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Kat's Ol' Max


metrokat

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jedimasterben

Chromis are a many funny thing. You can keep one, or you can keep many, at least five, preferably 9 or more, nothing really in between, and always in odd numbers. They are kinda like clownfish in that they establish pecking order, with dominant being a larger female, but they are all males starting off instead of sexless. If you keep only a two or three, they will kill each other, and if you keep them in even numbers, the dominant one becomes a female, and you are left with an odd number of males, and they will kill one.

 

They are also filter feeders, not many people know that, and they don't typically ship to fish stores healthy because of such, no commercial shipper that I know of feeds plankton to any holding tanks. I watched my chromis perk up tremendously in my QT tank when I started dosing a bit of live phyto.

 

I have five in my 55g right now, and I'm not comfortable keeping it that way, even though they show no signs of aggression. When I get the 80g set up, I will get at least another four, probably another six. Luckily, they are so purdy when they school together. :wub:

Edited by jedimasterben
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I got these guys from Live Aquaria, and ordered 3, one was DOA but LA made me acclimate a dead fish (scroll back a few pages I even have pictures). I wanted a school of 3 or 5. I also want a school of 3 orange lined cardinal fish so we shall see what I succumb to first.

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jedimasterben
I got these guys from Live Aquaria, and ordered 3, one was DOA but LA made me acclimate a dead fish (scroll back a few pages I even have pictures). I wanted a school of 3 or 5. I also want a school of 3 orange lined cardinal fish so we shall see what I succumb to first.

I remember reading that. I just didn't remember remember it. ;)

 

3 chromis wouldn't work out, anyway. 5 or more, more being better, but being too much for your tank.

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Spirofucci

Oh poor dear. Sorry about the chromie.

 

 

Excuse me everyone, I think I'm first in line to get a nice piece of the pinkish, red wine-ish macro thingy.

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So here's a potentially silly question -- can macro be trimmed just like a regular plant? Clip some and move elsewhere? I'm not really sure of the relationship between the macro and the surface it's attached to :huh: -- my red grape is growing well, but currently has a fine layer of green algae on it, creating a brown look instead of bright red :angry: -- I don't think the purigen is doing jack in my tank. I'm seeing a bit of phosphate, though, so may go back to use chem pure elite.

 

ARGH! Chrome died. (the little chromis that was smaller than the sexy shrimp) Bloody hell!

 

 

pffft

So sorry -- mine died after just a couple of days. LFS said they sometimes just "don't do well" -- not a great help, dude <_<.

 

I have five in my 55g right now, and I'm not comfortable keeping it that way, even though they show no signs of aggression. When I get the 80g set up, I will get at least another four, probably another six. Luckily, they are so purdy when they school together. :wub:

That's my intention when I turn the 35 gallon at home into saltwater -- I want a simpler tank featuring schooling fish, probably a combo of chromis and firefish. This tank is the first time I'd gone explicitly for schooling fw-fish, and I love the effect. Will probably go for an overall caribbean biotope, with just fish, LR, and macro. I didn't realize they were filter feeders, though! Maybe that's why the single one I put in the office tank died so quickly.

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jedimasterben
That's my intention when I turn the 35 gallon at home into saltwater -- I want a simpler tank featuring schooling fish, probably a combo of chromis and firefish. This tank is the first time I'd gone explicitly for schooling fw-fish, and I love the effect. Will probably go for an overall caribbean biotope, with just fish, LR, and macro. I didn't realize they were filter feeders, though! Maybe that's why the single one I put in the office tank died so quickly.

Aye, in the wild that is where they receive most of their nutrition (but even fresh caught ones will snack on every bit of normal food you give them, too, they're little piggies :) ).

 

Chromis also do not do well singly. While there are some exceptions, they rely heavily on schooling for safety in the wild, and they just seem more "nervous" so to speak if they are not in a group.

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jedimasterben

burnnnnnnnnn.

 

 

 

:tears:

 

Kat, now that I think about it, your tank is 34g. Plenty for five chromis if you don't do the other schooling fish.

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ScubaEthan
Chromis are a many funny thing.

All of that is very interesting info about chormises... thanks for sharing!

