The 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. Lacking the black blotch at the base of the pectoral fin the juvenile Black Axil chromis are often confused with the Chromis viridis. Once the Black Axil Chromis begins to mature the black blotch will appear. The 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, wild specimens prefer to school in large shoals amongst branching corals like Acropora. In the home aquarium, the 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 Black Axil Chromis add a dazzling and dramatic shimmer of beauty to almost any well-established reef system.
Overall, the 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 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: 1-1/4" to 1-3/4"; Medium: 1-3/4" to 3-1/2"; Large: 2-1/2" to 3-1/2"
Testimonial By:
Testimonial:
Celeste I Bonita Springs, FL
This is a beautiful and very lively fish that gets along fine in a 30gallon reef tank with a coral beauty dwarf angel, a royal gramma, two other small chromis, two cardinals and lots of coral and a few inverts. Love him!He enjoys brine and mysis shrimp, premysis, and Spectrum marine formula pellets.
I ordered 7 of them. They were delivered in a very good condition. I ordered Medium and they are quite large. Very active fish and gets along with all the other fish.
