Green Chromis as a species complex (Chromis viridis, C. caerulea, and C. atripectoralis) represent the NUMBER ONE species collected for the marine aquarium hobby*, yet unlike another popular bread & better species (such as the Ocellaris Clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris), the Green Chromis evaded any captive breeding success for years. Only in very resent times was experimental rearing of any Chromis successful (Chromis nitida by Todd Gardner, and Chromis viridis by Gopakumar et al.)
Proving once again how collaboration can drive innovation, the team at Rising Tide announced late Sunday their success rearing Chromis viridis in closed culture utilizing cultivated copepod prey items, Oithona colcarva specifically. The fact that first success found only a couple dozen juveniles should emphasize the need that much more work is yet to be done before we could ever expect to see captive-bred Green Chromis on the mass market, but the success should be an encouraging size for aquarists to pursue the many diverse species of Chromis with interest and enthusiasm – there are many species firsts yet to be claimed in this fantastic genus.
Check out the Rising Tide Blog for more on how the team reared the Green Chromis, spawned at Sea World Orlando!