Reef Central Online Community

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community > General Interest Forums > Reef Discussion
Blogs FAQ Calendar

Notices

User Tag List

Reply
Thread Tools
Unread 04/13/2012, 03:38 PM   #1
HUNTER_0387
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: California
Posts: 49
Best schooling reef fish?

I've read many bad experiences with blue/green chromis so they're probably out..

So what's a good schooling reef fish? I'm thinking 3 or 5 fish

Thanks for your feedback!


Currently, I have a pair of BW clownfish, a pair of false percula clownfish, and one orchid dottyback in the DT. Future fish stocking: 1 flame angel, 1 mystery wrasse, one purple tang and one or two yellow tangs.


Tank Info and water parameters:
180G acrylic tank (72 x 24 x 24)
60G sump, 40G refugium
3-175W MH, 2-72" VHO
SRO 3000 INT
1/4th HP chiller
~200lbs live rock, 2-3 inch sandbed
0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 0 Nitrate
78 degrees temp.
1.025 salinity
8.2 pH


HUNTER_0387 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 03:43 PM   #2
Charley Diesing
Registered Member
 
Charley Diesing's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Austin Texas
Posts: 1,162
Yeah Chromis usually don't school, and just kill each other off...

You go two options really.

Cardinal Fish

Also in a 180G you could go with School Banner Butterfly fish 3-5 (there's a reef safe kind, and a non-reef safe kind) I think there really cool.


__________________
Have dominion over the fish of the sea

Current Tank Info: Currently Tankless: In the planning stage of next build.
Charley Diesing is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 03:44 PM   #3
snorvich
Team RC member
 
snorvich's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Outlander
Posts: 40,953
Blog Entries: 46
Actually, no fish will school in your tank. Various anthias will interact in a social pattern although it will not be in a group as you are expecting. Cardinals will initially shoal but then pair off.


__________________
Warmest regards,
~Steve~
snorvich is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 03:47 PM   #4
Charley Diesing
Registered Member
 
Charley Diesing's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Austin Texas
Posts: 1,162
Quote:
Originally Posted by snorvich View Post
Actually, no fish will school in your tank. Various anthias will interact in a social pattern although it will not be in a group as you are expecting. Cardinals will initially shoal but then pair off.
hmm interesting... Whats the difference between schooling, and interacting in social patterns?


__________________
Have dominion over the fish of the sea

Current Tank Info: Currently Tankless: In the planning stage of next build.
Charley Diesing is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 04:27 PM   #5
bnumair
Dr. Reef at ur service
 
bnumair's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA
Posts: 7,751
Blog Entries: 15
i have 9 ignitus anthias and 9 Resplendent Anthias they both stay in tight group pretty much all day, ignitus stay towards the middle and top left half and resplendent also stay in middle and right half of the tank but always togather and swimming,playing,eating togather.


__________________
Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300

"Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16

Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE
bnumair is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 07:18 PM   #6
SushiGirl
Premium Member
 
SushiGirl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Fort Worth, TX USA
Posts: 8,267
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charley Diesing View Post
hmm interesting... Whats the difference between schooling, and interacting in social patterns?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoaling_and_schooling

What you usually see in home aquariums is interaction. Some are more social than others, but schooling and shoaling in a tank isn't seen because there's no reason for it in a home aquarium.


__________________
Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics.

Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank
SushiGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 07:26 PM   #7
WrongGenotype
Registered Member
 
WrongGenotype's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Seattle
Posts: 487
+1 to Antheas. I have 8 chromis and they school, but I guess it can depend on the size of your tank. It's true that they will often kill each other off if they don't have enough room.


WrongGenotype is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 07:30 PM   #8
RG Rude
Registered Member
 
RG Rude's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Tampa Florida
Posts: 198
Quote:
Originally Posted by SushiGirl View Post
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoaling_and_schooling

What you usually see in home aquariums is interaction. Some are more social than others, but schooling and shoaling in a tank isn't seen because there's no reason for it in a home aquarium.
I did not realize that. I was thinking of five Longspine Cardinals for the 75 I am setting up, once its ready to be stocked.


RG Rude is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 07:39 PM   #9
Sk8r
RC Mod
 
Sk8r's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Spokane WA
Posts: 34,628
Blog Entries: 55
If your tank is over 100 gallons and has swimming room, various damsels will do this behavior: they at least defend their holes (each damsel has a predator-refuge and defends it tooth and nail)---they rarely hurt each other (in the daytime) and if you don't get an overload of one species, you can keep your whole tank moving: a had a blue velvet, blue devil, sergeant major and 5 chromis, with a domino, and that lot was always up and moving.


