Schooling Fish for 55 Gallon Reef

[AcroNem]

i bought 3 chromis for my first tank and they all died off 1 by 1. could it have been a disease specific to chromis? maybe. all my other fish are thriving so far.

i was recently recommended by my LFS to get the firefish in groups... i bought just 1 for now but i can see how it would be nice to have them in a group of 3 or more.

They're also prone to catching Uronema marinum, and I've had other hobbyists show me "wounds" on deceased fish they suspected was from their Chromis attacking each other that were actually from the parasite, Uronema is pretty nasty.

 

[Long Island Reefer]

Just started my reefer 250 a few weeks ago, threw 4 chromis in last week and they picked one off so far but the other 3 seem to be getting along fine now. Love the way they look, really awesome fish.

 

[RiversideReefer]

They're also prone to catching Uronema marinum, and I've had other hobbyists show me "wounds" on deceased fish they suspected was from their Chromis attacking each other that were actually from the parasite, Uronema is pretty nasty.

i suspect one of them did. had a giant patch of red on the side of the body. other one had what looked like a small wound, but i flushed him down the toilet just to make sure the other fish are safe. last one lived for about 2 weeks alone, was active and healthy. noticed it started hiding out in the caves more and would not actively eat. found it dead the next day.

 

[Sal Amadeo]

i bought 3 chromis for my first tank and they all died off 1 by 1. could it have been a disease specific to chromis? maybe. all my other fish are thriving so far.

i was recently recommended by my LFS to get the firefish in groups... i bought just 1 for now but i can see how it would be nice to have them in a group of 3 or more.

I have two Firefish, they stay pretty close to each other

 

[kcsnook]

Red spot cardinals, they are smaller and will group or school. They require several feedings a day because they are small and active through the water column. Check them out!

 

[Squidward]

Don't forgot those little green chromis get pretty big themselves.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hi,

Not sure if You are interested in basic damsels. Several type will hold their own with clowns and work in a community type setting. I have a 75 with a few different Type. Most reefers are not big fans because they are bery aggressive, so you do need a tank set up what the heck them in mind. but they are one of my favorites

 

[Ef4life]

Just started my reefer 250 a few weeks ago, threw 4 chromis in last week and they picked one off so far but the other 3 seem to be getting along fine now. Love the way they look, really awesome fish.

How much are you feeding a day?

 

[longtimereefer]

i was afraid that might be the case. Appreciate the input!

Blue or green chromis, anthias typically need a much larger tank, cardinals... You could do quite a few and be ok, but I would not get to crazy. Make sure you are on top of nutrient export etc, all will be fine.

 

[mkwarner77]

not Anthias, they need a 100gl tank minimum. I looked into these myself. My tanks a 46 gl. 3 Blue Chromis i put in my tank are doing very well and don't clash with the 2 clowns i have. I did have to buy several replacements before I ended up with 3. They are a bit delicate and some don't seem to recover from the stress, good thing they're not expensive.

 

[nosmok]

I've tried all sorts of fish. Currently I have 2 Pajama Cardinals in a Biocube and 2 Yellow line Cardinals in my 180. I started with 6 Yellow line in the 180, hoping for a schooling effect, but they pick off one at a time, till only 2 remain

 

[Ef4life]

I've tried all sorts of fish. Currently I have 2 Pajama Cardinals in a Biocube and 2 Yellow line Cardinals in my 180. I started with 6 Yellow line in the 180, hoping for a schooling effect, but they pick off one at a time, till only 2 remain

How many times per day did you feed?

 

[scchase]

Hasn't been mentioned yet but Blue eyed Cardinals Zoramia leptacantha, hands down, they stay in a tight school and don't fight with each other, are relatively inexpensive, easy to feed, and look absolutely gorgeous once they get settled in. Sadly they don't look great at the LFS so tend to get overlooked. They are even available captive bred occasionally.

 

[See Gee Sea]

I wanted 4 chromises for my 73 but 2 arrived DOA. The remaining 2 shoal all day long back and forth. I also have a pair of red fire fish that do the same. It’s cool to watch them flick their fins

 

[jp_75]

You could do few Zebra Barred Dartfish

 

[Boops]

I can recommend resplendent Anthias, Pseudanthias pulcherrimus. They stay small, are peaceful, don't bother corals or other fish.