Blue Reef Chromis (Chromis cyaneus) Success Stories?

[davocean]

Over the years I've had a number of tanks w/ different groups of chromis, I've never once had an issue keeping them long term, my longest kept group were 6 that I had for 6 years and only lost them due to equipment failure.
I presently have 5 in my 120g, all healthy, bright colors, and they are probably the tightest grouping I've had so far, they are pretty much always in a very tight cluster.

It's been said they may not be handled properly in shipping due to being an inexpensive fish, and that may be a factor, also they are prone to uronema.

One thing I have always done is get them pretty small, and they are usually first in tank as they are an easy way to get your tank looking stocked w/ out a great expense.

I've had long term success w/ both odd and even groups, so I don't take stock in that theory, I don't think they can count!lol...but ya never know...

 

[ritter6788]

Over the years I've had a number of tanks w/ different groups of chromis, I've never once had an issue keeping them long term

It's been said they may not be handled properly in shipping due to being an inexpensive fish, and that may be a factor

Maybe your taking about the blue/green chromis. These aren't that cheap imo. The ones I bought were about $30 each, not the $3.99 blue/green Chromis viridis. That's what puzzles me is the blue/green chromis is easy but the blue reef chromis are tough to keep alive.

 

[james983]

Ritter and Davo, I believe these guys do not ship well. The shop where I bought them back a few months ago received a decent number and they did not look great upon arrival. I waited a few weeks and bought the last 6 hoping they were strong. The first three went soon after I brought them home. These guys endured and flourished in seclusion. They were difficult to feed initially but now they eat everything. I would like to add to the group someday, but that may be problematic.

 

[davocean]

Maybe your taking about the blue/green chromis. These aren't that cheap imo. The ones I bought were about $30 each, not the $3.99 blue/green Chromis viridis. That's what puzzles me is the blue/green chromis is easy but the blue reef chromis are tough to keep alive.

Sorry yes, my bad, read too fast, I was talking about blue/green chromis

 

[germs101]

Do people have success with keeping just one? The LF stores here have had tons the last few times I've been, and I'm tempted. I ordered a few of these over the years when I used to order fish online, but they never lasted.

 

[Deinonych]

Do people have success with keeping just one? The LF stores here have had tons the last few times I've been, and I'm tempted. I ordered a few of these over the years when I used to order fish online, but they never lasted.

As noted earlier in the thread, I've had one for more than 2.5 years. No problems whatsoever.

 

[MaiReef]

My LFS has them in right now and they are all separated. It sounds like they do fine in ones, but need to be fed very often. My tank seems to be less aggressive in general if fed more times throughout the day, but sometimes it is just twice.
@Deinonych How often do you feed?

 

[james983]

I try to feed 3x per day. Doesn't always happen.

 

[Deinonych]

I typically feed twice per day. Frozen at mid-day, pellets in the evening.

 

[TeeJay87]

I’ve been interested in these Chromis Cyaneus ever since I looked through all of the chromis on LiveAquaria and saw them listed as peaceful and that they ”will help bring out shy species that normally hide” as I started with firefish. I was considering a group of these Chromis, but after seeing only horror stories of these fish killing each other off so far, I figured I would maybe try just 1.

So I’ve been paying attention to the LiveAquaria stock and noticed they are not selling them individually but have been selling them in groups of trios and groups of 6 on Divers Den. 3 sets of trios and 2 sets of 6 have sold in the last couple of days that I’ve noticed. The LiveAquaria description says ”peaceful”, care level: “easy”, minimum tank size: ”30 gallons”, and the description also says:

”A shoaling fish, Blue Chromis should be maintained together in a group, and make a bright addition to the reef or fish only aquarium that is 30 gallons or larger. The Blue Chromis feeds on a variety of meaty items, herbivore preparations, and flaked food.”

As a beginner looking through the LiveAquaria description, these seem like a perfectly easy fish to care for. Yet the sentiment on this forum is that they are nearly impossible to keep, and maybe 1 of your group will survive if you are lucky. I guess I’m just frustrated that LiveAquaria has no mention of how difficult it is to care for these, encourages you to buy a group, and if they have some secret sauce as to how they keep them in groups, there are no such tips shared in the description. And at $40 a pop, a group of these is a significant investment that seems almost sure to be a waste.

This hobby is difficult enough, and now I feel like best case scenario is I can’t rely on basic information/categorization in the LiveAquaria descriptions. Worst case is LiveAquaria is turning a blind eye to the horror stories of these fish and recommending people buy in groups anyway to make a buck.