All fish / Pomacentridae

Blue Reef Chromis

Azurina cyanea

Also known as blue chromis, blue reef chromis, chromis cyanea, chromis cyaneus, caribbean blue chromis, ブルークロミス, 蓝光鳃鱼

This is a slim damselfish with an electric blue body, a dark back and black edges on its deeply forked tail. It is kept because it is hardy and reef safe, and a group swimming in open water above the rockwork makes a bright display.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

280 litres

Keep as

Group of 5 or more in a large tank, or keep one alone

Diet

Omnivore: mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods, marine flake and pellets, fed several times a day

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Tropical Western Atlantic: Bermuda, Florida, Bahamas and the Caribbean

Breeding

Males clear a nest site on the rocks and guard eggs that the females lay there. Spawning sometimes happens in large tanks, but the tiny pelagic larvae are very hard to rear, so nearly all fish sold are wild caught.

Good to know

Kept in small groups the fish set up a pecking order and may bully each other down to one or two survivors, so give plenty of space or add them all at once. This species is now placed in the genus Azurina, and it is prone to Uronema and other parasites after import.