All fish / Pomacentridae

St Helena Chromis

Chromis sanctaehelenae

Also known as saint helena chromis, st. helena chromis, st helena damselfish

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This is a mid-sized chromis found only around the remote islands of St Helena and Ascension in the South Atlantic. It has a fairly plain dull body with a deeply forked tail, and in the wild it gathers in groups above rocky reefs to pick plankton from the water. People keep it mainly because it is a rare, island-endemic damselfish that collectors want.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

22 to 26 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

300 litres

Keep as

Group of 5 or more in a large tank, or keep one on its own

Diet

Omnivore: plankton feeder that eats mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods and quality marine flakes or pellets, fed several times a day

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

South Atlantic: St Helena and Ascension Island

Breeding

Like other chromis, it lays eggs on a cleaned patch of rock and the male guards them until they hatch. The larvae drift as plankton for some time and need very small live foods, so it has not been bred in home aquariums as far as anyone has reported.

Good to know

It is very rarely exported and is likely to cost a lot, so make sure the fish is correctly identified, as it looks like other Atlantic chromis. It grows bigger and becomes more territorial than the small chromis usually sold, so give it plenty of swimming space and rockwork.