Blue Green Chromis Keep disappearing

MaineReef22 · 09/30/2010, 06:14 PM

I bought a school of 4 and one after another they started disapearing i went out of my way to make my tank reef safe yet i still cant keep one of the easiest fish in the hobby but ive had my hippo tang and yellow tang for almost 2 years now. The only thing i can think of that im starting to wonder about is my fancy brittle star. SOMEONE HELP ME IM VERY ANNOYED AND I HAVE 1 LEFT!!!

gts1218 · 09/30/2010, 06:24 PM

Sometimes they tend to pick one another off until only the strong survive.

AquaReeferMan · 09/30/2010, 06:39 PM

That is very common my friend. Many people have tried groups of these, including myself, only to find that they usually always end up with 1 or 2 left.

floydie83 · 09/30/2010, 06:46 PM

yup...this is common with chromis...I started with 5 down to 2.

Ucantwin · 09/30/2010, 06:59 PM

Same with me, I had five and all disappeared

mike_cmu04 · 09/30/2010, 07:09 PM

I also started with 4 and am now down to 1

RyanAlan · 09/30/2010, 07:24 PM

Check your overflow.

I have the same problem and they "slip through the crack"...

tarantula · 09/30/2010, 07:46 PM

Do you have a Green Brittle star by chance?

cato · 09/30/2010, 08:39 PM

Yep very common. I bought 50 wholesale a yr ago and have 2 left. lol

steelhead77 · 09/30/2010, 10:19 PM

Yup. Started with 7 now have 4. Very common.

Ritten · 09/30/2010, 10:39 PM

They need to be fed a lot. Like Anthias, they need several feedings per day.

serpentman · 10/01/2010, 05:15 AM

They will "weed" out the weak ones. Also, some tiny chromis just fail to thrive after shipping.

On another note, I remember buying 11 chromis for my 300g. I watched in horror and amazement as my clarkii clowns caught them and fed them to the anemone one by one. In the course of 20 minutes, all 11 were nem food. $50 down the drain but one happy anemone.....

goldmaniac · 10/01/2010, 11:50 AM

yes, i bought 24 at once, and they did pick on the weakest individual. the less numbers you start out with, the faster they single out the weakest one.

I had 24 --> 18 for about a year
then 18 --> 6 in about 6 months
then 6--> 3 in about a month

AND i have had a green brittle star eat lots of fish. the biggest was a full-size Flame Hawkfish, freshly added addition.

davocean · 10/01/2010, 01:01 PM

I see people say this often and I don't get it.
I'm on my 3rd tank over about a 12 year period that has started w/ the same # of chromis, and never once experienced them picking each other off.
My longest running tank w/ chromis started w/ 6 that I had for 6 years, only reason I don't still have them was from a heater failure.

Lynnmw1208 · 10/01/2010, 01:21 PM

geez! i didn't know that chromis were like this. i've heard they're one of the easiest fish to keep. checking them off my stocking list. perhaps I'll go with 3 anthias instead...

Stroob · 10/01/2010, 01:26 PM

Mine were slowly disappearing. Would start with 5 and end up with 2 or 3 within a few weeks. Read plenty of stories on others picking on each other and weeding themselves out and ignored it. I walked by the tank one time and saw 3, 10 minutes later I had 2. I started hunting for the 3rd and found out what was going on. The tank wasn't drilled so I had a hang on overflow and they were making it through the slits in the overflow box and going surfing through the U - tube.

swenholz · 10/01/2010, 01:33 PM

I'm with davocean. I have had a school of 6 for 3 months and they are fat and happy and hang out with my clowns all day...certianly didn't think I was the exception.

09/30/2010, 06:14 PM	#1
MaineReef22 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Maine Posts: 406	Blue Green Chromis Keep disappearing I bought a school of 4 and one after another they started disapearing i went out of my way to make my tank reef safe yet i still cant keep one of the easiest fish in the hobby but ive had my hippo tang and yellow tang for almost 2 years now. The only thing i can think of that im starting to wonder about is my fancy brittle star. SOMEONE HELP ME IM VERY ANNOYED AND I HAVE 1 LEFT!!! __________________ Dont think about the money that goes into your tank it makes reefing a lot easier ;) Current Tank Info: 55 Gallon Mixed reef, Current Dual Satellite Series Lighting, AquaC Remora Skimmer, Fluval 305 filter

09/30/2010, 06:39 PM	#3
AquaReeferMan Got Reef? Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Under the Sea, Pa Posts: 4,593	That is very common my friend. Many people have tried groups of these, including myself, only to find that they usually always end up with 1 or 2 left. __________________ Couple SPS/Zoanthid tanks and a couple of FW planted tanks. Current Tank Info: 5 pieces of glass with some silicone and plastic frames holding them together

