Fun Brown Chromis Facts For Kids

If you ever visit the Caribbean, you can see the sun, the sea, and of course, brown chromis fish! The brown chromis is a small, friendly fish endemic to the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.

You might have seen this fish feature in the popular children's movie, 'Finding Nemo', not as the main character, of course, but as one of the fish who Nemo goes to school with.

The next time you watch the movie, you should definitely keep an eye out for this one!

Though they are carnivorous fish, they are too small to cause any harm to anyone. Their diet includes small creatures like zooplankton that is often too tiny to even be seen by the naked human eye.

There is so much to know about the brown chromis, so you should definitely continue reading to understand everything about them. There are so many other wonderful creatures you should definitely know about like the green chromis and blue chromis.

Brown Chromis Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a brown chromis?

The brown chromis (Chromis multilineata) is a type of fish.

What class of animal does a brown chromis belong to?

The Chromis multilineata brown belongs to the class of fish.

How many brown chromis are there in the world?

The population range of chromis is widely dispersed. The possible loss of habitat has a significant impact on their long-term survival.

For more than a generation, degraded coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean have resulted in a substantial drop in the coral reef fish population. The aggressive behavior and population growth of lionfish that have recently invaded the Caribbean have also diminished the number of these coral reef fishes.

Where does a brown chromis live?

The chromis brown fish lives in the ocean and forms feeding schools over reef tops.

What is a brown chromis's habitat?

This fish is found around the Caribbean, especially the Cayman Islands where it is common to widespread. It lives on coral reefs at a depth range of 35-80 ft (10.6-24.3 meters), swimming in midwater just above reefs in big, loose groups.

The yellow-edge chromis is another name for this fish. They are a non-migratory species and adults may be seen at a depth range of up to 300 ft (91.4 m) in steep slopes and patch reefs.

Hogfish are found in the western Atlantic Ocean and have been seen as far south as Bermuda and as far north as North Carolina, swimming around the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

Who do brown chromis live with?

Most Chromis multilineata species form large and loose feeding schools above reef tops, moving to the the water's surface to feed on plankton, primarily copepods. In addition, large schools of the Multilineata brown chromis, that also contains the blue chromis ( Chromis cyanea ) species, can be seen.

How long does a brown chromis live?

The estimated lifespan of Multilineata brown chromis has a pectoral fin base with a black spot and a dorsal fin base with a white spot is about five years.

How do they reproduce?

Damselfishes are known for their ability to deposit eggs. They clear a nesting site first, then perform a courtship dance involving fast swimming with fin motions, during which the males typically change to  a darker color and exhibit white spots. Dawn is typically the time spawning takes place.

Individual pairings are used in oviparous reproduction and 200-2500 eggs are dispersed and cling to the substrate. The males defend the eggs. After three days, the eggs hatch and become planktonic larvae.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of these damselfishes in the Atlantic Ocean and the Cayman Islands is Least Concern declared by IUCN Red List.

Brown Chromis Fun Facts

What do brown chromis look like?

The brown chromis reaches a length of 6.5 in (16.5 cm) and the body is gray-green in hue. Their caudal, anal, and dorsal fins have yellow edges.

They feature a prominent white spot immediately below the back of the dorsal fin, a huge black spot on the interior of the pectoral base, and the edges of the upper and lower part of the caudal fin are black. The caudal fin has sharp ends and is deeply forked.

The head features a tiny protruding mouth with two rows of teeth that extend in the front. They have two spines with 11-13 rays on their anal fin, 13 spikes and 12-13 rays on their dorsal fin, and 18-20 rays on their pectoral fin.

Large coarse scales cover the entire body. The lateral line of their dorsal fin finishes under the margin of the dorsal fin base.

They may grow up to 7.9 in (20 cm) in body length. The brown chromis may be distinguished from other related fishes by its brilliant yellow dorsal and yellow shade of tail fin tips.

How cute are they?

The caudal fins of these chromis have black upper and lower borders, a prominent white spot beneath the second dorsal fin, and a highly forked tail. Even though these fish are quite dull in color, they are pretty fishes.

How do they communicate?

Chromis fish primarily communicate via visual channels. Therefore, variability in swimming patterns and body language characterize interactions among competing males, inhabitants and invaders, and possible mates.

How big is a brown chromis?

The length range of adults is about 6.5 in (16.5 cm). The saltwater fish yellow tang length range measures up to 7.8 in (19.8 cm). The yellow tang is larger than the chromis fish in length.

How fast can a brown chromis swim?

The swimming speed of a Chromis multilineata fish that has a deeply forked tail is not known. However, adults are commonly located at the bottom range up to 300 ft (91.4 m).

How much does a brown chromis weigh?

The weight of these Caribbean fishes with a carnivorous diet consisting of algae and fish eggs found in the fore reef and stony sections of the back coral reef is not known.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Male and female brown chromis damselfishes with a dark spot on the bottom of the pectoral fin and the upper edge of dorsal fin appears dark shade with yellow ends do not have any special names for the different sexes.

What would you call a baby brown chromis?

A baby chromis brown usually lives on top of steep slopes and patch reefs at a depth range of 300 ft (91.4 m). They have no special name but can be called fry, similar to other fishes.

What do they eat?

They are located on the top of  reefs, but they travel into the water column to feed on plankton. They feed on clusters of little zooplankton, particularly copepods, shrimp larvae and mysis, algae, and fish eggs. In nature, reef fish Achilles tangs are herbivores, but in confinement, they will eat shrimp.

Are they dangerous?

This reef gray fish that feeds on plankton and fish eggs and cluster in small schools over low coral reef regions is not dangerous.

Would they make a good pet?

As they are quite huge in height with an average length of up to 6.5 in (16.5 cm) and maximum length of 7.9 in (20 cm), they are almost too big to keep in an aquarium. They are not really using in the aquarium pet trade. Also, they grow territorial over time.

Did you know...

Due to its scale patterns, the brown chromis easy to recognize. The crescent damselfish is the most similar-looking fish as it also has a black shoulder spot.

Dory is shown in the film 'Finding Nemo' as having short-term memory problems. The blue tang with a length of 4.7-15 in (12-38.1 cm) is actually a very clever creature.

What type of fish is the brown chromis?

Chromis are tough fish in general, and virtually all damselfish are suggested as starter fish since they can endure shifting parameters and unfavorable circumstances better than most other saltwater fish. However, just because they are among the greatest does not mean they are as tough as other freshwater fish.

Is the brown chromis a damselfish?

The brown chromis, also known as Castaetas parda in Mexico, is a damselfish (Pomacentridae family) member. The genus Chromis has 84 species worldwide, eight of which are located in Mexican waters, three in the Pacific, and five in the Atlantic Ocean.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these devil fish facts and candiru facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable brown chromis coloring pages.