Purple Firefish

[1boatnut]

Ok,whats the truth?
Dr.Fosters states these fish are peaceful,but agressive towards their own kind unless a mated pair.
SFC.com states these fish like to be kept in pairs

Anyone here keep them?
I purchased a Purple yesterday and was going to get a regular Firefish maybe next week,but I want to make sure they will be Ok.

 

[schmidthouse]

That seems to be an ongoing debate around here. there was a guy here that stated that he had a 3 purple fire fish in the same tank and they were doing fine... we have one and would like to have another but we are not willing to take any chances...Good luck and keep us posted

 

[1boatnut]

Thanks.
I just noticed the other post about this topic,sorry for the duplicate.
Now I have second thoughts too. I just got this guy yesterday and he is in a 20 gal QT with a Green Chromis.When I put it in yesterday I had 2 Chromis. This AM I found one dead

It seemed healthy.
Anyways,thanks again. I need to warn my buddy now who bought a purple and a regular the day before and has them in hi 24 cube.

 

[dinogeorge]

Sometimes when they die that quickly it has to do with how long you acclimated them. They are somewhat fragile fish that need lots of time to adjust to your water. Do you recall how long you acclimated them? I keep a large number of firefish and I take up to 3 hours to drip acclimate them. Might be something to consider if you are your buddie tries them again.
Good luck

 

[zanclus]

I started with a dozen of them over the course of 8 months I am down to just 1. Most seemed to pair off but they slowly dissapeared. Very beautiful fish but not one I will keep in the future....

 

[1boatnut]

Originally Posted by Dinogeorge
Sometimes when they die that quickly it has to do with how long you acclimated them. They are somewhat fragile fish that need lots of time to adjust to your water. Do you recall how long you acclimated them? I keep a large number of firefish and I take up to 3 hours to drip acclimate them. Might be something to consider if you are your buddie tries them again.
Good luck
The Chromis had been in there for a few days.
I usually acclimate them for 2-3 hours. I gat berated on another forum for doing such a long acclimation.
The firefish is OK. It was the Chromis that died suddenly.

 

[dinogeorge]

Originally Posted by 1boatnut
The Chromis had been in there for a few days.
I usually acclimate them for 2-3 hours. I gat berated on another forum for doing such a long acclimation.
The firefish is OK. It was the Chromis that died suddenly.

I would not worry too much about others berating your acclimation process. There are some people who offer advice, and those who feel there way is the ONLY way. I just sort of laugh when someone goes off the deep end.

Sorry that I misread. I don't think your Chromis died because of anything you did. We never know how someone else treated the fish before it got you...

 

[dinogeorge]

Originally Posted by zanclus
I started with a dozen of them over the course of 8 months I am down to just 1. Most seemed to pair off but they slowly dissapeared. Very beautiful fish but not one I will keep in the future....
I had similar problems when I first started keeping them, but how I solved it was to feed small amounts throughout the day, rather than once a day, or every other day. These guys burn up a lot of energy and they are small, so they need to refuel often. But of coarse, feeding thoughout the day means you can be there to do it. May not be an option for everyone.

 

[lsu]

I bought three purple firefish(LFS told me to get at least three). They were fine together for a few months. One day two of them paired up and harassed the other constantly until it died. I would not get more than two because they seem to become aggressive to other firefish once a pair is established.

 

[steve24]

i have 2 red firefish and one Helfrichie firefish in my 55. and they all get along with each other. now in a 20 it may be differant

 

[1boatnut]

Originally Posted by steve24
i have 2 red firefish and one Helfrichie firefish in my 55. and they all get along with each other. now in a 20 it may be differant

Steve,how long have you had them?
Did you introduce them at the same time?