Chromis

[scuba_steveo]

I am at the point where I can add some fish to my new setup. The tank has been running for over a month and the water levels are looking good. I need to add some macro to the fuge but that is another thread. I am thinking of putting some chromis in the tank first. Is this a good first fish? I will not put any other damsels in besides chromis. Also, there are 3 different colors offered at www.saltwaterfish.com , green, blue, and purple. I know what ever color I get I should get at least 3 of but can I get all 3 colors? Anybody have an opinion here?

[pilot_bell777]

I personally like the green reef chromis. That is what I have and they are kind or irodesent (sorry about the spelling) in the lights. I love those little fish. You don't have to put them in threes. I only have two and I have talked to other people that only have one. They are fun little fish. I have taught mine to eat out of my hands and everytime I come near the tank they both come running to the top for me to feed them and follow me back and forth. They are like little puppy dogs in a way. Cool little fish.

What size tank?

[scuba_steveo]

profile now added...see below

[TexasState]

Don't put chromis in a new tank. They are usually weak when you initially bought them from the store. For a stronger fish, try a fox face. The fox face will also help toward keeping algae under control in a new tank. Fox face is a poisonous, yet gentle fish. So you don't have to worry as much about it being territorial when you add more fishes later on down the road.

[pilot_bell777]

Everything that I have read they are very hardy fish????? Mine have been probably the MOST hardiest fish in my tank. My two Chromis outlived my Foxface when the ICH hit hard.......mine lived through a harsh hospital treatment too. In fact, they were the only two fish that made it when I got hit hard by Ich (thank to a powder blue). If it is a new tank and has just finished cycling, I wouldn't add more than two small ones but they will do fine.

JMO

[alexwolf]

I agree, green chromis are cool. If you go more than i think 3 or 6 they school together. Very hardy.

[Instar]

Those fish, although called "chromis" are all very different. Don't EVER buy the one listed as "purple chromis". They are fine suspended plankton eaters, live foods and tons of it. I mean tons.

[Instar]

Those fish, although called "chromis" are all very different. Don't EVER buy the one listed as "purple chromis". They are fine suspended plankton eaters, live foods and tons of it. I mean tons. It takes forever to get them converted to frozen and flake foods. Most starve to death in the process of trying and you have to over feed your tank like crazy to get there. Once converted to frozen and flake, you better not miss many feedings or they die. And thats feedings of 3 to 4 times a day until you can get their digestive system converted to your time table of feeding less often and tolerant of missing a day for you to be at the beach. If you ever get them converted, they are real cool. I had 1 out of 30 survive for 4 years and I figure that to be about their life span. About 20 of them succumed to the cat because he figured out when he jumped at the front of the tank, one would jump and clear all the hood and lights for his fresh meal. 5 ran into an anemone and died and the rest starved even though I fed them tons. I took a couple of related fish from a lfs because they couldn't get them to eat. After a couple months of live food raising, they finally starved to death in a loaded reef with all kinds of pods, etc. Very picky eaters, very difficult. The other two, the blue and the green are not like the purple. I agree with Vinh, wouldn't use them as a first fish.

[scuba_steveo]

So what do you think I should add as a first fish?

[scuba_steveo]

So what do you think I should add as a first fish?

[kaiser]

I still would go with a school of at least 6 chromis. I had a school of 6 green chromis in my 125 they were the best fish, they stuck really together.

[NaCl_H2O]

Steve, are you buying fish to cycle your tank? I wouldn't! Your uncured LR should do nicely to get you tank started if you give it time. Take some filter media from your smaller tank and put it in your sump to give it a kick start! Starter fish ofen survive the cycling and then you have fish you really don't want long term - and if they don't make it ... I really hate sacrificing fish for the sake of cycling!

IMO Give it about 2-3 months with the LR and then get a nice Tang to get the algae cycle completed. You are probably at the stage where you could add a good cleanup crew to get it rolling?

[BA]

hey steve, when you get more fish and dont want the chromis nemore, i can always put them in my big tank..hehe...the lion will love them, but as buddies.. :skeezy:

[Yano]

you people...... with your lions and triggers.... ;)

[GaryP]

I agree that chromis are not the hardiest fish for a new tank. In my experience, they are the least hardy of the damsels. I like the idea mentioned earlier of adding a Foxface. From a tank maintenance basis, especially early when you are going to have a lot of nuisance algae problems, its about the best fish there is. It will eat just about anything including anything green. You'll never have bubble algae or Bryopsis in a tank with a Foxface, that is if it can get to it. I still find an occasional bubble that the Foxface can't get to.

Gary

[pilot_bell777]

I think the table is split.......all I know is my Chromis out lived my Foxface. I think at this point it is up for you to decide. Chromis and Foxface are both really great fish......all this talk about Foxface, I think I might start looking for one again.

LOL :-D

You are not going to go wrong with either fish............if you are cycling your tank, don't go with in fish (JMO) but if it has already cycled, you choice, it is your tank! Buy what you want and enjoy what you buy.

[scuba_steveo]

The clean up crew is being added today...shipment just arrived from reeftopia :)

[cvonseggern]

Gotta love Reeftopia. We just got a big shipment from them ourselves. Royal gramma, 3 stars, sponge, and a buttload o' snails.

If you want to support a local business, Felipe at Fin Addict always has a bunch of green chromis. Reeftopia's great but you don't always want to order $120 worth of livestock.

[scuba_steveo]

evrything is doing fine except for one emerald crab. I told them to send me a larger fighting conch and they are super large. pretty cool. As far as fish............I do not know what I will get. I will probably go by aquatek on Sunday and get them to help me decide. Thanks for all of your help.

[Instar]

Foxfaces arrive all beat up and starved half to death. The tank needs to be pretty stable for them. But, as a first fish, that is realy a nice option because they are so shy. As for life span, they live longer than damsels by many years. Most fish do well once aclimated to captivity and recovered from shipping and handling damages. Foxface and green chromis alike. Both are a bit delicate, so those not all fat and happy should be avoided at the lfs. The thin, flat compressed or concave belly ones should be avoided even though they are swimming all around like crazy. You really need a QT tank for both just so you can make sure for yourself. I often use clowns as my first fish, but again, healthy tank acclimated or captive bred ones. I also always have something with tentacles in first such as aiptasia (j/k) no, really, rock anemones and zoos first.

[RobertG]

I still would go with a school of at least 6 chromis. I had a school of 6 green chromis in my 125 they were the best fish, they stuck really together.

I have to agree here, I have the 6 Kaiser is referring too. They are great fish, they school all the time. I know nothing about the life of them in a new tank. I tried a foxface & had the worst luck. Never seemed to eat anything. I do like the look of them, but need to find a healthy one I guess.

Thanks Kaiser !