__________________
Sk8r

Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low.

Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.
Sk8r is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 08:18 PM   #10
TimeConsumer
Registered Member
 
TimeConsumer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: New Orleans, La
Posts: 1,919
I would go with the Anthias. They like to sit in a spot of high flow and swim in place and it looks great. Bartlett's anthias are my favorite for their peaceful personality, small maximum size, and beautiful coloration.


__________________
Steve - Retired from reefing, for now.
TimeConsumer is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 08:31 PM   #11
RyanSweatt2004
Registered Member
 
RyanSweatt2004's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: maine
Posts: 590
I think the key to keeping schools of green chromis is lots of water current, and to feed small foods 2-3 times a day. I've had a nice group of 20 green chromis together in my 120 for about 4 months so far and they stay within about a 12 inch radius of each other. I've kept groups of 8-10 long term this way as well.


RyanSweatt2004 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 08:52 PM   #12
albano
SALTWATER since '73
 
albano's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Katonah, NY/ San Fernando Ca./ Sea Isle City NJ
Posts: 6,210
I've had good luck with Bar Gobies (Zebra) always swimming together, and if startled, all hiding together


__________________
______________________________________

Jan. '11 TOTM Manhattan Reefs

Current Tank Info: 500g & 200g acrylic DTs/2 separate reef systems
albano is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/13/2012, 09:27 PM   #13
MARINECRITTERS
Registered Member
 
MARINECRITTERS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,525
Bartlett anthias.... but fish don't exactly school in the average home aquarium.... unless it is 10000000000 gallons and filled with predators.


well actually all of my sergeant majors seem to swim in a sort of "schooling" pattern


MARINECRITTERS is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/14/2012, 06:54 AM   #14
username in use
Sciencing Daily
 
username in use's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 6,560
Red Spot Glass Cardinals don't split off into pairs. They are small though, so in a 180 you may want a pack of 8-10, but they are cool and stay pretty tight together.


__________________
Joshua


"With fronds like these, who needs anemones?" - Albert Einstein

Current Tank Info: multiple nano's sprinkled around the house
username in use is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/14/2012, 07:22 AM   #15
snorvich
Team RC member
 
snorvich's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Outlander
Posts: 40,953
Blog Entries: 46
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charley Diesing View Post
hmm interesting... Whats the difference between schooling, and interacting in social patterns?
Since this issue comes up so frequently on Reef Central, some additional information might be useful. An aggregation of fish is the general term for any collection of fish that have gathered together in some locality. Fish aggregations can be structured or unstructured. An unstructured aggregation might be a group of mixed species and sizes that have gathered randomly near some local resource, such as food or nesting sites.

If, in addition, the aggregation comes together in an interactive, social way, they are said to be shoaling. Although shoaling fish can relate to each other in a loose way, with each fish swimming and foraging somewhat independently, they are nonetheless aware of the other members of the group as shown by the way they adjust behavior such as swimming, so as to remain close to the other fish in the group. Shoaling groups can include fish of disparate sizes and can including mixed-species subgroups. Many anthias will shoal as mentioned above.

If, as a further addition, the shoal becomes more tightly organized, with the fish synchronizing their swimming so they all move at the same speed and in the same direction, then the fish are said to be schooling. Schooling fish are usually of the same species and the same age/size. Fish schools move with the individual members precisely spaced from each other. The schools undertake complicated maneuvers, as though the schools as a whole have minds of their own. We do not see this in normally sized hobbyist tanks. In a very large tank, glassy sweepers will school.

Shoaling is a special case of aggregating, and schooling is a special case of shoaling. While schooling and shoaling mean different things within biology, they are often treated as synonyms by non-specialists, with speakers of British English tending to use "shoaling" to describe any grouping of fish, while speakers of American English tend to use "schooling" just as loosely.[1] The intricacies of schooling are far from fully understood, especially the swimming and feeding energetics. Many hypotheses to explain the function of schooling have been suggested, such as better orientation, synchronized hunting, predator confusion and reduced risk of being found. Schooling also has disadvantages, such as excretion buildup in the breathing media and oxygen and food depletion. The way the fish array in the school probably gives energy saving advantages, though this is controversial.

