Blue Reef Chromis (Chromis cyaneus) Success Stories?

ritter6788 · Sep 12, 2012

I was afraid for the little fish adding it to my 75 since the other fish are so established and they don't like new house guests. I left it in the breeder box for a few days and let it out. I looked for it for 2 days and couldn't find it so I thought it was dead. I was feeding the fish in my frag tank when my wife came in and said how nice the new fish looks in the tank. I looked and there it was chillin in a cave by a coral.

It doesn't swim fully out in the open but it comes out a lot especially to eat. The colors on it are awesome, super bright blue with black down it's back and tail. Hopefully this one sticks. It's been a little over a week now and that's usually the hardest time.

Saltgator · Oct 8, 2012

Any updates? I was looking at these too, but WOW is all I can say, down to 1 in no time.

dgiglio3087 · Oct 8, 2012

Yeah i too like the blue reef cromis, just wish i knew someone who succesfully kept them.

xcorallusx · Oct 8, 2012

They are pretty when they are small but get ugly when they get bigger. They sometimes die off randomly, thats why I like the 3-7$ blue/green chromis, they are cheap and keep their color.

ritter6788 · Oct 8, 2012

Down to 0 in no time. :tsk:

I'm not sure what happened to the last one. I added it to my 75 and it was doing great for about 3 weeks. Eating well and swimming around in the open. The next day I went to feed and didn't see it. My wife saw the tail of it sticking out of a gap in the rocks. It had it's face pressed to the rock and it was twitching. It wouldn't come out for any food. I turned the pumps off later to do some maintenance and it swam out of it's hole and was frantically swimming sideways with one side of it's face at the water surface. It scooped it into a breeder box and it was dead the next morning.

This fish can't be impossible to keep. I need to do more research.

ritter6788 · Dec 22, 2013

Anyone attempted to keep this fish lately?

Newb73 · Dec 22, 2013

My blue green is healthy two years strong in a very well populated 90g

ritter6788 · Dec 24, 2013

Newb73 said:
My blue green is healthy two years strong in a very well populated 90g

These aren't the blue/green variety. Many have had success with those.

These are solid dark blue and black and are difficult to keep.

Pictures Summary
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-database/64010-blue-chromis-chromis-cyanea.html#post709046

Chrissy · Jan 20, 2014

I've had mine for about 3 months, and it seems pretty hardy. Maybe they just don't do well in groups of their own kind? I have him in my 20G frag tank with a small green chromis that he hangs out with all day and he eats like a pig. He actually nibbles on my fingers looking for food and sticks his head and top fin out of the water sucking up all of the flakes before they sink.

ritter6788 · Jan 20, 2014

Chrissy said:
I've had mine for about 3 months, and it seems pretty hardy. Maybe they just don't do well in groups of their own kind? I have him in my 20G frag tank with a small green chromis that he hangs out with all day and he eats like a pig. He actually nibbles on my fingers looking for food and sticks his head and top fin out of the water sucking up all of the flakes before they sink.

How often are you feeding?

Getting them to eat has never been a problem for me. They always eat well and look great one day and the next they are dead. Even tried feeding multiple times a day like Anthias and they still don't last long.

Chrissy · Jan 20, 2014

I feed him once a day. He seems to be doing fine. He's about 2 1/2 inches, maybe the larger ones are hardier? I had no idea that they were hard to keep alive, I bought him thinking he was the same price and care as the green, but when I got to the register, realized he was more expensive. He was already in the bag, so I bought him anyway.

ritter6788 · Jan 20, 2014

Keep us updated on how it does.

ritter6788 · Oct 22, 2014

bump. Any luck with this fish yet?

11f150 · Feb 18, 2015

@ritter6788 Check Divers Den today at 5pm central time. May or may not be a trio up. Im interested in them but I have 2 fish in the QT already. Gonna have to wait 3 weeks before i get anymore.

ritter6788 · Feb 18, 2015

11f150 said:
@ritter6788 Check Divers Den today at 5pm central time. May or may not be a trio up. Im interested in them but I have 2 fish in the QT already. Gonna have to wait 3 weeks before i get anymore.

If you get some let me know how they do. I gave up on them for now.

brchapm · Feb 18, 2015

Just to keep the thread alive. I purchased 4 around Christmas time and was down to 3 in a couple weeks. The one that is left eats out of my hand and seems to be a good tank mate. I believe these guys stress or kill each other off until only one is left. I have a 210 and seemed like there was plenty of room for them.