Clown Fish Habits in the Wild

In the wild, they eat live food such as algae, plankton, mollusks, and crustaceans.

Clownfish find them on coral reef or nearby rocks.

Their eating habits are opportunistic rather than predatory.

They hang around looking forward the anemone to have dinner first before it dines on what's left, uneaten or undigested.

As clown fish live in symbiosis with anemone, then this last eats a fish and leaves the leftovers for the clownfish to eat.

Planktonic crustaceans are part of diet of clown fish and they catch them on coral reef.

Clownfish feeds on undigested matter which otherwise potentially could harm the sea anemone, and the fecal matter from the clown fish provides nutrient to the sea anemone.

In addition to providing food for the clownfish, the sea anemone also provides safety, due to its poison.

Because clownfish cannot safely venture far from the anemone, they feed mainly on planktonic animals drifting in the current and on certain types of algae which grow nearby the anemone.

The clownfish captures prey with close set, flattened teeth, then passes it back to the throat.

There, strong teeth mounted on gill supporting bones crush the prey into a digestible pulp.

Anemones themselves may provide food, as the clownfish may pick at and consume some dead tentacles.