One thing we love about hybrids between certain species of fish is how variable their appearance can develop. Sometimes the colors of hybrids ‘cancel’ each other out leading, to an interesting but dull fish, but other times the colors compound to create a wildly beautiful specimen.
The Achilles X Goldrim hybrid recently acquired by TSM Corals is the latter example with an abundance of yellow and orange coloration suffusing most of the unpaired fins. The dorsal and anal fins are almost completely orange with a black edge and a bright yellow streak where they meet the body.
The explosion of orange and yellow on the tail is the ‘smoking gun’ of an Achilles hybrid and this specimen has one of the brightest colored tails ever seen in this kind of cross. The body is relatively muted by comparison but you can still make out the pale breast of an achilles tang and the white cheeks of a goldrim tang.
These photos from TSM Corals shows the happy family of surgeonfish including the purebred parents and the hybrid cross wherein you can really appreciate how the genetics of these Acanthurus mix. TSM is currently acclimating and conditioning this specimen to aquarium life and will soon list it for sale and if you’ve ever wanted an Achilles Tang hybrid, this is one of the nicest we’ve ever seen.
