TBH I can see the appeal of a group of schooling fish and from what I’ve gathered there’s mixed reports over keeping them in groups and having them coexist long term, but I strongly suspect that their schooling instinct, like that of many other fish, isn’t so much a natural behavior of preference over the risk of predation from larger, carnivorous fish. I could be wrong on that one.
However, I just don’t find them to be individually stunning at all. A fish that requires lighting to bring out its best colors is to me, a fish that’s not naturally attractive enough.
Are there any other fish you’d be interested in, and are considering keeping in a group?
Personally my preference is for fish that are individually appealing, and for pairs or in some cases, harems (dwarf angels, maybe Genicanthus) over schools / shoals.
There are some fish that many people keep individually that school in the wild and are also individually appealing enough, such as certain Tangs. I’m not a big Tang guy, but yeah either way IMO Chromis are more trouble than it’s worth.
You have the risk of uronema and the mixed reports on how well they do in a group doesn’t really encourage me to try them. In my opinion it’s cooler to have other fish that can form pairs / harems if that’s what you’d like, that are also more individually appealing.
And on top of that from what I’ve seen, Chromis just aren’t that interesting. The elaborate mating rituals of angels, the territorial behaviors of many smaller reef fish, the quirks of fish like Hawks and even some Clowns is more appealing to me than having a school of Chromis.
