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The maroon clownfish is a strikingly beautiful fish, with its basic body color really not seen in any other marine fish. It is the only fish in the genus, and it is separated from the other clownfishes by the fact that it has a large cheek spine on each side of its head. This spine, especially in larger fish, can be easily caught in nets, so be careful when handling it.
Unlike most other clownfishes, the maroon clown is a fairly nasty customer, and it can be rough on conspecifics and other smaller fishes; individual fish that have become established in an aquarium can be very territorial towards other newly-introduced fish. Mated pairs can be kept together; the female is much larger than the male, and sometimes can be tough on her erstwhile mate. Maroon clownfish will inhabit the bubbletip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor), which is one of the easier anemones to keep, so with these fish it is possible to keep a fish/anemone display.
The maroon clown is both raised commercially and imported from the wild, and both types of fish do very well in the home aquarium. It is completely reef-safe, and will not bother any invertebrates. Concerning food, the maroon clown will eat almost any regular aquarium fare, although it is best to make sure that it has mostly meaty fare such as enriched brine shrimp, mysis shrimp and prepared frozen diets.
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