KurtG wrote:


I think it's hit or miss on the peaceful schooling fish story. Some
people get along with them, but others have their chromis dwindle to
only one or two, and they can be aggressive with tank mates. It seems
to help if there are semi-aggressive fish in the tank which forces them
to huddle together and not go into annihilation mode.

The only thing they have going for them is that they are cheap. I know
a wholesaler that sells them for $1/piece.

I might be being simplistic here but why not replace the losses and
maintain the school as presumably they have already been factored into
the stocking equation? I can see how a solitary fish might turn on it's
tank mates. Obviously, introducing adult chromis into the mix might end
in tears with a potential competition to be alpha fish but surely there
wouldn't be so much of an issue with adding smaller fish into the school
that will naturally take their place at the bottom of the pecking order?

But just me making a supposition based on keeping freshwater fish
(cichlids in particular) rather than being based on my limited
experience with chromis.

Gill