Schooling Fish

[Kstater10]

If i were to have a small school of fish in my 75gal what kind should i have? I have a yellow tang and a false perc in there now.

I was thinking like 3 chromis, any other suggestions

[reefnewbie54321]

Chromis, Anthias and Sixline Wrasse are the only fish that I have seen school. Chromis kill each other off especially in low numbers such as 3. Anthias are less agressive but I am not sure you could have an actual "school" in a 75. Sixlines are too big.

Maybe try 3-5 Dispar or Bartlett Anthias. These are the 2 of the smallest Anthias. Bartletts are hardier but are more aggressive so I would go with Dispar. The Yellow Tang that is already in there will increase chances of schooling becuase it may be agressive towards the new tankmates and force them to stcik together. The only problem is you will have a large bio-load. Not only will you have an extra 3-5 fish but Anthias should be fed 3x dialy so a big skimmer is needed.

[Kstater10]

seaclone 100 pulls a cup out each day of really thick and smelly stuff.

[iamwhatiam52]

Coral catfish stay in a tight school.

[McCrary]

I vote dispar anthias. Beautiful fish and easy on the bioload.

[Clouded]

Fire fish school very well and cardinals...

[_K_E_P_]

really? I have heard that unless they are paired the firefish can become very aggressive towards each other but then again it all depends on their personality.

I have a school of Humbug Damsels, I quite like their elegant black and white colour against the corals. Not as aggressive as I was expecting, guess they have better things to do...

[Clouded]

everytime I see firefish in a tank (30gals usualy), they are always schooling in groups of 3 or more and in perfect shape, so they do not appear to be fighting

[leeweber85]

I wouldn't worry about the bioload, that's a fairly normal bioload. It would help if you have a decent amount of live rock and a better skimmer though.

[ReeferMO85]

sixlines school?

[lux_06]

get like 3 of the reef safe species of banner fish they look the nuts when cruising round together but 75g may be a bit small for em really long term. i had mine in a 90 and they looked stunning.

[KDodds]

Ugh... what is this site coming to?

Sixlines are not schooling fish. No Wrasses that I am aware of are definable as schooling fish. They may live in aggregations in the wild, but they don't school (swim together in large groups in unison). The sixlines are also no bigger (and actually smaller) than the other species mentioned.

Chromis don't know how to count, despite living in schools, they won't start killing each other in less than x numbers. I've had 4 for about 5 years now. They're content enough with one another, apparently, to spawn constantly.

Dispars are not hardy at all, they're almost as delicate, in fact, as the pruple queen. They're also not "low on the bio-load" since they need to be fed (as do the Bartlett's for that matter) multiple times per day, preferably 3 or more. Anthias are also sexually very plastic. Just because there is a male present does not mean that another female won't become a male. And when one does, fireworks. Anthias, especially Dispar Anthias, are actually quite likely to kill each other off in such a small tank. Much more likely than Chromis.

Coral catfish for feeding balls when juveniles, they do not "school" in the classic sense, and they give up this behavior as they mature into big, ugly, voracious predators.

Firefish and Cardinals do not school. Like Wrasses, they may live in groups, but they don't really exhibit schooling behavior. Well, sometimes the Cardinals do, but only in large numbers. Yes, Firefish are open to intraspecific squabbling, as are cardinals, although less so.

Multiple 7" Bannerfish in a 75 is not going to be a pretty picture long-term. Talk about overcrowding.

I'd look more towards the damsels, particularly Chromis. If you have a deal of experience with marines, you might consider Anthias, but a 75 is very small for them. They move about quite a bit, burn a lot of energy, and need to feed a LOT.

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7869673#post7869673 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by KDodds
Ugh... what is this site coming to?

Sixlines are not schooling fish. No Wrasses that I am aware of are definable as schooling fish. They may live in aggregations in the wild, but they don't school (swim together in large groups in unison). The sixlines are also no bigger (and actually smaller) than the other species mentioned.

Chromis don't know how to count, despite living in schools, they won't start killing each other in less than x numbers. I've had 4 for about 5 years now. They're content enough with one another, apparently, to spawn constantly.

