Abstract
We studied group formation and anemone use in captively reared anemonefish Amphiprion frenatus. Four small fish (23–32 mm total length) were simultaneously released into a central area of the aquaria (ca. 160 l) that was divided in half with an anemone placed on each half, with the opportunity to settle on either side. Four-day trials were conducted for analyzing settlement patterns. Because of the monogamous mating system, we predicted that small fish should settle in pairs. However, all four small fish settled on the same side in 7 of 14 replicates, which was a higher than expected value under random settlement.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Morgan Lidster, Mike Ames and the staff at Inland Aquatics® for their assistance with this study. Without their cooperation in allowing us the use their aquariums and assistance with husbandry issues, this study would not have been possible. Thanks also to two anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. Finally, we thank Eastern Illinois University’s Council for Faculty Research and the Department of Biological Sciences for financial assistance with this project. This project was approved by EIU’s Animal Care and Use Committee and complied with all current laws.
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Bollinger, E.K., Switzer, P.V., Pfammatter, J. et al. Group formation and anemone use in captively reared anemonefish (Amphiprion frenatus). Ichthyol Res 55, 394–398 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-008-0047-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-008-0047-0