chalk bass?

[Moonstream]

I've heard very mixed things about these guys- was thinking about a pair of trio in my 40, or maybe just a single one, and wondering what experiences people have with them? also, has anyone ever kept them with a royal gramma?

 

[tacwise]

Hi there,

I bought 3 from my lfs 1 jumped out the tank!
So i am left with 2 which are doing well,i also have a royal gramma in the tank.

regards Colin.

ps i did wonder if the 2 chalk bass hounded the other 1 and caused it to go carpet surfing.

 

[Moonstream]

what are they like in terms of activity/interest? do they hang out much? active, or more like grammas in that they hover outside their bolt hole?

 

[MIKE NY]

I had a breeding pair..they do grow pretty large...mine were about 5-6". The male was long and thin with beautiful orange/blue coloration and the female very fat. They were very aggressive eaters and ate anything which can fit in their mouths, small fish etc..they were active swimmers when small, but as they grew larger they just hung out under ledges or in caves until food was around, but when the main lights went out and moonlights came on the male swam out and did a courtship dance with the female following after him with violent splashing at the surface follow by a feeding frenzy from all the other fish eating the eggs.....I lost the female when she jumped through a hole for some plumbing and the male wasn't the same after.....he just didn't eat well and soon died a few months later.

 

[Bucket Boy]

In my old 225 I had a school of four. They ate well and were hardy but did not add much to the movement in the tank. They mostly just hung out near the rocks.

 

[Gangous]

I have 1 in my tank and love him one of the most underrated fish out there I also have a Swales candy basslet and they hang out together under a rock ledge once and a while

 

[lirenwang]

It＂s not beatiful.like freshwater fish

 

[philter4]

In the ocean they always school near the sand at the reefs edge. I have kept them singly and in pairs or groups and did not notice any difference in the health. They are peaceful unless they can easily eat another fish, but inverts are another matter. They eat smaller shrimp and crabs and they will drag and beat larger shrimp into smaller pieces so they can eat them. Overall a great fish for a fish tank or coral only tank, they won't bother any sessile inverts so corals, featherdusters and starfish are fine with them.

 

[Jmason95]

I had a breeding pair..they do grow pretty large...mine were about 5-6". The male was long and thin with beautiful orange/blue coloration and the female very fat.

This description sounds more like a Tobacco Bass?


I had three Chalk Bass in a 200 gallon. Did a lot of research and thought they would be a cool peaceful little fish that would maybe hang around eachother somewhat. Well they didn't really turn out this way. They fought with eachother and went after any new fish I added. They didn't hang out with eachother and would hang around the bottom of the tank in the rockwork, so I didn't see them much until I fed the tank...

 

[slosht]

I am down to 1 chalk bass, his buddy jumped last week. They both got along fine together and with the juvenile clownfish they were housed with.

As far as activity, they like to hang under overhangs and sleep right on the tank bottom and when it's feeding time they come close to the surface and hover on their sides watching me drop food in.

They seem very skittish so make sure your tank is covered well as they will jump.