Blue/Green Chromis

[Ken S]

I put in 6 blue/green chromis around 14 months ago. I believe they were the first fish in the tank after cycle. They have been model citizens except for the normal chromis "pick in the little guy" behavior. Yesterday I found one swimming vertically up between one of my return lines & the glass above my flipper glass cleaner, obviously hiding. He let me grab him with my hand so obviously not doing well & I put him in the refugium. He's still alive but just slowly swimming in one spot.

Just now I saw 4 of them chasing 1 all around the tank. I was able to easily get him into a specimen container when he went to the exact same spot as the one yesterday to get away & hide. He is spent & went right into the container no problem, so that tells me he's not well also. If im able to catch 2 chromis by hand in a 200g tank, they are not well! Pictures are attached. Is that some kind of infection, disease, or parasite? Or is it just from being beat to hell by the others? He is now in the refugium as well.

Of the 6 I purchased a year ago, 5 have doubled in size, but one seemingly hasn't grown at all. This small on is usually the one getting chased the most, but most of the time they are just schooling around like chromis do.

This is my second tank. First was set up 35 yrs ago for 16 years then I got out. I started with 6 chromis then as well & do recall buying 2 or 3 here & there as they died off over the years I had the tank. All other fish/verts/corals seem fine.

 

[robanister]

Looks like they are Picking on each other . Leave them alone. If they can hide it's better. Either the herd will thin or they will figure it out. Missing scales...

 

[slingfox]

What I have done is put in some Bimac Anthia. The male Bimac keeps the chromis in check which helps keep the chromis from feeling too safe and therefore getting bored and chasing each other to death.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I put in 6 blue/green chromis around 14 months ago. I believe they were the first fish in the tank after cycle. They have been model citizens except for the normal chromis "pick in the little guy" behavior. Yesterday I found one swimming vertically up between one of my return lines & the glass above my flipper glass cleaner, obviously hiding. He let me grab him with my hand so obviously not doing well & I put him in the refugium. He's still alive but just slowly swimming in one spot.

Just now I saw 4 of them chasing 1 all around the tank. I was able to easily get him into a specimen container when he went to the exact same spot as the one yesterday to get away & hide. He is spent & went right into the container no problem, so that tells me he's not well also. If im able to catch 2 chromis by hand in a 200g tank, they are not well! Pictures are attached. Is that some kind of infection, disease, or parasite? Or is it just from being beat to hell by the others? He is now in the refugium as well.

Of the 6 I purchased a year ago, 5 have doubled in size, but one seemingly hasn't grown at all. This small on is usually the one getting chased the most, but most of the time they are just schooling around like chromis do.

This is my second tank. First was set up 35 yrs ago for 16 years then I got out. I started with 6 chromis then as well & do recall buying 2 or 3 here & there as they died off over the years I had the tank. All other fish/verts/corals seem fine.

These are bite marks and common with chromis and damsels in groups and i surprised they made it this far without a war as often there is a dominant male in the pack. You will see also as you do a runt- one who is often chased and/or deprived of a meal and thereby is the smaller, and they grow to an east 3" over a couple of years

 

[Crimsonphoenix]

I put in 6 blue/green chromis around 14 months ago. I believe they were the first fish in the tank after cycle. They have been model citizens except for the normal chromis "pick in the little guy" behavior. Yesterday I found one swimming vertically up between one of my return lines & the glass above my flipper glass cleaner, obviously hiding. He let me grab him with my hand so obviously not doing well & I put him in the refugium. He's still alive but just slowly swimming in one spot.

Just now I saw 4 of them chasing 1 all around the tank. I was able to easily get him into a specimen container when he went to the exact same spot as the one yesterday to get away & hide. He is spent & went right into the container no problem, so that tells me he's not well also. If im able to catch 2 chromis by hand in a 200g tank, they are not well! Pictures are attached. Is that some kind of infection, disease, or parasite? Or is it just from being beat to hell by the others? He is now in the refugium as well.

