Chalk Basslet experience?

[PupChow]

I haven't heard much mentioned about these fish, and I would love to hear some first hand experience. Do they tend to hang out at the bottom? Do they just hover or do they swim around? They are listed as reef safe, but if kept with small shrimps like Sexy Shrimps, will they be able to control themsleves?

I am thinking about adding a small group of maybe 3 Chalk Basslet to my 65g tank with two clowns in there, do you think it will be okay?

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Great reef fish, keep in groups. No problem eating shrimps, except the samllist, such as anemone shrimp.

 

[PupChow]

Thanks! Are they pretty active? Or do they hover / hide?

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

IME, they are always in the open, but generally hover in the current.

 

[JeRmZ]

Mine comes out to the front sometimes and ventures around the tank but for the most part staked his claim in one corner and hovers around some shrooms I have!
Very cool little fish in my opinion and He has not touched my cleaner shrimp. He also eats anything I throw in the tank!

 

[Reefrus2003]

My chalk Bass hangs with the blue chromis always in front of the tank, need to get more of them

 

[BlueNWhite]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7663218#post7663218 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jeremy Blaze
Great reef fish, keep in groups. No problem eating shrimps, except the samllist, such as anemone shrimp.

I second Jeremy's comment about keep in groups. I had one for a few months. It stayed hidden a lot.

Just recently I found it dead with its mouth wide open. No idea why it died as everything else is fine. It didn't pick on any fish and nothing else bothered him too.

Good luck.

 

[ColeBC]

I used to have 2 but one of them died of a tumor he had when I got him. I've had the 2nd one alone for over a year now.
She eats anything I put in the tank. She's really peaceful and doesn't bother any other fish in my tank.
My other fish pick on her a bit. She never hides and before she got fat, she used to hover in the open but now she tends to rest on the bottom a lot.
Just be careful when you add any smaller fish in the tank as they seem to think anything new in the tank is food.

I highly recommend getting a chalk bass or two. I have no experience with a group of them. Most of the people I know only have one or two.

Cole

 

[flameangel88]

When I got mine back in Apr it was about 1.25" and it's about almost 2". It hover near the bottom corner near a rock but you can see him most of the time but sleeps in another cave. Eats everything I've put in there and no holding back when it comes to feeding time. Very peaceful fish would probably come out even more if my Arc Eye didn't go after him in open water but he is too quick for the Arc Eye to catch.

On a side note: since day one mine had a kind of film like coating on the bottom half of the fish the upper half is very clear but the bottom half it looks cloudy but very consistant almost like a straight line from the front to the tail. The fish looks and acts very normal but is this the normal look?

 

[ColeBC]

Here's a pic of my chalk bass.

 

[flameangel88]

ColeBC,

I can't tell for sure, but does the top half look more clear than the bottom half of the fish?

Thansk.

 

[ColeBC]

The bottom half looks less colorful and more like a regular fw fish belly.

 

[flameangel88]

Ok, thanks. Then mine is normal.

 

[ColeBC]

I've seen a lot of different variations of them. Mine has black eyes and less blue, my other one had lighter color eyes and a lot more blue on the sides.
I'm sure yours is normal too.
My chalk bass is about 4" long, they don't usually get that big though.

 

[PupChow]

Awesome! Please keep the info / stories / pictures coming! I would especially love to see some pictures of your chalk basslet!

 

[Dorado13]

My chalk bass has been a model fish in my tank. He never bothers any of the other fish or my sexy shrimp. When I first got him, the bass stayed in the corners and in caves, but he soon became buds with my exquisite wrasse and is always out swimming with the wrasse.
Here are a couple pics

 

[ColeBC]

Very nice pics Dorado13. I remember when my bass looked like that, before she got big...lol
I'd get another one if I had the space.

 

[flameangel88]

Tiny little guy but they sure eat a lot once they settle down in the tank. I'm going to get one or two more after mine tank settle as I've been adding LS & LR.

 

[Timbor]

Does anybody know if a chalk bass would be ok in a tank with a royal gramma or a blackcap basslet?

Thanks,

Tim

 

[flameangel88]

Chalk basslet would be ok with a royal gramma in the same tank but I never had a Blackcap.