The Blue Reef Chromis/ Blue Reef Damsels: Complete Care Guide
- Feb 21, 2021
- Anshika Mishra
- 922 0 0
Blue Reef Chromis also popularly known as Blue Reef Damsel is a very pretty Damsel fish especially for beginners who are not looking forward to having a huge tank, this is the perfect fish to start off with.
Price
You will normally see them for about $25 each, but these days it has got a bit tough to find them in wild, so it is not surprising if retailers ask you to pay $40 for one of these fish.
Tank Size
You want to have about a 30-gallons or more, they don't need a big tank for themselves which makes them a great beginner fish as most of the beginners start small.
Care Level
They are super easy, they are great beginner fishes, they are very hardy and they tend to eat very quickly once they stabilize themselves in the tank.
Temperament
This fish is popular as a peaceful fish, but do know that it gets territorial after getting used to the tank, so it is not completely peaceful, they can be classified into the mildly aggressive class. So, make sure that it is not bullying your new fishes, but normally they do okay.
Reef Compatibility
Yes, they are great reef fish. They will never mess with any of your corals and they are always out in the front swimming in between your rocks or swimming right up at the top giving plenty of attention to anyone watching the tank.
Water Parameter
- TEMPERATURE: 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit
- dKH: 8-12
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- SALINITY: 1.020-1.025
Maximum Size
These fishes can grow up to about 5-inches which is a pretty large fish, especially for a chrome. So, if they end up getting that big, you'll definitely want to check your tank size and make sure it's large enough for the housing multiple schooling fish that is about that big.
Diet
They are omnivores, they are a very aggressive eater, they will pretty much eat anything that gets thrown down in the tank. You can feed them:
- Frozen cubes
- Mices
- Brine Shrimps
- Algae
- Flakes
- Pellets
Chromies diet is probably the most important factor to keep these fishes healthy. They do well in tanks that are fed multiple times a day in small portions. They are not happy in the tank that is fed one large portion just once a day.
A lot of times you will see them perish that way. Therefore it is suggested to feed them at least thrice a day because they are such active swimmers they just burn it off instantly. You can get automatic fish feeders if you can not be available at all the feeding times.
Origin
These fishes do come from the Caribbean.
Schooling fish
You want to make sure that you get an odd number of Chromies in your tank, so three, five, nine, and up. Since they are schooling fish, you will see them peck on each other and chase each other, so it always good to get a group instead of getting a pair. A lot of times you will see groups of them do a lot better in the tank together.
Mixing Chromies
People like to mix Green Chromies with Blue Chromies, Sunrise Chromies with Green Chromies. You can group Chromie together, you still need to get a group of that specific species in the tank. So, you should never get just one blue, one green, and one sunrise and put them together in the tank all by themselves.
Compared to the really popular Green Chromise which are super peaceful and very nice to other fishes, these tend to be a little tougher and harder which is good but they also get a bit territorial over the tank so you will definitely see them chase other fishes around if they have decided some spot to be theirs.
They also come with an almost Damsel personality than they do of the peaceful Chromies schooling fish personality. One good then about getting these fishes in your tank is because they are so active and they stay out in the front all the time, it helps with the other shy fishes in the tank that stay in the back.
About author