schooling chromis

Dustin2

New member
I curently only have two tangs in my 180 gallon tank and i want to add a large school of chromis. I was wondering what would be a good size school of chromis?
 
let us know your progess im currently interested in getting a small school of them myself but at least 7 seems to be the lucky number
 
Unfortunately they won't school (although they may initially shoal) and worse, they may winnow themselves down to a pair.
 
I agree with Snorvich , my story to the letter.. started with 7 in my 265 a little over two years ago . down to two as i type this..
 
I guess I keep being the poster boy for keeping these guys, but some don't have luck keeping them for some reason.
IMO odd or even doesn't matter, or didn't for me, 6 for 6 years in my 180g, 5 for a couple years in another 180g before downsizing and selling them w/ tank.
5 now in my 150g for about a year and a half.
Love em, mix w/ my anthias all the time.
(Oh, and the original 6 started in a 90g)
 
I have a school of 17 chromis viridis, lost 4 in the beginning.
As they are cheap and abundant there often not properly cared for in the trade.

Most of the time they school, but not always.
Make sure not to fill the tank with coral and live rock but leave enough space ABOVE the decoration, so they can behave as the do in nature. (more or less...)

IMO the trick is feeding a lot I feed up to 8 times a day...
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Forgot to mention I used to have a 75 g tank and of the 7 only 3 remained, so it could be hit and miss.

But for your 180 g I think you could try.
 
huig hit the nail on the head. The trick is feeding alot and often. There was an article in Coral magazine a few years ago wherein the author said the exact same thing. Multiple feedings significantly limited aggression. It seems that in order to keep blue green chromis in significant numbers an automatic feeder is mandatory equipment.
 
Forgot to mention I used to have a 75 g tank and of the 7 only 3 remained, so it could be hit and miss.

But for your 180 g I think you could try.

How long have you had them in your 300 ? I just lost my 6th with just 1 left.. took me 2.5 years to do it. :( on a side note all my anthias are fat and happy !
 
I agree also in how they are captured & handled is what is worst issue. Improper care is the next issue.

If you can purchase large specimens they don't whittle away because they are strong enough to compete for food. If you can, buy specimens that are 2 1/2-3"+ and they won't die off over time.


Make sure not to fill the tank with coral and live rock but leave enough space ABOVE the decoration, so they can behave as the do in nature. (more or less...)

That's a great point..............I believe anthias would fare a lot better long term if people didn't stuff them in tanks loaded wall to wall with corals also.
 
I have them about 2 years right now.

The biggest damage is done by the Amphiprion melanopus,occasionally half a tail is missing or some scales on the flanks. Maybe the overly aggressive clownfish (she bites so hard she draws blood from my hands...) is what makes the viridis stick together.

In my tank the viridis swim about 15 cm under the surface.
 
I've got 7 that have been together for several years without any losses and they mostly shoal together unless one of them is out on a rampage and picking on the flame angel or the goby.
 
I was to the understanding that the chromis attacked each other more than die of unkown causes, is this not true??
 
I was to the understanding that the chromis attacked each other more than die of unkown causes, is this not true??

That seems to be the general consensus. Some people have luck with a group, but most do not. These fish are more likely to shoal (they do not school in aquaria) if there are predators or aggressive fish in the tank with them.
 
I have never had the opportunity to get a group of Vanderbilt chromis, but they are a smaller beautiful chromis species that I have read makes a good candidate for shoaling. They are a peaceful fish. I've only ever been able to get two of them, however.
 
The vast majority of people that try to keep these fish in numbers eventually lose most of them over the long term due to aggression. Do some more research on here and you'll see this. Very very few people have kept a group of them in the same tank for over a year. They are really pretty aggressive towards their own kind, even when kept in six foot aquariums, with lots of swimming space, and fed a lot by experienced fish keepers.
 
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I feed dry food in the morning and immediately after work, the frozen food is added over 6-8 feedings ( from about 17 pm to 22.30 pm)
Most people do not want to or are not able to feed this amount.
This implies one must be vigilant to keep water quality in check.
 
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