Chromis; there can be only one?

[pompeyjohn]

I have tried a few times to keep a school of the blue/greens. It always ends up with one. Does anyone have advice on how to keep multiples?

So far I have tried odd numbers, and having one larger than the others. I think one theory is to have a "chasing" fish to keep them slightly spooked and together. I'd rather keep only chromis if possible.

 

[savemyreef]

I have yet to see a successful school. Not sure how it got started that they are schooling fish. As they get larger they will turn on each other until you are down to 1-2. In the wild they school as a survival technique but in tanks there are normally not large predators.

How large is the tank?

 

[MrTuskfish]

The chromis being sold now are dying like flies; many have uronema, I have no idea why. They also seem much more aggressive towards each other than I remember them. (Haven't kept any in 25+ yrs.)

 

[Megatrev62]

Got six about 4 months ago and they were tiny. Still have the six of them and they have nearly doubled in size since then. Had six for 1.5 years back 1n 2009 when I sold the tank. I guess time will tell if this " picking eachother off" behaviour happens in my tank.

 

[chirojosh]

Im surprised they havent been tank bred yet.

 

[aleggett321]

I started with seven 2 1/2 years ago. Things were fine for a year or so although they never really "schooled". About a year ago they started disappearing one by one. Only one remains.

 

[ssick92]

I have had 3 in my tank for about 6 months. They all seem happy and have no aggression towards each other. My tank is a 30 gallon so it is pretty small to begin with, not sure why mine are so peaceful...

 

[64Ivy]

Have you considered these:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1634+3078&pcatid=3078

I've had a shoal (x18) of them for about a year now and I've only lost one. Not only are they much hardier than the traditional C.viridus but they are also much less aggressive toward each other too.

 

[DustyReefer]

Iv'e found the best way to make sure you don't end up with one chromis is to feed frequently. I'd say at least three times a day. Without the competition for food in the tank the chromis won't feel the need to kill each other off.

 

[Wolverine]

The black axils are definitely less aggressive, though even with them I've seen them wipe each other out (it's just a lot less common than with the standard green chromis).

 

[capt85]

I bought 3 and have been down to 1 for a while now.

After owning them I would not reccomend them for their "schooling" potential.

 

[badbrady06]

I started with 7. Now I only have two. I've had these two for over a year now.

 

[kegogut]

I started with 7,had all but one die off and guessed it was user error. bought 5 more and now am down to two.

 

[mil hse]

had 6 and now down to 2 for over 6 years now.

 

[pompeyjohn]

wow, great responses. I am glad I am not the only one that struggles to keep multiples. Funny that they have a reputation for being a schooling community friendly fish.

 

[rssjsb]

I'm not sure who's describing them as a schooling community fish. The behavior you describe is pretty well documented. This isn't meant as a criticism of you, it just makes me boggle to think that there are still LFS out there telling people that this fish "schools" in an aquarium and doesn't warn that they will eventually dwindle down to one (or two if you're lucky enough that a pair forms).

There are exceptions to this, as you see on this thread. People have reported that high flow tanks work better, or that it's about feeding. I've wondered before if any of the people who have kept them in groups long-term actually have black axle chromis. They're pretty similar looking. If not, I wonder if there's a difference in where their chromis were collected.

 

[Wolverine]

I'm not sure who's describing them as a schooling community fish. The behavior you describe is pretty well documented. This isn't meant as a criticism of you, it just makes me boggle to think that there are still LFS out there telling people that this fish "schools" in an aquarium and doesn't warn that they will eventually dwindle down to one (or two if you're lucky enough that a pair forms).

Yes, sadly, there are definitely still a lot of stores out there that encourage this.

 

[EnderG60]

When I started my tank the last time I got 30.

Down to 20 added another 14

Down to 28 for a long time, then after a year they started going at it again.

I was down to 4 when it crashed last year.

Guess Ill try one more group but after that Im done.

 

[Ocfishguy]

Started with 3, they lasted about 4 months then only one was left. Bought 2 more to have them disappeared in 1 month. The one stands on his own now for 2 years.

 

[scuzy]

When I started my tank the last time I got 30.

Down to 20 added another 14

Down to 28 for a long time, then after a year they started going at it again.

I was down to 4 when it crashed last year.

Guess Ill try one more group but after that Im done.

So you're going to kill another 29? I think after a group of 30 and then another 14 I would give up on a school