How many green chromise should I keep?

Question

I just bought 1 chromie, and its my first fish. The guy at the petstore said they are schoolers but I just needed him for the bacteria. He is doing good and I really like the fish. What should I do about numbers. I have a 30 gallon that I plan on putting two clown fish with a few inverts.I want to make the chromie more comfortable so should I buy more of them? If so, how many more to still have room for a few more fish? thanks

Answer 1

about 4* or so more

*add 2, wait a week, then buy and put in 2 more*

Answer 2

At this point, no more fish till you cycle your tank!!!!!

Green chromis are nice fish and do well in groups (unlike most saltwater fish). Since you're getting 2 clowns (ocellaris or percula? - each is about 4" as an adult) and already have 1 chromis (3" as adult), that's already 11" of fish. In saltwater, you should allow 2-3 gallons of water for each "inch" of fish, so at the most you should only get 1 more chromis. (I see you had another question about getting a larger tank - just keep in mind the size of the fish as an adult and the water volume - if you want to get more chromis, I'd get them before you add the clowns, because these are going to be a little more territorial, so you want to get the peaceful fish in first. Also, once you're sure the tank has cycled, anly add 2 more fish about every 2 weeks - as I said before, PATIENCE!)