Chromis-Survival of the Fittest

[this is me]

Anyone here keep a school of chromis? 7 or more?
I bought 9 chromis last month and I'm down to 5:. It seems like every week there would be one casualty and end up as anemone food.
It starts off by the gang picking at it, it get injured and weak and then helplessly carried by the current into the anemone. I can pretty much predict which one is next to go just by observing the group's behavior. If the fish has bite marks on the body, then it's definitely won't make it. The gang will keep pecking at it until it's dead. I thought these guys are suppose to be peaceful!

 

[Aquadiva]

I have the same problem with chromis. I started with 5, and slowly dropped to two. I added another, as I heard it was best to have an odd number in the group, and now I'm down to one. I gave up. The one has been in the tank for three years without a problem.

I wish I could help, but all I can do is empathize. Sorry. Maybe someone else can shed some better light on the subject.

 

[BrianMac]

I have 3 and they seem to get along well. They have been in the tank for well over a year

 

[skyedolphan]

I had 2 then added 5 now I have 5.
The 2 original made it and only 3 of the 5 survived the pecking order.
I am trying to find a cheap schooling fish at this time as I do not want to add chromis again.

 

[NateHanson]

I've had the same problem with them Nick, and I've heard of other people with similar experiences.

It's too bad because they're small, active, cheap, and have a unique color. Would be a great addition to any tank if they would behave.

 

[stingythingy45]

I also dropped to 1 from 3 after a week.
I read that they need to be fed small amounts of food throughout the day.This will help keep them from killing each other.I read somewhere that a auto fish feeder works great for this.

 

[JayM]

Started with 7 in my 92, and it went down to 2

switched the two who were in my 72 to the 92, and those 4 went down to 2. 2 seems to be my magic chromis number.

+1 on the schooling fish that's not a ton of $. The 4 anthias I added to my 72 is now down to 3.

So much for peaceful fish.......

 

[this is me]

Thanks for the input guys. I also notice the hungry behavior. I can walk up to the tank an hour after I feed and they still come up and ask for more food. My feeding habit is once a day. No more and no less.
I'll be doing some reef shopping(since a lot of my favorite stores have stocked their tanks pretty well) and I'm not sure if chromis is on the list. It is too bad. They look awesome in a group. Just a simple blueish/green shiny little guys swimming around the tank. Then suddenly one start to bite the other, and the whole gang start to pick on it.
Man, ruin my whole fish viewing pleasure.

 

[RayD]

I've had the same eight for two years now.

 

[this is me]

Ahhh...see maybe I'm doing this all wrong Ray. 8 is the lucky number among the Chinese.

 

[fanaglethebagle]

I'm not really sure of how it's going to work, but when get the 180 set up I plan on acclimating 20 sailfin mollies into it and seeing how they do. I had them in my nano and they were great until they started eating poisonous stuff.

 

[~Flighty~]

I am almost positive now that they have some sort of complicated sexual hierarchy. I went through the same losing them one every few weeks for years, but finally hit some magic combo and had the same 7 for ages. I added 6 more, lost a few the same way and now have had 10 for a long time. I'm guessing you need all female with a very strong alpha male or something, but we just can't see the difference.

 

[Joel A]

If you guys want to look into a relatively cheap, yet pretty and a little bit uncommon of a schooling fish.. i recommend Chalk Bass, (basslets.).

I think money wise they usually run about 15 a piece.. which can get expensive if you want a large number.. but not to much worse than green chromis..

They stay small, maximum size of around 2.5", have a brownish base, but vibrant blue and green bands that run down their sides. Peaceful, reefsafe fish.. that seem to have a good survival rate. Unlike other marine schooling fish, it is recommended that you keep these fish in even numbered groups of four or more. They tend to be found in harems in the wild, typically even numbered. From what i read not technically speaking a schooling fish, but will form groups.. or harems.

They are hermaphroditic like clownfish.


Maybe someone will like them besides me =).

 

[this is me]

Thanks Joel, I'll check on the chalk bass. They look pretty nice. Are they known as jumpers?
Does anyone know what are these little guys called? They are kept in the NEAQ reef tank and for the 15minutes that I looked at the tank, they seem to be peaceful as a group. They are small, I'm not sure if they're just fries and that's why they're so peaceful. And no, I do not read off the fish info in every single tank.

As for the chromis, I don't think they should be labeled as schooling fish. Maybe in the wild but I've read so many similar experiences that I've concluded to avoid keeping them as a group. The only reason why they are labeled as schooling fish is that they're cheap. If a chromis have a price tag of $50 a fish, then everyone would tell you that you can't keep it in a group because they kill each other off one by one.

 

[Joel A]

Not sure if they are known as jumpers or not.. sorry. I would say with any mid to high level swimming range fish that there is a chance though. You run a topless system right?

I don't imagine they would be any more prone to jump than chromis would be.. certainly not like a wrasse if that's what you were looking for =).

 

[marine mike]

Hey Nick! My chromis have stayed at 3 and they were the first 3 fish in my tank about 14 mos. ago. They do have a mean streak though at times and they definitely get their share of the food whenever it goes in even up against a good sized foxface, hippo, scopas, and blue throat trigger in my tank. Two of my three are good sized now, almost 2 1/2 in. long and the third is about the same as when I got him. I don't think there is another schooling fish out there as cheap as these guys though, I think I paid about $6 apiece for them. can't get close to that with anything else that I know of..........good luck!

 

[SteveDola]

same prob here. started with 7 down to 4 but theyve been 4 for a long time now. dads tank the same thing only worse...started with 5 down to 1 -- but his maroon clown is a bully and beats them up. there usually seems to be a leader and he kills the others until he feels unthreaten ( i guess) --- who knows, i might be nutz.

 

[this is me]

Yes, my set up is topless.

 

[this is me]

update:
I think my magic number is 5. These remaining 5 don't seem to peck at each other. Finger Crossed.

 

[Liam]

Nick those fish look like chalk bass fry,maybe tobacco basslets