Schooling Question

[rainmkr07]

I really like the idea of a small group of schooling fish. I was thinking maybe 5-10 green chromis, or blue reef chromis. I'd want a small species, reef safe and peaceful. Do any of you have small schools of chromis or have had them? What are your thoughts / opinions of them? And could you post any photos of them in your tank please? Thank you!

 

[f14peter]

Five blue-green chromis were the first fish in our tank ... nine months and going well.
I find our chromis to be peaceful, at least to other fish. There's a little bickering going on between them (Pecking order stuff I imagine), but it only amounts to occassionally darting at one another. Nothing that would constitute "Fighting" or a danger to each other.
They're also fascinating fish with their schooling, color changes, and the way they swim ... they don't use their tailfins, just their pectoral fins for locomotion, which gives them some amazing manueverability. They can move forward, backward, straight up, straight down, much like aquatic helicopters. Also very adept at getting into teeny spaces ... all five will hunker down for the night in nooks that don't even look big enough for one, let alone five.
Also fairly smart ... by their third feeding they had figured out that that big, ugly, pink-skinned, two-legged thing was the source of their chow.
I wouldn't go many more than five, unless you have a really large tank.

 

[am00re34]

i have 7 green chomis in my tank and i agree w/ everything Peter said. They swim in a school, but its not as tight as you might see on tv or in the movies.
They are also very active fish and light to hang out in the top 1/3 of my tank during the day. At night they get into tiny areas to sleep the night.
As peter said...mine are also very "nice" with other fish. I have 2 clowns and a Yellow tang and everyone gets along.

 

[petjunkie]

They are a hit or miss fish, some school just fine, others pick each other to death until you have one. Cardinals are supposed to school a little better.

 

[gmford1979]

antheas also. they school good and are way better to look at. just a little more pricey

 

[sooz]

I have 4 blue-greens and I love them - but they are prone to "disappear" so I would get a couple extras to begin with (I started with 3, lost one, got 3 more, and lost another. My Mom has had the same experience).
They are peaceful with my other fish but they do pick at each other if I do not feed them frequently. Because of the chromis' I feed 1/2 the amount twice per day instead of feeding just once a day. I don't want them turning on each other.

 

[mike22cha]

I had three, but one died because the lfs wasn't a very good one. The two sometimes school, sometimes don't for me, but they are still cool fish that are active and usualy swimming at the top. Mine also recognize me as the food source and are at the very top whenever I come to feed.