It’s nearly a year to the day since we shared the world-changing news that Dr. Cortney Ohs and his team at the University of Florida’s Indian River Research and Education Center succeeded in summiting an aquaculture Mount Everest—they produced the world’s first Copperband Butterflyfish, Chelmon rostratus. Officially, this species represents the 7th species of butterflyfish entry on CORAL‘s captive-bred marine fish list, but it is particularly momentous given the role that the Copperband plays in the aquarium hobby (as a renowned consumer of pestilent Aiptasia anemones) and the aquarium trade (as an often recalcitrant captive when collected from the wild).
But, what happened since then?
Conversations between Ohs and CORAL staff suggest there is much more to come in this unfolding story as the team continues to experiment and refine the process of producing captive-bred Copperbanded Butterflyfish. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
More presently, Jeff and Joleen Turner of Reef Aquaria Design visited Dr. Ohs to help distribute some of the first captive-bred Copperbands to high-end reef aquarium installations around south Florida. Follow along and get a great video update on the world’s first captive-bred Chelmon rostratus as they venture out into the world beyond University of Florida’s labs. Tag along and enjoy the ride!
Watch Now: Delivery the first-ever aquacultured Copperband Butterflyfish!
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