How many blue chromis should I get?

[Patty-Brent]

Hi I currently have a 55 gallon long with a yellow tang Midas blenny a spotted mandarine and 2 ocellaris clowns. I have around 50 pounds of live rock and Many corals. I'm just wondering how many Blue chromis I can get? I feel I am missing some blue fish in my tank... Any advice would be appreciated The tank has been up and running for over a year... Thanks in advance!

[paddyob]

I ALMOST added chromis this year. A lot of people advised they can be a pain in the butt and in some cases kill each other off in captive systems.

I cannot vouch personally for this... but I elected to not add them at all.

[phi delt reefer]

common misconception of reef tanks - getting a lot chromis won't mean they will school together - schooling is a survival instinct in natural reefs against predators. Unless you a get a predator in there they wont school but instead they will get territorial and start playing "survival of the fittest". They work together when there is a threat - when there isn't threat its every fish for himself.

They might swim together for a bit in the beginning but unless you have a giant tank you will be left with one in a couple weeks/months.

[gobytron]

Guaranteed in a 55, they will kill each other off until there is only 1 left.

save your money and buy one.

Or, if you really want some blue, go out and get yourself a couple blue assessors...

a little more expensive, but a peaceful community fish with a wow factor to itl.

[Patty-Brent]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Those blue assessors are really beautiful how many of them could I put in? I've decide not to go with the blue chromis lol

[Patty-Brent]

Actualy with that being said what other nice blue fish out there would I be able to put in my aquarium

[Coleus]

I have 3 and they don't school, they do chase each other tho

[Magma]

I have 2 in a 40gal tank they dont fight each other but they do stay around each other when the clowns start to pick on them.

[gobytron]

it's worth mentioning how long you have had them for IMO...
could help the o.p. a little more.

[Magma]

it's worth mentioning how long you have had them for IMO...
could help the o.p. a little more.

very true, had mine probably month and half now, I had 3 but one wasnt doing so well and ending up being an expensive snack for my bubble tip.

[Zoaelite]

Zero.

Well not actually but I hate Chromis/ Damsels, nasty little fish. Even got bit in the arse by one when I was snorkeling in Mexico.

[ponokareefer]

There are a few different kinds of reef safe wrasse's that have blue in them, but they do jump so you need your tank covered.
Longspine cardinalfish have blue in them as well. Some pictures don't show it very well though.
Neon goby's have blue in them, but are very short lived.
There are other blue fish but they are either too big for your system, or not reef safe.

[globaldesigns]

don't do it, they are a pain.

I have blue ones which have been fine, but my bicolor chromis are a real pain. always digging, creating sand storms, digging under rocks, covering corals with the digging. A real pain.

[Magma]

why not get a sixline wrasse? they have blue in them but are a lot more fun to watch than chromis.

Also blue dartfish, dottybacks, gobys

[daniella3d]

All the six line wrasse I ever saw were always sort of pink in color, not blue and they can be really aggressive with other fish, especialy newly introduced fish.

Once you put a six line wrasse, it's nearly impossible to put another type of wrasse in there and they also lose their nice color when they grow older.

why not get a sixline wrasse? they have blue in them but are a lot more fun to watch than chromis.

Also blue dartfish, dottybacks, gobys

[Magma]

All the six line wrasse I ever saw were always sort of pink in color, not blue and they can be really aggressive with other fish, especialy newly introduced fish.

Once you put a six line wrasse, it's nearly impossible to put another type of wrasse in there and they also lose their nice color when they grow older.

never knew they lose colour, but I did know they didnt get along with other wrasses, mine seems really peaceful toward his tank mates but I do have a lot of rock for him to hide in

[scubasteve13]

i have 8 in a 125g reef and they all get along very well but my sixline loves to pick on them, i say lod your tank full lol there only 5 bucks a piece

[scubasteve13]

only get a sixline wrasse if you have a worm problem , they are very very mean fish !!

[pirate]

I got 3 blue/green reef chromis and they almost always seem to be schooling. They are toghter then apart and then back toghter. I've had them for about 2 months now and they were schooling like this in the other persons tank as well. But I do have a couple of damsels that like to chase. I was thinking I might add a few more into the mix, but too many other fish that I might want!

[digital-audiophile]

I've tried on a few different occasions to keep a "school" of 12+ chromis. Each time I always end up with only one left. Not worth the money and effort for this fish IMO.

[gobytron]

I'd also take a chalk bass over a chromis any day of the week...
though they tend to suffer from the same hierarchal? aggression that the chromis do they have a nicer disposition overall and are much more attractive IMO.

[silentcivilian]

My experiance. I have had my 3 blue chromis for 1.5years now. They have always schooled together, they do pick on each other but more a higharchy kind of thing more than aggression. The odd part about mine has been growth, there is the big one, the medium one, and the runt. They were all almost the same size when I got them, and are now all very noticeably different in sizes.

I vote 3, I had three in my 55g, and in my 120 it seems empty with only three, but I would create chaos adding more now in a established tank with settled fish.

[Ricky-Zion]

I have 5 green chromis in my 33Gallon Aquarium.
I have had them for about 3 months now, and they are all fine. I put them in all at once though, that might of made a difference.
They occasionally school when my dwarf lion fish tries stalking them, but hes to small to eat them.
The chromis take turns chasing each other around though, but it dosnt strike me as agressive.

Before I had the chromis I have school of 5 glass cardinals and they got into mortal fish kombat untill one one was left, and then that one got eaten by my anemone.