfish Three-Band Clownfish

Can Clownfish Live Without Anemone?

In the wild ocean, a clownfish cannot live without an anemone because they are slow swimmers and live amongst coral reefs which are constantly prowled by hunters.

In an aquarium, a clownfish can live without an anemone and even loses the protective coating to defend them from the anemone stings.

If at some point you put a compatible anemone in the tank, the clownfish will gently rub itself against the anemone’s tentacles, sometimes for hours before finally fully entering the anemone.