The battle of green Chromis

DerekT5 · Jan 30, 2018

Hi all, I had a pair of 3 Chromis in my tank but eventually killed each other off. I am planning on getting another group of about 5 and I wanted them to stay peaceful and not kill each other. Any suggestions? Thanks

Baldguy · Jan 30, 2018

If you did have one survivor I'd keep that one and be happy. If you get more chances are they'll be down to one before long also.

eatbreakfast · Jan 31, 2018

Increasing flow in the top 1/2 or 1/3 of the tank and increasing feeding frequency can help.

falconut · Jan 31, 2018

I only went with one, since the majority of people say they just kill each other off until one remains, I figured I'd skip the killing step. I also have a blue reef chromis and they seem to be fine together.

reefndude · Jan 31, 2018

Old tank I bought 5 from lfs and they all got along for over two years.
Current tank I ordered nine and every single one died within 2 weeks.
I recently added 7 that I purchased from lfs to try again one died immediately in qt. 6 made it through and are now in display. Only been 4 days now

reefndude · Jan 31, 2018

Only seeing 5 in the tank now

bubbaque · Jan 31, 2018

I have 6 in my tank for about a year and haven’t had any kill each other. I feed four times a day so that probably helps with aggression. I do see them bicker sometimes but nothing major.

Skynyrd Fish · Jan 31, 2018

I started with 11. then nine then one. It took a while. Its a bummer because they look great in a school. And the price is right.

JCGSO · Jan 31, 2018

I tried 3 to 5 in various tanks over the years. Always wound up with one, so no more for me.

Dr RBG · Jan 31, 2018

started with seven and now have 3 1/2 (one hides most of the time) They chase other fish and fight with each other. .I am not a fan of them

RobertP · Jan 31, 2018

My 5 chromis were the first fish I added a year ago. They picked on the smallest a while but all 5 are still doing well. I feed 1-2 times a day and lots of places to hide.

Oberst Oswald · Jan 31, 2018

Bought five... ended up with one after a month.

EmdeReef · Jan 31, 2018

DerekT5 said:
Hi all, I had a pair of 3 Chromis in my tank but eventually killed each other off. I am planning on getting another group of about 5 and I wanted them to stay peaceful and not kill each other. Any suggestions? Thanks

Unless you have a very large tank, lots of caves/tunnels in your aquascale or large acro colonies for them to hide in they’ll more than likely be aggressive. They can also start being aggressive to other fish...I wouldn’t get more. The one survivor has established dominance and if will very likely fight newcomers to death.

I’ve managed to keep 3 but 2 are lemon chromis and one is a regular b/g. That said, they ignore each other, never seen much schooling... good luck!

USMC 4 LIFE · Jan 31, 2018

Bought 3 and still have 3. They even lay eggs twice a week. Really simple fish to keep for me.

I attribute my success to having plenty of flow, feeding frequently and having plenty of caves and crevasses for fish to hide in just in case.

Caliguy1983 · Jan 31, 2018

I've always had 3 no problem. Had 3 for years in an old system and have had 3 in my new tank for a year.

DerekT5 · Feb 1, 2018

EmdeReef said:
Unless you have a very large tank, lots of caves/tunnels in your aquascale or large acro colonies for them to hide in they’ll more than likely be aggressive. They can also start being aggressive to other fish...I wouldn’t get more. The one survivor has established dominance and if will very likely fight newcomers to death.

I’ve managed to keep 3 but 2 are lemon chromis and one is a regular b/g. That said, they ignore each other, never seen much schooling... good luck!

Can you keep different types of Chromis together?

eatbreakfast · Feb 1, 2018

DerekT5 said:
Can you keep different types of Chromis together?

In many cases yes. But some species behave more like damsels, staking out a small territory to defend.

EmdeReef · Feb 1, 2018

DerekT5 said:
Can you keep different types of Chromis together?[/QUOTE

I’ve had these 3 for a couple of years now and they just ignore each other. Lemons look quite a bit different than regular b/g which I think helps. I’ve found the blue Reef and especially black and white chromis to be really aggressive so wouldn’t mix them.