This is my 1st posting on this wonderful forum. Please let me know if there is another site on this forum I should move this article to thanks .
photos above; Juvenile Latz (A. Latezonatus) just months old.
Latz have been bred in captivity in Australia and elsewhere. Results have not been without serious flaws - incomplete middle bands, or totally missing middle bands being common.
Until these problems are resolved its unlikely that quality captive bred Latz will see themselves in your home aquarium anytime soon. Wild caught Latz have their issues too. Originating from the sub-tropical waters of Australia, these Latz live where water temperatures are between 63 and 77 degrees F (17-25 degrees C), depending on season. This imposes additional financial burden on the hobbyist who would have to set up special tanks for the cooler water temperature needs of these Latz.
Furthermore, wild caught Latz do not travel in shipping very well.
I recently spoke with Aquarium Biologist Karen Brittain at the University Hawaii, and Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology on these issues. Karen is best know for being only the second person in the world to have successfully spawned and raise saltwater angelfish in captivity. Karen tells me that she enjoys the challenge of breeding rare clownfish, especially ones that have difficulty adjusting to captivity, ones that ship poorly, and those that are very challenging to spawn in captivity,they are however generally hardier and fair better once bred and raised in captivity. Most of all, she emphasises that CB help reduce the number of fish collected from the wild.
I am happy to report that Karen had done it! She has successfully spawned and raised Latz in captivity without any of the flaws noted earlier. Karen's captive bred Latz are identical to their wild caught counterparts you can't tell the difference.
Equally important - Karen's Latz thrive in 78-82 degree F water temperatures.
Her associate Chris tells me they do not use chilliers in Hawaii. 25-28C is amazing, as that means no special tanks or expenses are needed. This is good news. It brings the regular marine aquarist closer to owning A, Latezonatus. and also Latz that can be introduced into their main display tanks with other tropical marine critters.
Final question: What about the still relatively high cost of Latz?
Karen wishes to make her fish available to as many hobbyists as possible. For this purpose, she has found a like-minded person in California to make this happen. The online saltwater fish store iBluewater will bring her CB Latz to the masses at a reasonable price.
Photos below; Juvenile Latz (A.Latezonatus) aka Wide Band Anemonefish)
Photos courtesy: Chris Wachi/iBluewater