09/30/2010, 07:09 PM	#6
mike_cmu04 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Shepherd, Mi Posts: 2,348	I also started with 4 and am now down to 1 __________________ 92 Gallon corner tank, 2-radion gen 2 led lights, 2 mp40's Current Tank Info: 92 Gallon Corner Tank

09/30/2010, 08:39 PM	#9
cato New England Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: CT Posts: 5,450	Yep very common. I bought 50 wholesale a yr ago and have 2 left. lol __________________ -Cato I swear it's an illness... Current Tank Info: On Hiatus

09/30/2010, 10:19 PM	#10
steelhead77 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Albany, Oregon Posts: 1,117	Yup. Started with 7 now have 4. Very common. __________________ This really isn't rocket science - it's more like marine biology. Current tank info: 180 gallon AGA, 40 gallon custom sump, AquaC EV240 skimmer, PM calc reactor, 3x 250w DIY MH, PCI CL-650 Chiller, 2x Koralia 4's, 2x Koralia 2's

09/30/2010, 06:24 PM	#2
gts1218 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Nassau, Long Island Posts: 207	Sometimes they tend to pick one another off until only the strong survive.

09/30/2010, 06:46 PM	#4
floydie83 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Lawrence, KS Posts: 287	yup...this is common with chromis...I started with 5 down to 2.

09/30/2010, 06:59 PM	#5
Ucantwin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: some where Posts: 559	Same with me, I had five and all disappeared

09/30/2010, 07:24 PM	#7
RyanAlan Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Frisco, TX Posts: 93	Check your overflow. I have the same problem and they "slip through the crack"...

09/30/2010, 07:46 PM	#8
tarantula Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 50	Do you have a Green Brittle star by chance?

09/30/2010, 10:39 PM	#11
Ritten Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 2,164	They need to be fed a lot. Like Anthias, they need several feedings per day.

10/01/2010, 05:15 AM	#12
serpentman part time superhero Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Deep in the Heart of the Snowbelt (NE OHIO) Posts: 5,698	They will "weed" out the weak ones. Also, some tiny chromis just fail to thrive after shipping. On another note, I remember buying 11 chromis for my 300g. I watched in horror and amazement as my clarkii clowns caught them and fed them to the anemone one by one. In the course of 20 minutes, all 11 were nem food. $50 down the drain but one happy anemone..... __________________ BS in Marine Bio ('96), First SW tank in 1992. Current Tank(s) 300g SPS with 90g frag tank and 40 anemone tank - decommissioned 46g LPS/Softy Cube 300g FOWLR under construction - decommissioned

10/01/2010, 11:50 AM	#13
goldmaniac Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Yardley, PA Posts: 1,567	yes, i bought 24 at once, and they did pick on the weakest individual. the less numbers you start out with, the faster they single out the weakest one. I had 24 --> 18 for about a year then 18 --> 6 in about 6 months then 6--> 3 in about a month AND i have had a green brittle star eat lots of fish. the biggest was a full-size Flame Hawkfish, freshly added addition.

10/01/2010, 01:01 PM	#14
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	I see people say this often and I don't get it. I'm on my 3rd tank over about a 12 year period that has started w/ the same # of chromis, and never once experienced them picking each other off. My longest running tank w/ chromis started w/ 6 that I had for 6 years, only reason I don't still have them was from a heater failure. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

10/01/2010, 01:21 PM	#15
Lynnmw1208 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Brunswick, Ohio Posts: 3,306	geez! i didn't know that chromis were like this. i've heard they're one of the easiest fish to keep. checking them off my stocking list. perhaps I'll go with 3 anthias instead...

10/01/2010, 01:26 PM	#16
Stroob Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Missouri Posts: 76	Mine were slowly disappearing. Would start with 5 and end up with 2 or 3 within a few weeks. Read plenty of stories on others picking on each other and weeding themselves out and ignored it. I walked by the tank one time and saw 3, 10 minutes later I had 2. I started hunting for the 3rd and found out what was going on. The tank wasn't drilled so I had a hang on overflow and they were making it through the slits in the overflow box and going surfing through the U - tube.

10/01/2010, 01:33 PM	#17
swenholz Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 165	I'm with davocean. I have had a school of 6 for 3 months and they are fat and happy and hang out with my clowns all day...certianly didn't think I was the exception. __________________ __________________________________ Scott "Imagination is more important than knowledge", "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." - Albert Einstein "I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries" - French Taunter (John Cleese) eznet2u - Soap will not remove Jalapeno juice from tender bits. Current Tank Info: 150 mixed reef in wall/peninsula (Under Construction)

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