I'm ordering from LiveAquaria.com

[Fuppets]

Bob - I sure hope those aren't the ones that are swimming so fast that you have to snap a photo in order to count them all. :eek2:

Big E - how are the two I managed to capture? After the Antheas settle in I'll try netting another chromie or two. The antheas are just starting to settle in and are hanging out in a small group I don't want to disrupt their bonding by chaseing the chromies around right now.

 

[pescadero]

Lost a bunch more. I rechecked all of the chemistries this morning and everything is still normal.

I was at Rich's a couple of weeks ago. He had just bought 20 baby chromies, and they also dropped like flies. A day or two after he bought them he was down to 10 or 11. I went there yesterday -- he was down to 1 of the new juvenile chromies in his display tank. He showed me an article in Coral magazine that said no matter how many you buy, they fight until only two survive. I bought 20 thinking that I'd lose a few along the way. I'll be lucky if I end up with two.

I think the secret to success is to buy the bigger fish.

 

[pescadero]

on the subject of tank painting -- i think that the royal blue color that i painted on the tank is confusing my PBT. I painted the back panel and one side panel, because I had planned on putting the tank in a corner. the PBT prefers to swim along the two painted panels, as if he's been fooled into thinking that the blue panels look like open sea.

 

[bigevill1]

Your two are schooling with my other five Shawn and look to be doing good.

 

[hoosierpat]

I've never had good luck with the small chromis. I always buy the big ones for like $15 because they have so much better of a survival rate. The little ones just beat the heck out of each other or starve and drop off one by one. At least you have the guarantee though.

 

[pescadero]

Chromis Deathmatch

Chromis Deathmatch

i think you're right, Pat -- everyone who's had the little chromies has reported the same phenomenon -- the chromis deathmatch.

i don't know if i mentioned this before or not -- I was reading an article in the Damselfishes issue of Coral magazine, and they said that no matter how many of those juvenile chromies you put into a tank, they will kill one another until only two remain. its survival of the fittest as they kill one another to compete for limited food availability.

the article said that the only way to get around the deathmatch problem is to feed them every 15 minutes with an automated feeder. obviously, that works if you're a commercial hatchery, but as a hobbyist i will admit that i'm not properly set-up for raising young fish like that. i fed them by hand all day for the first day, because i spent the entire day in the fishroom. i even stayed up all night to make sure that they had frequent meals. they did fine until i went to sleep, and they killed each other as soon as my back was turned.

i really enjoyed the school while it lasted. if i ever try this again, it won't be for a while. i'm just too depressed after watching so many fish die like that. i'd definitely have to research a good food/feeder combination before trying this again. has anybody got experience with which foods work best with which feeders?

 

[BreadmanMike]

Sorry to hear about this Bob.

My anthias still have not come out from under the rocks. I only see one of them and it isn't eating yet. I have my fingers crossed.

 

[Fuppets]

Mine were all out and social yesterday. They were seen tasting the flake and the rods/mysis but from what I saw they were spiting it all back out.

 

[pescadero]

lost another chromis this morning. down to 1/20.

i collected all of the little corpses and put them in the freezer in case DFS wanted them back. they promised to give me a refund on all of the fish that died.

the tang and the pigmy angel have gone off of their hunger strike but they're still finicky eaters. not much interest in food from the pajama cardinal. he's the most stubborn of the bunch!

how about you guys, Mike, Shawn? are all of the anthias coming out, looking good, and eating well?

 

[BreadmanMike]

Mine are still hiding and I only see two of them. I'm guessing the six line eaither beat them to death or they are really crammed up in some holes in the rocks. The two I see are eating. If the other three are dead it's my fault, so I have no complaints.

Next time I add anthias I'll remove the six line for a few days.

 

[bigevill1]

I think I lost about 5 snails, I am not worried about it though.

 

[pescadero]

hey guys, how are the anthias and the clam doing? they've had a little over a week to get acclimated, so i'd really like to know!

 

[BreadmanMike]

Bad picture, but you can see all 5 are out now. They are healthy and eating like pigs.

 

[Fuppets]

Mike what are you feeding them? Mine are still being finiky. The smallest one like Prime Reef flakes the middle sized one eats ORA pellets and the biggest one still is just a taste tester. I have tried those two and spectrum pellets and rods with mysys mixed in. I'll try those two tomorrow again. I feed twice a day. Once when I first get home from work and once later on. The clam is happy as a... well a clam. looking awesome.