Blue/Green Black-axil Chromis

The Blue/Green Black-axil Chromis is easy to care for, beautiful, and peaceful. This member of the Pomacentridae family is most recognizable by its gorgeous light aqua dorsal side that slowly fades into a majestic iridescent green belly. Juveniles will lack the black blotch at the base of the pectoral fin often confusing the Blue/Green Black-axil Chromis with the Chromis viridis. Once the Black-axil Chromis begins to mature the black blotch will appear. The Blue/Green Black-axil Chromis is desirable not only for its beauty, but also for its peaceful demeanor (despite its designation as a true damselfish) and ability to be kept with almost all other community fish, invertebrates, and corals.

Native to reefs ranging from mid-depth to shallow lagoons of the Indo-Pacific and South Pacific, ranging from the Ryukyu Islands of Japan down to the western parts of Australia. It can also be seen around most of the Oceania islands with the exception of Hawaii and the Pitcairn Islands. Wild specimens prefer to school in large shoals in clear lagoons, passages and seaward reef slopes. In the wild preferring to swim amongst branching corals like Acropora. In the home aquarium, the Blue/Green Black-axil Chromis does best in similar environments and will actively swim at all levels of the aquarium water column. In fact, small schools of the Blue/Green Black-axil Chromis add a dazzling and dramatic shimmer of beauty to almost any larger, well-established reef system.

Overall, the Blue/Green Black-axil Chromis is very hardy and can live between 8 to 15 years in aquariums with excellent water quality. For best care, feed several times throughout the day with a varied diet of meaty foods, herbivore flakes, and frozen preparations. Vitamin-enriched foods may also help to preserve body colorations.

Some aquarists have successfully bred the Blue/Green Black-axil Chromis in the home aquarium. Interestingly, the body color of mature males, ready to nest, changes to a muted yellow color. However, breeding success requires perfect water parameters in only the largest of non-predatory aquarium systems.

Approximate Purchase Size: Small: 3/4" to 1-1/2"; Medium 1-1/2" to 3"; Large: 3" to 4"; XLarge: 4" to 4-1/2"