i was told not to buy the big size blue/green chromis?

[geaux xman]

i was picking up 6 blue green chromis and i told my LFS guy that i wanted a few of the big size ones. he told me not to buy those and that i should get the small ones instead. he said his reasoning, but i couldnt hear him(iranian guy) and i just said ok. i'm going to pick them up on thursday.

the large size ones are 12.99 and small ones are 6.99

i figure if anything, he would want to sell the ones that are more expensive?

opinions?

[rednkfish]

they will sooner or later be down to one. The bigger ones might be more aggressive. smaller ones might last longer in a group. that is my opinion. atleast he did not sell you them just to make a dollar.

[geaux xman]

the other LFS i went to had 2 Chromis thats about 2 1/2" for $17.99. I was considering getting those too, so i guess i should definitely not get them.

these small ones are about 1"

[Sk8r]

The secret of chromis (or any damsel) is that they will kill each other off, the whole group picking on the weakest, until they feel comfortable with the number of chromis in that size tank. It usually happens at night.

[jlawson382]

You may as well save your money and either only buy one, or none at all, since that's where you'll be eventually anyway. If you want a school of something, try one male and two or three female Anthias (if your tank is large enough).

[geaux xman]

i see some of the 100gal+ tanks having about 6 medium size chromis.

once i get my 180 up, if i have 6, will they do okay? or will they still kill a few of the weak ones off?

i want to QT them now.

[jlawson382]

I put 5 in my 120; I have one now. There are quite a few of us with the same story. From what I can tell, longterm success with a school is the exception, not the rule.

[pbnj]

For schooling, try Blue Reef Chromis instead (blue with black accenting). They're much more docile and just as pretty.

[geaux xman]

well i'm not sure what i'm going to do now. i had 2 in a 29g QT, but one died. i thought it was just one of those unexplained deaths?

i've already paid for 5 more, but wont pick them up til thurs/fri. i have another empty 17g DT tank i can put a couple of them in.

[Blown76mav]

I started with 10 in my 240g I'm now down to 4. The bigger they get the more agressive they get.

[Whisperer]

I still have the same original 8 chromis since August. Their surivival instinct kicks in when there is scarcity of food. So, feed them a little at a time but more frequently. I feed mine 3-4 times daily but not on weekends (my tank is in my office).

[geaux xman]

what about 2 1" ones in a small 17g? i dont have anything else in the tank except for 20lbs of LR.

[skanderson]

i agree that damsel and chromis aggression increases with decreasing feeding. i have 2 talbots and 2 hemiocyania damsels in my 300 and there is no aggression between them. i do agree that getting a couple big ones with smaller ones is the least likely situation to work.

[Floowid]

I would make it just one big one. I have tried the school thing. This last time I bought 4, and I am down to 2. Now I am afraid the remaining two have paired up. Eeek.

I have heard that the only way to induce shoaling behavior is for the small fish to be in constant fear for their lives, such as putting 10 or so in with a moray eel. Then the defense mechanisms kick in and schooling/shaoling seems the better alternative to fighting for dominance. Of course that probably doesn't end well for the Chromis either.

[seafd]

^^
The point about terrifying the fish into behavior is very true... I image that big active swimmers like tangs might help the Chromis to behave themselves.

When you buy big fish you are buying older fish and they will have a shorter life in your tank. You are always better off buying smaller fish because they are usually less aggressive and will live longer in your tank. I've never kept a group of Chromis before, but I can tell you from my experience with Tiger Barbs (freshwater) that keeping groups of aggressive fish is not easy (and Tiger Barbs are half as bad as Chromis). If you do decide to keep them as a group I would recommend keeping as many as you possibly can (the more fish the less any one individual is targeted). Also be sure to introduce them at the same time. I would also expect to see some dead fish... Best of luck

[serpentman]

7 is my magic number. I've had as many as 15 but always end up with the original 7. However of those that are left, they range in size from 3" to 1" so size doesn't necessarily translate to hardiness. However, I don't believe tiny chromis transport particularly well and may be prone to die off. This may often be assumed was due to aggression when in reality, they were already in decline to begin with.

[Megatrev62]

Not present tank but I purchased 6 green chromis and they were all there 2 years later in a 130 gallon tank. they hung around together continuously. Go figure?

[Christian_S]

well those fishes are really strong but they eat a lot and grow so fast,

if I was you definitely I buy the small ones cause in sort time you going to have the same sides of the big ones

[Indymann99]

I have had 4 in my tank for 1.5 yrs.
http://s300.photobucket.com/albums/n...t=SNC00194.mp4

2 appear to have broken off for some Chromis love
http://s300.photobucket.com/albums/n...hromislove.mp4

I did start with 6 in QT but 2 died or were killed in the first week of QT.

http://s300.photobucket.com/albums/n...=ChromisQT.mp4

They school tightly together when the lights switch from daylight to atinics and to moonlights.

[Angel*Fish]

Scott Michael says in groups of 6 or more. I'm not sure what he has in mind, but for most people chromis groups don't work out. If I had a 1200g tank I might try them again. Until then, no thanks. And remember if they do live they get pretty big and the C cyanea get up to 4-5 inches