Blue Reef Chromis

[yeldarbj]

Is there any reason not to add a blue reef chromis to my tank? A LFS is advising me against it, saying they get too big and are messy. I know it's recommended to add at least 3 together (3 might be too much fish for this tank as they get larger), and I'm considering it.

Anyone keeping blue reef chromis singly?

The current and future tank mates in a 65g reef would include:

sixline wrasse
false percula clown
yellow watchman goby
blackcap basslet
spotted mandarin
perhaps a small foxface
peppermint shrimp

Thanks for any input.

 

[yeldarbj]

I guess the blue reef chromis doesn't inspire a lot of discussion.

Anyone?

 

[ReeferMO85]

i just lost all 4 of mine to unknown causes

 

[3.99AfterTaxes]

You're talking about C. cyaneus right?

IMO, there's really only three ways to keep this fish:

a. single specimen - expect predictably damsel-like behavior. This works well for the nano tanks. Good option for tanks 15 gallons and up.

b. massive school - 12+ fish. Smaller schools, over the long stretch, will result in one large and mean individual. 72 gallons and up.

c. medium school with an antagonist - 5-11 fish with with something to harrass them. This strategy will force the chromis to retain their schooling behaviors. 50 gallons and up.

Anyway, to help you further decide, your LFS is right about the mess factor, but not in the sense that it's a larger fish, but rather because chromis should really be fed 3-8 times a day...

 

[twon8]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7837043#post7837043 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 3.99AfterTaxes
You're talking about C. cyaneus right?

IMO, there's really only three ways to keep this fish:

a. single specimen - expect predictably damsel-like behavior. This works well for the nano tanks. Good option for tanks 15 gallons and up.

b. massive school - 12+ fish. Smaller schools, over the long stretch, will result in one large and mean individual. 72 gallons and up.

c. medium school with an antagonist - 5-11 fish with with something to harrass them. This strategy will force the chromis to retain their schooling behaviors. 50 gallons and up.

Anyway, to help you further decide, your LFS is right about the mess factor, but not in the sense that it's a larger fish, but rather because chromis should really be fed 3-8 times a day...

good post, i concur

 

[gnoles]

I followed B with great success until my antagonist got bored with them, now I'm down to two... There can be only one.

 

[Ironsheikh]

alot of people arent too thrilled with them -- I saw some recently and they arent as brightly colored blue as I thought almost black. plus they are $12 each -- I d rather get green and spend the rest on something else

 

[3.99AfterTaxes]

They've always been a sharp blue when I've seen them.

In anycase, my personal pick for a chromis is C. vanderbiltii. AWESOME fish.

 

[yeldarbj]

Thanks for the info everyone. I think I am probably better off scratching them from my list and finding something else with a nice blue color, other than a blue tang or something from the damsel family. Maybe a blue assessor and scratch the blackcap basslet too. I've heard 2 from the basslet family don't mix.

 

[toonces]

if you are talking about atlantic blue chromis, the deep blue guys with the black forked tails, that's a different story.

seeing these guys when diving in florida, they are found (ime) singly or in pairs, so keeping one alone shouldn't be a problem.

they get considerably bigger than the green chromis, maybe 4-5" which is considerable. when they're full grown, it's like having a good sized flame angel in your tank!

other than that, i think they're a great fish.

i'm not sure on the aggressiveness with other species. i only had one for a bit, and he was no problem...but i really didn't have him long enough to form a solid opinion.

 

[yeldarbj]

toonces,

Yeah, that is what I was looking into - an atlantic blue chromis. The vendor is located in South Florida. The picture is just as you described, with the forked tail, black edges. I haven't seen that it is a different species than C. cyaneus. Is it?

 

[Sk8r]

A single remains high-colored. In a school, there's often only one with high color.

 

[falconut]

I had a small 1" one singley for about 6 months. It was no problems with anything. It died during a power failure of 12+ hours. It was a nice darker blue color. If you want one, a single one would probably be best.

 

[hgbarwick]

I keep one singally in my 90 reef with no problems. I had fur but he bossed the others around. He is the only survivor from the cycle.

 

[Rothie]

I had 4 in my 125G SPS tank.One dissappeared a few months ago,but the remaining 3 get along well among themselves and their tankmates.All 3 are a beautiful bright blue.I feed my tanks twice a day,and I would not call them messy.I've had them for over a year.

 

[ktrandc]

what's the size difference between a blue and a green?