All fish / Pomacentridae

Blue-axil chromis

Pycnochromis caudalis

Also known as blue axil chromis, chromis caudalis, blueaxil chromis, pycnochromis caudalis, 蓝腋光鳃鱼

A small, deep-bodied damselfish with a dusky blue-grey body, a dark blue mark at the base of the pectoral fin and a pale, deeply forked tail. It lives on steep outer reef slopes around ledges and cave entrances, often in fairly deep water, and is kept by reef keepers who want a calm, unusual chromis for a mixed reef.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Small group of 5 or more, or a single fish

Diet

Carnivore: zooplankton feeder; frozen mysis, brine shrimp, copepods and quality marine flakes or pellets, several small meals a day

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: Palau, Caroline Islands, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, New Caledonia

Breeding

It lays eggs on a cleaned rock surface, and the male guards and fans them until they hatch. Spawning may happen in aquariums, but rearing the tiny pelagic larvae is difficult and rarely achieved at home.

Good to know

Rarely seen in the trade and often collected from deeper water, so newly imported fish need careful, slow acclimatisation and dim lighting at first. Now placed in Pycnochromis, so it may still be labelled Chromis caudalis.