Schooling green chromis - Hmmm...how many?

T

tdapple

[After the recent unsolved suicide that occured he other day, I am wondering if I should add more than one chrimis to the tank....I have 2 now, and I have read that it is bad juju to keep only 2. Three was ok, but I didn't get a whole lot of schooling action..well two stayed together and one sorta stayed solo....So i was thinking maybe I should go 4 or 5 total, make it a decent size school...as far as a 6ft tank goes...

I have also been thinking maybe i would ry a different schooling fish...any suggestions? Chromis are nice little fish.]
 
[I read somewhere either on RC or AA online magazine that odd number is better than even number. Also, try to keep them all at about the same size or they'll all gang up on the smallest one.]
 
[I keep a herd of chromies in my 55 and love them! I started with 7 but the dominate male (more intensely colored with blue) harrassed and picked on two (other males?) until they died leaving me with 5. What I have now seem happy together with no more serious bickering and they school beautifully, especially when they think I'm going to feed them! :D

In a 6' tank you should be able to add at least 7-8 or more to get a nice school. Less than 5 and they really tend to lose the schooling behavior. It is probably a good idea to get a few more than you actually want, because there may be some attrition from fighting until you get a compatible group. HTH]
 
[I really like the green chromis - I agree that 5 seems to be the most workable number. They are the funniest looking fish when they pause and 'yawn' - dang, I never dreamed they could open their mouths to that extent - Remarkable sight!]
 
[5-7 sounds like fun....what do you all think about their bio-load?...say 7 chromis vs. 1 Naso? comparible maybe?....

To veer off, right now I have a couple big fish in my tank, and I wonder if my reef would look nicer with allot of little fish and no biggies...I do love my tangs though...]
 
@TealCobra wrote:
[From what I have read said:
[I've found that they will definately school better if there is another fish that chases them occassionally. A clownfish, damsel, psuedochromis, or similar territorial type fish seems to encourage the chromis to stay out of the rockwork and schooling during the day. In my tank, my royal gramma will swim peacefully in the open with them, but as soon as one tries to hide in the rocks, the gramma will chase it out. After I feed them, my fairy wrasse chases them around for about 15min. None get hurt, but there is enough strife that the chromies stick together more than not.

I also think that compatibility is likely sex-based. Like fairy wrasses and anthias, chromis probably do best if just one male is kept with several females, unfortunately, sexing chromis is nearly impossible. The dominant male is easy enough to pick out, but subdominate males look just like the females. Although I wouldn't swear to it, I believe my herd is now 4 females and one male, and that is why they now get along so well.]
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