Blue/Green Reef Chromis
- Thread starter smkkib
- Start date
reeferstace
I'm a little people
It appears to me that the problem is that you bought them without research. If you had researched you would know that they thin themselves out like this in most all but that largest of tanks.
ilikefish34
New member
This is a very common mistake by more aquarist on this forum than will admit to it. The reason is quite simply because many LFS sell them as a peaceful schooling fish. They don't always do this just to make the sale since most of them probably truly believe it. Although they are peaceful. There are two common species of Blue/Green Chromis that come thru the pet trade and I have read that one is more likely to school without killing each other than the other. This is second hand knowledge and not my own experience. To give some size reference for the other poster mentioned that they have to be in the largest of aquariums to peacefully school... my 7 in a 180 fowler that was well fed turned into 1 after a month or so. That 1 lived for years.
Mike
aandfsoccr04
Active member
Is there any way that you can get these to not kill each other in the tank? Is it just a luck of the draw type of thing?
So far so good for me. I've only had them for one year so far.
reeferstace
I'm a little people
No typical hobbyist tank is sufficiently large enough to promote schooling behavior in fish.
Megatrev62
New member
Me too. Been a year with 6 in a 90 gallon.
reeferstace
I'm a little people
Are you really considering purposely adding a fish in hopes that it frightens/bullies your chromis to stay in a group? Really?
Monkeyfish
Active member
I think it's more likely that the trigger will eat the chromis.
joshyross70
New member
Do blue reef chromis have the same issue? I've read about this issue so many times but haven't seen anything with other species of chromis
Monkeyfish
Active member
Yes.
joshyross70
New member
well that blows. i was planning on two reef blue for my first fish in my new tank
Somebody forgot to take their play nice pill. Come on guy, these folks come here for guidance and help not scolding. What in the world?
As to the original question.
All of my reading has stated that they are rather hit or miss on behavior. They tend to pic the weakest in the herd, then bully to death, then pick the next weakest.......
I put a school of 5 in my 120 SPS tank and they are kept in check by a "bully" blue headed wrass and an ornery starry blenny. I recently added a harem of 5 anthias and the chromis took the role as bullies for the first day.
They have all since settled down and are playing nice.
The chromis do tend to nip and chase one another from time to time but the comotion attracts the attention of my wrass who proceeds to torment the agressor. Its an interesting realtionship in that tank.
Best of luck with your batch of chromis.
Looks like we have a similar solution. My Achilles and Yellow Kole eye keeps my Chromis in check. My Chromis usually school/shoal around all day. I also have a lot of flow and feed a lot. Since there isn't any competition for food that might actually help with the aggression if there is even any?
homegrowncichli
New member
What you need to do is try to achieve hyperdominance. Its an idea from keeping very aggressive cichlids in a single tank (breeding tropheus for example). If you throw a boxer in the ring, he is king. Throw in 2 boxers, 1 will win one will lose. 3 boxers, 2 will fight it out, one will win, then beat up #3. Eventually you will get to a number where there's a brawl, and no one really wins and no one really gets injured. At this point, no one fish can claim a territory as there is a constant rivalry with no winners. (Ever had 2 fish fight, which attracts the attention of a 3rd fish, who comes in to see what's going on, and the 3rd guy sort of chases one of the orginials away? Imagine a chain reaction of interlopers and tag team wrestling going on all the time.)
I kept 10 chromis at one time, they do have a dominance in their group and eventually, the weakest one may not feed well enough and waste away. After that one goes, the next weakest one fades. If you feed them well, then what happened was during fighting, they jump accidentally. So feed them well and cover the tank with a grill.
As for schooling, a predator helps, but what also keeps them together is when there are no other fish in the tank. What they don't see scares them also. Kinda cool to see an empty tank, then a school of them flash out from somwhere and disappear somewhere else.
I kept 10 chromis at one time, they do have a dominance in their group and eventually, the weakest one may not feed well enough and waste away. After that one goes, the next weakest one fades. If you feed them well, then what happened was during fighting, they jump accidentally. So feed them well and cover the tank with a grill.
As for schooling, a predator helps, but what also keeps them together is when there are no other fish in the tank. What they don't see scares them also. Kinda cool to see an empty tank, then a school of them flash out from somwhere and disappear somewhere else.
Yes that's my intention. :bounce3:
So which fish should i put in to the tank to control them? Thx
