Chromis Help!!

[ReeferMO85]

I bought 3 blue/green chromis from my LFS 2 days ago. The next morning I found one dead at the bottom of my tank. Then the following morning another one was found dead at the bottom of the tank. I now only have one left and I don't want to lose him because he is the best looking one, also the smallest, out of the group.

My water parameters are excellent, I had them in a 30 gal. with 40lbs. of LR and 40lbs. of LS, I have a black and white perc. and a normal perc. also I have a sixline wrasse. Clean up crew consits of a scarlet skunk shrimp, various dwarf hermits, and various snails. All fish get along fine, the only aggression comes from the sixline but it is very rare.

I don't think anything in my tank would be aggressive/kill my chromis.

All other fish are fine and healthy. What could be causing the chromis to die? Any input is welcome and thank you!

 

[Waxxiemann]

I added 6 to my tank and one died right away. I think he was to stressed. My params were all excellent as well. I don't think it's anything you are doing. They are very hardy once established.

It's just that they are such little guys you know?

 

[ReeferMO85]

Do they do better in large groups maybe? And can there be more than one male to a school? Even a small school, such as 3?

 

[jmaneyapanda]

the percs could very well be bullying them. Do they have any signs of trauma (ie-nipped fins, missing scales, etc.)?

 

[Monkeyfish]

6 lines can be aggressive and territorial as well.

 

[ReeferMO85]

From what I've seen and from the corpses they are not being attacked. The third one seems to be doing well, for now.

 

[TCU Reefer]

They can be bullies themselves. Usually, they will pick on the weakest in the shoal, sometimes until death.

I've read a number of threads discussing why they can't keep a school of chromis' and that's the reason.

 

[fnicklaus]

What are your water parameters?

 

[ReeferMO85]

The only thing that doesn't agree with that is that the smallest one is the only survivor

 

[jmaneyapanda]

sometimes, when adding new fish, they get in the new tank, and flutter around, tryig to find a safe haven. If this happens to be near where an existing fish calls home, there will be some additional stress as the existing fish exerts its dominance. What was their behavior like before they died?

 

[ReeferMO85]

By the way TCU, I just read through your whole build thread... SICK!! Are you still updating that? I love the aquascaping the most.

 

[Jeffrey Porter]

i think they stress easily. you will probably lose a few. but i think by a week after buying them the ones still alive will be fine. i bought 10 in may 05 and after a week i had 5. then bought 13 in dec 05 and had 5 left after 4 days. all 10 are doing fine and have posted a pic.

 

[TCU Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7743902#post7743902 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReeferMO85
By the way TCU, I just read through your whole build thread... SICK!! Are you still updating that? I love the aquascaping the most.

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

Yeah, I haven't updated in a while. Right now, I'm just stocking up on corals and fish.

I'll try to update it again next week with some new pics.

 

[FishNutzBoi]

I added 6 chromis to my tank at 2 dif times, 3 each time. Everytime, one strongest one would live and the other 2 would die one after another. From what i've read, the strongest one will bully the weaker ones. Now i have 2 chromis :/ and the bigger one always chases the smaller one around

 

[Angel*Fish]

If you bought them from a LFS who keeps a good number of them in one tank, they were likely already diseased and the extra stress of being moved again may have just been all it took to do them in. Sorry about your fishies.

In the future, unless you are very confident of the source and condition of the fish - chromis should probably be quarantined & possibly even be treated for parasites in a hospital tank