Chromis. Bother or not bother?

[rayadog]

Trying to stock the 75 gal reef with more fish and different color. Every post I happened to read was “had this many now have this many”; with the oddly common numbers being 4 or 5 after settled for a bit; or 1 lol. Blue or green doesn’t matter but the latter is affordable in bulk.

Seems like once they get bigger is when they grow more aggressive towards each other; with a few rare cases just being out right aggressive. I was also looking at fusilier damsels but same story it seems. What are the opinions today?

I have 2 benggais and a yellow wrasse. I’m at peaceful level and would like to keep it peaceful. Also would appreciate not dosing Nitrates. Among the “peaceful” options there’s not many different colors.

 

[Dan_P]

Trying to stock the 75 gal reef with more fish and different color. Every post I happened to read was “had this many now have this many”; with the oddly common numbers being 4 or 5 after settled for a bit; or 1 lol. Blue or green doesn’t matter but the latter is affordable in bulk.

Seems like once they get bigger is when they grow more aggressive towards each other; with a few rare cases just being out right aggressive. I was also looking at fusilier damsels but same story it seems. What are the opinions today?

I have 2 benggais and a yellow wrasse. I’m at peaceful level and would like to keep it peaceful. Also would appreciate not dosing Nitrates. Among the “peaceful” options there’s not many different colors.

I never had any issues with Chromis, likely because they were well fed and therefore had no reason to scrap.

 

[jmcdona6]

I have 6 that seem to have formed a stable shoal. I love having them. They provide so much color and movement to the water column.

Key thing is getting them from a good source. Your average LFS chromis is diseased and/or stresses. Fragile. Etc.

 

[mook1178]

I am about a year with 5 chromis, no issues so far.

 

[FrugalReeferJon]

I had a pair in my first reef tank, a 120 gal. After a while one of them mysteriously disappeared and I never found out what happened to it.

 

[rayadog]

I am about a year with 5 chromis, no issues so far.

I feel like I read a thread from the past where, maybe it was you, was whittled down to 5 so good to hear they’re still kickin!

 

[Red_Beard]

I picked up 3 tiny little ones from petco 4 years ago or so. They are huge now and are model citizens. I love the way they shoal together and squabble a bit right before lights out. Chromis veridis and Chromis atripectoralis are awesome.

 

[mook1178]

I feel like I read a thread from the past where, maybe it was you, was whittled down to 5 so good to hear they’re still kickin!

Not me. I started with 6, the smallest passed in a few days of adding. I think he was just stressed/weak

 

[exnisstech]

I added 7 chromis twice and ended up with 1 both time. I bought 10 for$8 each a while back to try for the third time. I kept them in observation for 45 days even tho they had been at the store for a couple of months because I wanted to make sure they had no signs of euronema. When I added them to the DT two immediately disappeared into the rocks never to be seen again. The remaining 8 are doing well but it's only been 5 months.
Watching them in observation i noticed that they never stop moving. Even when they're in the rocks for the night they are constantly twitching like a spastic. Seeing that behaviour made me think they must burn a lot of energy so I'm feeding a lot more than I did in the past hoping it may help to keep them from picking each other off. I feed using the feed tube from a plank feeder and they swim right up to it whenever I approach the tank. The food drops right in front of a powerhead and it blows all over so it gives them plenty of opportunity to capture food even with the 9 tangs in the tank.

 

[rayadog]

I have 6 that seem to have formed a stable shoal. I love having them. They provide so much color and movement to the water column.

Key thing is getting them from a good source. Your average LFS chromis is diseased and/or stresses. Fragile. Etc.

I don’t doubt this. Where would you trust? My LFS has a big tank rn, so would save me shipping. My fish are from my lfs too. But dr. Reef and reefbeauties have some too.

