raising chromis successfully

[craftyx]

So my buddy's really into those blue/green chromis and he's set up this 29 gallon FOWLR tank just for 'em. Have they been bred in reef aquariums before? He's curious about how easily they'll breed and some other specifics.

[coral8]

There have indeed been several instances of chromis spawning in home aquariums, although successfully rearing the fry has proven to be a significant challenge. The longest recorded survival period, to my knowledge, is approximately two weeks.

Here's a photo of a 72-hour-old chromis, courtesy of Andy - I apologize, but his last name escapes me at the moment.

If your friend is still interested in learning more, I'd be more than happy to try and gather some additional information, although it may require some considerable effort.

[craftyx]

Thanks for the info. I'll show him this.

If his chromis did spawn, would they typically lay eggs in a specific area of the tank or is it more random?
If he were able to collect the eggs, and I let him use my hang on refugium, is there any chance they'd survive? I know you mentioned the record is only around 2 weeks, so what usually causes them to die off?

[rileyon]

still next to no chance, its the nutrition that's the real challenge

[coral8]

The larvae would need their own tank. Chromis larvae are tiny when hatched, which is a major issue. As Ben said, it's tough to find food small enough for them to eat.

Andy mentioned that they only got the larvae to day 10. They were eating a bit, but struggled to get enough small nauplii in the larval tanks. He's made some improvements since then, but isn't sure when he'll get eggs again. They might switch to Sargent Majors to test their plankton and rearing method.

As for spawning sites, chromis seem to like laying eggs on the tank glass. Some do it on rocks, but most eggs are found on the back glass and overflow boxes. There's very little info available on this.

They appear to spawn every 13 days or so. I couldn't find any info on the incubation period. Andy's been using copepod nauplii to feed them, which got them to day 10. That's about all I could find.

[craftyx]

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it.

So my friend has Kent Marine phyto and zoo plankton bottles - would these be small enough for the chromis larvae to eat if he managed to hatch some?

[rileyon]

You'd need a massive amount of that stuff, it'd break the bank. Culturing it yourself is the way to go, otherwise it'd be a costly endeavor.

[coral8]

Not only is it crucial to have live zooplankton, as Ben mentioned, but it's also essential to note that they're extremely picky eaters. They simply won't touch dead, frozen, or any other type of non-living food source. Furthermore, the zooplankton needs to be enriched, which is yet another reason why culturing it yourself is the way to go. You see, the zooplankton itself isn't particularly nutritious, unless it's newly hatched. What makes it nutritious for the larvae is what the zooplankton is fed.

[craftyx]

That's a lot to take in. I'll have to ask my friend if he's got any plankton cultures going on.

[rileyon]

Does he really want to get into chromis breeding? It would be pretty cool, I guess. But let's be real, it's never going to be a money-maker. If he's serious about making a profit, he'd be better off breeding more valuable fish.