New fish

[juliehodson]

Hi there, I got 2 new fish today I think they are green chromis, that's what the guy in the shop said anyway. I just wondered if you could tell me anything about them. Thanks

 

[ostrow]

You should get another. They tend to school and look better as a school. 2 might pick on each other and you could run into trouble. But you are already way overstocked. Heavy stockload in a reef is 1 to 5. 2 clown fish = 6" mature so that is already heavier. With just 2 chromis you are almost 1 to 2. You should return the chromis, or the clowns, or get a larger tank ASAP.

 

[Surfer Dude]

well i dont think you will have to get rid of the clown fish but how many inches are they? Also I agree that you need to get another chromi because they do better when there are 3 of them. Also you say there is a worm in your rock, well it might be a bristle worm and those come in live rock when you buy them so you might want to get it out because they can hurt your fish. If you have any more questions just ask and Ill jump in and answer them

Surfer Dude

 

[ostrow]

Bristleworms will not hurt your fish. They are great cleaners for the rock and sand, and they proliferate so fast you won't succeed in getting rid of them even if you tried.

Believe me ... those 4 fish are too much for that size tank.

 

[Great Lakes]

Depending on the type of clowns, they will easily dominate a tank that size and terrify all the other inhabitants.

Bristleworms =

GL

 

[juliehodson]

The clowns are just over 1 1/2 inches long. They are tank bred false percula clowns. One of the chromis died so I'm gonna take the other back to the shop probably.

 

[Surfer Dude]

I have always heard that bristle worms are bad for your tank and can hurt your fish. Every fish store I have been to and every book I have read says to get rid of them when you see them.

Surfer Dude

 

[ostrow]

What are the publication dates of your books? Do a search on bristleworms, in google even or on RC or reefs.org and you'll see the heavy consensus on their desirability.

 

[hyrookin]

green chromis are definitely a good fish for a lot of reasons:
they are inexpensive,you can have more than 1 in a tank(3 is a good
number),they are hardy+are good eaters+ docile.
I would agree that your clown could become a big problem in that size tank..

 

[ostrow]

The clowns are no problem at all on their own. Chromis on their own are no problem. If you want both, you probably need a tank twice the size of Julie's.