 

[rayadog]

I added 7 chromis twice and ended up with 1 both time. I bought 10 for$8 each a while back to try for the third time. I kept them in observation for 45 days even tho they had been at the store for a couple of months because I wanted to make sure they had no signs of euronema. When I added them to the DT two immediately disappeared into the rocks never to be seen again. The remaining 8 are doing well but it's only been 5 months.
Watching them in observation i noticed that they never stop moving. Even when they're in the rocks for the night they are constantly twitching like a spastic. Seeing that behaviour made me think they must burn a lot of energy so I'm feeding a lot more than I did in the past hoping it may help to keep them from picking each other off. I feed using the feed tube from a plank feeder and they swim right up to it whenever I approach the tank. The food drops right in front of a powerhead and it blows all over so it gives them plenty of opportunity to capture food even with the 9 tangs in the tank.

I can easily feed multiple times a day, that’s reassuring. I only fear I don’t have enough rocks/nooks, but was thinking about adding more recently

 

[rayadog]

Welp, I was expecting a bunch of “their gonna die!” But sorta turned into reverse confirmation bias. Think I’ll give em a shot. Not much else I can add right now.

Thanks all!

 

[MDahms]

There are other species of Chromis out there. I have a small group of Black Bar Chromis and they stay smaller and are less aggressive at maturity from what I’ve read. Maybe not as colourful as you’d like but I think it’s worth investigating other Chromis species beyond blue/green Chromis.

 

[rayadog]

There are other species of Chromis out there. I have a small group of Black Bar Chromis and they stay smaller and are less aggressive at maturity from what I’ve read. Maybe not as colourful as you’d like but I think it’s worth investigating other Chromis species beyond blue/green Chromis.

I couldn’t find any in stock of black bar.

 

[exnisstech]

I can easily feed multiple times a day, that’s reassuring. I only fear I don’t have enough rocks/nooks, but was thinking about adding more recently

I'm a fan of having enough rock so every fish in the tank can have it's own spot to call theirs. They need a place to bed down and feel safe. I have one that beds down in my blue ridge.

 

[Marine Betta]

Welp, I was expecting a bunch of “their gonna die!” But sorta turned into reverse confirmation bias. Think I’ll give em a shot. Not much else I can add right now.

Thanks all!

I would personally not get chromis unless you really trust your source. They are very susceptible to uronema which is an extremely nasty parasite. If you get them, get them from someone who QTs and treats for uronema. If you see red, vertical sores/marks on the chromis, do not buy it. When I had them years ago, they were great little fish overall, but they did whittle their numbers down from 6 to 5 (not bad). However, this was before uronema became so common.

I’m not sure what colors you’re looking for, but Dispar anthias are a good alternative. They are not as aggressive towards each other as chromis or other anthias species. Really most any anthias would do though. Anthias can get uronema, but it is not quite as common as it is in chromis.

 

[temphermitcrab]

I’ve had four Vanderbilt Chromis for two and a half years, and I really like them. They can be a little hard to find, but I’ve had zero issues with mine. They’re a lot of fun to watch, have a ton of energy, and definitely get the other fish in the tank moving. Aside from adding nice color to the tank, they love to move a lot and hide among the corals. Mine are in a 120-gallon tank, and rather than schooling, they tend to hang out in their own designated area. I’d love to add more, but I’ve been hesitant to mess up a good thing. Also, just a heads-up: they often seem to come in with Uronema from the stress of importing, so I definitely recommend quarantining them first.

 

[Lasse]

There can only be one

Sincerely Lasse

 

[painter1982]

I have a school of chromis. Had 13, now 12. One jumped out. I’ve had them about a year. They have become my favorite fish. The chromis really bring life to the tank.

 

[rayadog]

I would personally not get chromis unless you really trust your source. They are very susceptible to uronema which is an extremely nasty parasite. If you get them, get them from someone who QTs and treats for uronema. If you see red, vertical sores/marks on the chromis, do not buy it. When I had them years ago, they were great little fish overall, but they did whittle their numbers down from 6 to 5 (not bad). However, this was before uronema became so common.

I’m not sure what colors you’re looking for, but Dispar anthias are a good alternative. They are not as aggressive towards each other as chromis or other anthias species. Really most any anthias would do though. Anthias can get uronema, but it is not quite as common as it is in chromis.

Originally hoped I could get anthias going to but decided tank was too small.

I’m close enough to my LFS I could monitor the chromis for weeks in store before I even grab some.