 

She wouldn't drop that low.

That's why she visits ME.

 

dun nun nun nun dun nun nun nun Batman!

 

Kat, I'll buy you a drink for your losses.

Edited by ScubaEthan
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Howdy from Dallas! My flight got re routed due to lightning and we landed 30 minutes early! That almost never happens right. I'm worried about the low alk in the tank so hopefully tank sitter can dose part B for me, we shall soon find out...

 

Oh poor dear. Sorry about the chromie.

Excuse me everyone, I think I'm first in line to get a nice piece of the pinkish, red wine-ish macro thingy.

You is numero uno!

 

So here's a potentially silly question -- can macro be trimmed just like a regular plant? Clip some and move elsewhere? I'm not really sure of the relationship between the macro and the surface it's attached to :huh: -- my red grape is growing well, but currently has a fine layer of green algae on it, creating a brown look instead of bright red :angry: -- I don't think the purigen is doing jack in my tank. I'm seeing a bit of phosphate, though, so may go back to use chem pure elite.

 

So sorry -- mine died after just a couple of days. LFS said they sometimes just "don't do well" -- not a great help, dude <_<.

 

 

That's my intention when I turn the 35 gallon at home into saltwater -- I want a simpler tank featuring schooling fish, probably a combo of chromis and firefish. This tank is the first time I'd gone explicitly for schooling fw-fish, and I love the effect. Will probably go for an overall caribbean biotope, with just fish, LR, and macro. I didn't realize they were filter feeders, though! Maybe that's why the single one I put in the office tank died so quickly.

Yes macros can be trimmed and moved elsewhere. Some will attach naturally but some need to be glued down or wedged between rocks. I wanted a school of chromis too, Alto said they are more shoaling than schooling fish, either way, I love the color of these deep blue chromis. I even like the half and half ones.

 

Aye, in the wild that is where they receive most of their nutrition (but even fresh caught ones will snack on every bit of normal food you give them, too, they're little piggies :) ).

Chromis also do not do well singly. While there are some exceptions, they rely heavily on schooling for safety in the wild, and they just seem more "nervous" so to speak if they are not in a group.

Kat, now that I think about it, your tank is 34g. Plenty for five chromis if you don't do the other schooling fish.

Well, when they are available from LA again or my LFS, I'll have to add 4 more I guess. I am over my fish load limit but I must have active fish you can actually see in the water column!

 

Who's Batman?
Me. :ninja:
She wouldn't drop that low.

:ninja:

 

Kate

, I got the crab yipppy. posting pics in a min.

yay!

 

All of that is very interesting info about chormises... thanks for sharing!

That's why she visits ME.

dun nun nun nun dun nun nun nun Batman!

Kat, I'll buy you a drink for you losses.

uh huh lol

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jedimasterben
Well, when they are available from LA again or my LFS, I'll have to add 4 more I guess. I am over my fish load limit but I must have active fish you can actually see in the water column!

I am fairly well overloaded as it is in my 55g (not so much for the 80 when I get that here finally) with 5x chromis, a percula clown, a firefish, a mandarin, and a black watchman goby, not including all the inverts I don't care to list! I will add another 6 chromis or so, a pair of perculas (this clown isn't mine, holding for a friend), another firefish or three, and a whitetail bristletooth tang if I can find one, damnit.

:ninja:

:ninja::flower:

 

There needs to be a ninja holding a flower.

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TheNordCelt

I had 3 Orange cards and 2 of them paired off and killed the third. I'm not sure if this is common , but I think that they may also need larger groupings.

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I had 3 Orange cards and 2 of them paired off and killed the third. I'm not sure if this is common , but I think that they may also need larger groupings.

What is up with all these peaceful fish not being very peaceful to their own kind.

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Jacob042426
Kat, now that I think about it, your tank is 34g. Plenty for five chromis if you don't do the other schooling fish.

its actually 29g, the sump is 5g.

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jedimasterben
Tank Sitter thread updated

:lol:

 

 

It's not a sump exactly, it is the back chambers. But yes display volume is 29. Thanks Jacob.

Meh, five should still be ok in 29g total.

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