What should the underside of a green chromis look like?

saltydad

saltydad

Member
A week ago, I purchased two green chromises and right away noticed that their stomach areas appear to be slightly sunken. I have looked at various images of chromises on the net, and many have the same look.
Is this normal? Should I be concerned?
They are eating and otherwise healthy. I'm feeding them Marine Cuisine for carnivorous fish once to twice a day.
They are sharing a 90-gallon UniQuarium with a maroon clownfish and about seven hermit crabs. Temp 75, S.G. 24. 90 pounds live rock. Up and running well over a year.
I tried to get a picture, but they are either too fast, or my camera is too slow.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
No, sunken is not normal. When fed properly, these fish can be rather plump.
 
saltydad

saltydad

Member
Actually, my fish look very similar to the one in the picture you posted, Beth. If you look carefully, you'll notice that the area from the pectoral fin to the vent or anal fin is relatively flat or slightly concave instead of rounded like it is on most fish.
Do you have or have you had chromises with the same look?
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
I have had these fish. I can't say I noticed concave-ness; but they looked much like the picture above. I say, nothing to concern yourself with.
Here are the ones I had.



 
saltydad

saltydad

Member
Yours look very healthy to me, Beth--from what I can see, they don't have the same underside features as the fish in the first picture, so I'm really not sure. I suppose I'll just have to wait and see. Is there anything I should do in the meantime?
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
If there is any concave-ness, it is due to being under nourished. A few weeks of good eating will cure it. These fish got fed home made fish food 3x a day. They were nice and rounded out as they should be.
 
saltydad

saltydad

Member
It's been 5 days since my last post, and with multiple daily feedings of flake and frozen, the chromises don't seem much fatter. They are still eating greedily and otherwise acting normally.
Should I keep this up for another few weeks? Perhaps I could supplement with live food, or learn how to make some homemade food?
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
They are probably being bestered. Common.
Try more variety with food. Preferably not flakes.
 
saltydad

saltydad

Member
Thanks for the link, Beth.
The chromises' stomach areas are just as concave as ever this morning. They fill out rather well after feedings, but after several hours they shrink again slightly, and first thing in the morning, they are at their most concave.
Am I fighting a losing battle here? It's been 2 weeks now, and I've doubled their feedings over the last week.
Should I try to soak their food it some kind of anti-parasitic meds or something?
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
If they are otherwise healthy and eating normally, I wouldn't worry about it. If they were starving, it may take some time to fill out.
 
saltydad

saltydad

Member
What's worrying me is that they seem to be getting thinner in spite of the fact I've been feeding them more.
I did purchase some Jungle Labs anti-parasitic food yesterday, but the fine print says not to use on invertebrates, which I suppose means that if my hermits or peppermint shrimp get a hold of it, it's all over for them. I'd have to set up a QT if I wanted to feed this to my chromies.
 
saltydad

saltydad

Member
current parameters:
specific gravity -- 1.025
ammonia -- 0
nitrite -- 0
nitrate -- 0
temp. -- 75 F
inhabitants: 1 peppermint shrimp, 6 or 7 hermit crabs, 1 sand sifting star, 2 green chromises, 1 maroon clownfish.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
The gray on the rock could be some hair algae beginning to grow. It starts off a whitish-gray.
What kind of frozen food are you feeding the chromis?
 
saltydad

saltydad

Member
The frozen I'm using in Marine Cuisine for carnivorous fish, with occasional frozen brine, and Omega 1 flake. I'd like to start using Beth's recipe soon, perhaps as early as tomorrow.
I'm just wondering if this is more than just being underfed and is some kind of parasite or pathogen. How can I know for sure?
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
I can't tell you for sure just from what you have said. Is the fecal matter white and stringy? Skip the brine and flakes right now. Are you supplementing the food with vitamins? Can you set up a QT so you can feed them the anti-parasitic food?
 
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