Dispars are not hardy at all, they're almost as delicate, in fact, as the pruple queen. They're also not "low on the bio-load" since they need to be fed (as do the Bartlett's for that matter) multiple times per day, preferably 3 or more. Anthias are also sexually very plastic. Just because there is a male present does not mean that another female won't become a male. And when one does, fireworks. Anthias, especially Dispar Anthias, are actually quite likely to kill each other off in such a small tank. Much more likely than Chromis.

Coral catfish for feeding balls when juveniles, they do not "school" in the classic sense, and they give up this behavior as they mature into big, ugly, voracious predators.

Firefish and Cardinals do not school. Like Wrasses, they may live in groups, but they don't really exhibit schooling behavior. Well, sometimes the Cardinals do, but only in large numbers. Yes, Firefish are open to intraspecific squabbling, as are cardinals, although less so.

Multiple 7" Bannerfish in a 75 is not going to be a pretty picture long-term. Talk about overcrowding.

I'd look more towards the damsels, particularly Chromis. If you have a deal of experience with marines, you might consider Anthias, but a 75 is very small for them. They move about quite a bit, burn a lot of energy, and need to feed a LOT.

I completely agree. Chromis is going to be one of your better choices at the moment. If the tank was larger, a harem of hardy Anthias or possibly a small harem of Flasher Wrasse would be feesible, but what was suggested on here thus far has been quite outlandish. In short, there really aren't any ornamental marine fish that truly school in such a small tank. Heck, Barracuda will "school", but there is no way I'ld put even one in a 75g.

Now, there is another option to schooling. It is just about as difficult to do as finding a fish that enjoys company as an adult. You can attempt a conspecific tank. Many fish do not tolerate same species or like species very well, but with a little research, you might be able to find a genera that would accept this.

Lastly, if you are looking for a real challenge, try to make your tank specific to an area. For example, try to make a Hawaii Tank. Then stock the proper fish that are found in Hawaii. For example, Yellow Tangs, Scopas Tangs, Potter's Angelfish, etc. all live in Hawaii.

[RichConley]

A harem of flasher wrasses might work. More shoaling than schooling, but still coo.

[MCary]

I love my little school of 4 Chromis. Couldn't imagine the tank without them. There is one big one, one medium and two small. They seem to have the change of command figured out and are not at all agressive toward one another.

Mike

[tuberider]

How about barred gobies or scissortail gobies?

[xtrstangx]

Chromis or Anthias are your best bet.

I see your in Manhattan (by your screen name), have you been to http://fishheads.org yet? Its a KS/MO forum.

[Clouded]

Ok, well everytime I have seen firefish and cardinals in multiple numbers in a tank, they hang out together and swim together...seems to be schooling to me and they are in perfect condition, which leads to me beleive they are not fighting and "schooling" together.

[xtrstangx]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7871086#post7871086 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Clouded
Ok, well everytime I have seen firefish and cardinals in multiple numbers in a tank, they hang out together and swim together...seems to be schooling to me and they are in perfect condition, which leads to me beleive they are not fighting and "schooling" together.

Cardinals stick together, but they don't school in the sense that they pace back and forth as a group in the tank like Chromis can.

[mikeshook]

I too have a group of 5 Chromis. They are great and like others with success there is the biggest one and they have a pecking order....I would really focus on the difference between Shoaling and Schooling....I have also had a success with the "pajama" cardinal gathering in groups. They too develop a pecking order. Most of the real marine schoolers that would fit in our tanks are baitfish and not very "ornamental".

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7871086#post7871086 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Clouded
Ok, well everytime I have seen firefish and cardinals in multiple numbers in a tank, they hang out together and swim together...seems to be schooling to me and they are in perfect condition, which leads to me beleive they are not fighting and "schooling" together.

The key is where have you seen this? Fish Stores or Private Tanks? Were they still juveniles? How long have they been in the tank? When was the last time the rockwork has been changed?

[KDodds]

Exactly. Maroon Clowns will "school" in LFS tanks, that doesn't mean the behavior is normal, or that it will continue, or that they won't kill each other eventually. ;)

[jsn150]

I had 5 chromis and lost 2 in a tank move... could I add 2 more to the 3 that are already established?

[KDodds]

I just added 8 one inchers to a 5yo mini-school of 4 three inchers in a 450. ;)

[jhorricks]

Chromis are the cheapest option while lyretail anthias are one the nicer options.