Chromis, they don't school for long?

[Teremei]

I've read alot of posts about as chromis get older, unless they are in super large schools and a large tank, you will end up with probably 2.

So I was thinking, would 1 chromis be a good desicion for a community reef? I mean would he be too lonely or would he function well in a social reef with other small peaceful fish like anthias and flasher wraase, clowns, and gobies? I just love the color of a blue reef chromis. Is this a good idea?

 

[Stipe]

The thing is that in a small group, they will always tend to pair up as they mature. Yoru will always end up with outcasts, one that either couldnt find a suitable partner or one that couple find enought of the same sex to be with. In the wild they tend to stay together, but this is because they live in thier acros to hide.

 

[Dert42]

i bought 6 and in 1 week i was down to 3.
1 would not join the school and would just hide in the rocks til he died.
the 3 i was left with have been running together just fine for over a month. they were my first fish, i'm thinking if there were other bigger fish in there, they might of stuck together better.
i'm probably going to try adding another 2 or 3 in the near future.

 

[Amy83820]

They will keep schooling as long as you have an agressive fish in the tank. They feel threatened and stick together to look 'bigger.' I started with 3 and now i have 2. The two biggest paired up and picked the other one to death. I had the same thing happen with another tank. They schooled at first but when nothing bothered them, they kind of turned on each other. If you get several of them, make sure they are about the same size.

 

[Teremei]

Well when I first got my 55 I bought 5 of them. One died to illness and I had 4 left that always stuck together, no aggression at all. Must have had them 4-6 months. The only bigger fish I had was a coral beauty.

I just want to hear more from chomis owners (long time owners if possible) about your chromis keeping stories. Should I just get one and forget about it attempting a small school?

 

[Sk8r]

I have a singleton with ywg, dartfish, mandarin and court jester, and he's very pleased with himself. Absolutely gorgeous, high-color little fish, [and color brilliance does relate to dominance], always first to the food. The others are happy and nobody bothers anybody else.

 

[Teremei]

I'm thinking of mixing in one little blue reef chromis in my reef. Think that's a good idea?