Something is eating away at my Chromis

[MarkDarnell]

Any idea what is eating my Chromis? Started about 2 weeks ago with a small spot. Now it's eaten all the way through the fish.

Current Fish:
2 Chromis
2 Clown
Starey Benny
Yellow Tang
Hippo Tang
Kole Tang
3 Pajama Cardinal
Black Cap Gramma
Cleanup Crew with only 6 Hermits

 

[polancoeddie]

What size is your tank? Did you add a new fish recently or have they been together for a while now?

 

[MarkDarnell]

220 gallon. All have been there for awhile. Newest fish is the Kole Tang and an anemone. The initial spot started about 2 weeks before the latest additions. I forgot I also have a coral banded shrimp but I don't believe him to be the culprit.

 

[polancoeddie]

Very weird. I doubt it was the banded shrimp, chromis usually stay on the top of the tank and you are not over stocked on fish so there's not much aggression in the tank. Maybe someone else have an idea what happened here.. is this the first time that it has happened?

 

[MarkDarnell]

I started with 7 Chromis originally. I have lost 5 now and working on the 6th with this one. The other one in my tank is doing very well. No other fish lost except for a convict Tang that was added same time as the Kole. He died within 3 days after putting in tank. I believe he was bad from the LFS. All other fish are swimming, eating, etc without any issues at all.

Tank parameters are also perfect and pristine.

 

[duncangweller]

Chromis' are damsels therefore can be very feisty. If you read any thread of anybody who has kept a group of chromis' in a tank you will see that they almost always kill each other off and they end up with just one. They are probably killing each other

 

[polancoeddie]

Their you go.. thanks Duncan

 

[Humblefish]

Looks like a crab or something got a hold of it. But as was mentioned above, groups of chromis will often whittle themselves down to just one (i.e. the winner). They are also very susceptible to a parasite called Uronema marinum.

 

[tgp4274]

I've always heard that they were a schooling fish...... I have 6 with no problems and they've been together for almost a year..... now my yellow tang is a bully.....

 

[duncangweller]

They are a schooling fish in the wild, where they have lots of space. I'm not saying that nobody has ever kept a group in a reef tank but from what I have read (as I was going to keep a few before) they will more often than not see each other off when contained in a small area

 

[MarkDarnell]

Funny thing is the one that is surviving is the smaller of the two left.