The past few years have seen huge advancements in the captive breeding of many saltwater species, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down yet. Today Quality Marine announced that they have the first captive bred clarion angelfish (Holacanthus clarionensis) to become available for sale in the western hemisphere.

This beautiful specimen was produced and raised by the breeding program at Bali Aquarich before making its way through the United Kingdom and finally winding up in California at Quality Marine’s wholesale facilities.

This may come off as being pretty common news in a hobby where new fish are bred frequently, however, this one should be looked at in a very different light. Due to the specific and unique habitat that clarion angelfish occupy in the wild, they are not collected often and in fact are never imported by Quality Marine.

Each species of fish we see captive bred opens up a whole new realm of connected species which may be bred in a similar fashion, and this one is certainly no acception. Clarion angels are known for their ability to adapt well to aquarium environments, but there are many beautiful related species that are not known for the same. This could be the beginning of an avalanche of new fish species that were previous extremely hard to care for but which may soon be possible for hobbyists of all skill level to keep.

No word on pricing yet, but if you’re interested in this fish, be sure to contact your local Quality Marine stocking fish store.