Of the 6 I purchased a year ago, 5 have doubled in size, but one seemingly hasn't grown at all. This small on is usually the one getting chased the most, but most of the time they are just schooling around like chromis do.

This is my second tank. First was set up 35 yrs ago for 16 years then I got out. I started with 6 chromis then as well & do recall buying 2 or 3 here & there as they died off over the years I had the tank. All other fish/verts/corals seem fine.

These are bite marks and common with chromis and damsels in groups and i surprised they made it this far without a war as often there is a dominant male in the pack. You will see also as you do a runt- one who is often chased and/or deprived of a meal and thereby is the smaller, and they grow to an east 3" over a couple of years

Out of 7 I have the bully still alive and happy…..everyone else went to Davie’s locker

 

[vetteguy53081]

Out of 7 I have the bully still alive and happy…..everyone else went to Davie’s locker

Very typical and too bad as they are gorgeous under blue lighting in groups. My daughter has a trio and so far so good but there is one who is growing at a faster pace and my eyes are on it

 

[exnisstech]

I've has groups of 7 twice in 6ft tanks and eventually ended up with a single one both times.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I put in 6 blue/green chromis around 14 months ago. I believe they were the first fish in the tank after cycle. They have been model citizens except for the normal chromis "pick in the little guy" behavior. Yesterday I found one swimming vertically up between one of my return lines & the glass above my flipper glass cleaner, obviously hiding. He let me grab him with my hand so obviously not doing well & I put him in the refugium. He's still alive but just slowly swimming in one spot.

Just now I saw 4 of them chasing 1 all around the tank. I was able to easily get him into a specimen container when he went to the exact same spot as the one yesterday to get away & hide. He is spent & went right into the container no problem, so that tells me he's not well also. If im able to catch 2 chromis by hand in a 200g tank, they are not well! Pictures are attached. Is that some kind of infection, disease, or parasite? Or is it just from being beat to hell by the others? He is now in the refugium as well.

Of the 6 I purchased a year ago, 5 have doubled in size, but one seemingly hasn't grown at all. This small on is usually the one getting chased the most, but most of the time they are just schooling around like chromis do.

This is my second tank. First was set up 35 yrs ago for 16 years then I got out. I started with 6 chromis then as well & do recall buying 2 or 3 here & there as they died off over the years I had the tank. All other fish/verts/corals seem fine.

The tank looks good!

I agree with the others, those spots are missing scales, and that is usually from intra-specific aggression in the chromis. I've always been amazed with seeing videos of thousands of green chromis circling a coral head, but in aquariums, when kept in groups, they tend to pick on the weakest one, and then the next weakest one, until the group number drops. The aquarium I worked for has a shoal (a better term than "school" for this species) in which the number has been steady at about 15 fish for a number of years, but that isn't the norm.

Combined with the Uronema problem seen in newly imported green chromis, I'm just not a fan of this species...inexpensive to buy, but problematic in the long term....

 

[slingfox]

I originally had a group of 11. It is down to 7 after 18 months. Count has stabilized with no deaths or disappearances for over half a year. As mentioned above the tactic I use is to have a male anthia in tank who likes to chase the chromes every so often so they can’t focus on killing each other off. With the anthia roaming the tank the chromos find it advantageous to stick together.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

I cut way back on my Chromis and Clownfish aggression by installing a PetBank Rechargeable Automatic Feeder, from Amazon. Program to feed four times a day.

 

[Ken S]

Well, I am down to 1 chromis in the DT and 3 in the fuge. The other 2 are presumed dead The ones in the fuge were beat up so badly I was able to grab them out of the DT with my bare hand.

I do miss the group schooling around. I recall seeing a video from @SunnyX where he bought a different kind of small schooling fish, but I cannot for the life of me find that video now. If anyone has that link or has any suggestions for small schooling fish, please let me know.

I'm thinking of trying the anthias/chromis thing if I can't figure something else out.