Bali Aquarich, the Asian sensation of the aquaculture scene, has been collecting accolades and trail blazing this niche in the last few years. They’ve come a long way since captive bred clownfish, and now boasts a stunning repertoire of angelfish species, captive bred for the aquarium hobby. A total of seven angelfish species, including a Bali Aquarich exclusive hybrid, currently make their rapidly expanding list.
Frequent followers of ReefBuilders will know by now that we’ll find any excuse to fly over to Bali for a visit with Bali Aquarich. It doesn’t take long, or much, and the trip is always fun. Fortunately for those who don’t live as close, Mr. Su took the initiative to hand pick a selection of aqua-cultured baby angelfish to display at this year’s Aquarama. Amongst the selection include Holacanthus clarionensis, Chaetodontoplus duboulayi, the Maze Angelfish, and his most recent successes, Holacanthus passer and Apolemichthys trimaculatus. Some of their evergreen staples such as captive bred designer clownfish, Platax pinnatus and Platax batavianus were also on scene.
While the Clarions, Scribbled and Maze Angels were spectacular, it was the juvenile Passer (King) Angelfish that really stood out. Plus, these are still very fresh on our minds after only debuting just a few months ago. These captive bred Passer Angels were a little more unusual than normal, sporting a meandering haphazard pattern that made the term “misbar” look like child’s play. The sinuous kings were on public display at Aqua-Nautic’s booth.
We’re not really sure why captive breeding results in aberrations in body patterning. Perhaps diet and environmental differences play a part, but it appears that these patterns show up way more prevalently in captive bred individuals than their wild counterparts. Unfortunately, these will outgrow the stunning patterns and adopt a more homogenous and regular appearance as they develop into adulthood. Still, these aqua-cultured babies are stunning in their own regard, and unlike their wild cousins, retain the juvenile coloration to a much larger size.
Sharing the same tank were two captive bred Apolemichthys trimaculatus, or the Flagfin Angelfish. These are the absolute newest Angelfish to hit the aquaculture scene, and are Bali Aquarich’s most limited species in shortest supply. They’ve publicly announced on their Facebook page that they will be discontinuing production of this fish, so the ones on display at Aquarama may be the last you’ll ever get to see of this miracle baby.
These, along with all other Bali Aquarich fishes were up for sale on the last day, so attendees that were fortunate enough to buy them, we hope you’re happy! You should be! Mr. Su and his family were also present to answer questions or talk to hobbyists interested in knowing more about their facility and what they do. Again, an opportunity most infrequent, so we hoped you guys that attended the show got a chance to make the most out of it. A shout-out to Aqua-Nautic and Aquarium Iwarna for the wonderful displays of these aqua-cultured fishes, and a big thank you to Mr. Su and his family as well for the great company.
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