Fish can be obligate or facultative shoalers. Obligate shoalers, such as tunas, herrings and anchovy, spend all of their time shoaling or schooling, and become agitated if separated from the group. Facultative shoalers, such as Atlantic cod, saiths and some carangids, shoal only some of the time, perhaps for reproductive purposes.

Shoaling fish can shift into a disciplined and coordinated school, then shift back to an amorphous shoal within seconds. Such shifts are triggered by changes of activity from feeding, resting, traveling or avoiding predators.

Probably more than you really wanted to know.


__________________
Warmest regards,
~Steve~
snorvich is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/14/2012, 07:24 AM   #16
snorvich
Team RC member
 
snorvich's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Outlander
Posts: 40,953
Blog Entries: 46
Quote:
Originally Posted by username in use View Post
Red Spot Glass Cardinals don't split off into pairs. They are small though, so in a 180 you may want a pack of 8-10, but they are cool and stay pretty tight together.
Yes, that is correct. A bit delicate and require frequent feeding with small frozen foods.


__________________
Warmest regards,
~Steve~
snorvich is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/14/2012, 08:22 AM   #17
Reef Bass
colors and textures
 
Reef Bass's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Petaluma CA
Posts: 6,301
Nice schoaling versus schooling explanation. Thanks.


__________________
The human desires for instant gratification and immediate problem resolution cannot be satisfied with this hobby.

Former president and co-president of the Wine Country Reefers.

Current Tank Info: 60 gallons of Scleractinia and Zoanthidae lit w/ LEDs
Reef Bass is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/14/2012, 11:15 AM   #18
mattsilvester
Registered Member
 
mattsilvester's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Posts: 3,375
Interesting ...... I was gonna post a similar thread..... bartlett's anthias sound nice ..... anyone got some home-video's of then in the home aquarium ..... "interacting".


__________________
Regards,

Matt

"Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men."

"Nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit" - no man is at all times wise.

"To a hammer, everything is a nail!"

Current Tank Info: RSM 130
mattsilvester is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/14/2012, 11:45 AM   #19
trinidiver
Registered Member
 
trinidiver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Sweet Trinidad & Tobago. (West Indies)
Posts: 1,141
Bartlet Anthias are very nice to have. Just make sure and put them in at the same time.
I bought 5 of them (thats all the LFS had shipped in from the US) and put them in my tank. 3 males/2females, 1 female died about 1mth later and about 3mths later i added 1 small male and 3 small females..................... only the former male that had the female as his mate accepted another female. The other males are beating the crap out of the other 3 females and they are always hiding. they hardly get to eat properly and i cant catch them out (the males) cause my tank is loaded with rock and coral. So try to put them in all together. Dont know if its just me. Other than that, they are great fish


__________________
Always expect anything from your friends......they will shoot you down as they get a chance.

Current Tank Info: Its a 220gal reef.......LPS/leathers/zoas. Check my album.
trinidiver is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/09/2012, 04:29 PM   #20
dg3147
Registered Member
 
dg3147's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Pasadena, CA
Posts: 1,178
Oddly enough, the Black Bar Chromis in my tank. 6 x1 year with no problem. Look Idenetical to the green chromis.


__________________
Elos 160XL | Powermodule LED/T5 | BK Double cone 200 | Pasadena, CA

Home page:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23482778#post23482778
dg3147 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/09/2012, 04:37 PM   #21
Jcohen9999
Overkill Reefer
 
Jcohen9999's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Syosset, NY
Posts: 740
I have 3 scissor gobies in my 95 and the always remain in a tight group. This includes a group dart into their hole when the bigs guys coming swimming by too fast.

Not everyone's cup of tea but I like them for contrast to the rest of the inhabitants and I'll probably be adding 3 more when I find some healthy specimens.

Jeff


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


Jcohen9999 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/09/2012, 04:40 PM   #22
JackiB
Registered Member
 
JackiB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Mooresville,NC
Posts: 68
I agree with the long spine/threadfin cardinals. I have 5 in my 120 and they are together most of time with the exception of when the males are carrying eggs, they stay close to the rocks then.


JackiB is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/09/2012, 04:48 PM   #23
D-Nak
Registered Member
 
D-Nak's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 5,797
I have both green chromis (6) and threadfin cardinals (5) in my 120. When I added a bluethroat trigger I noticed that they tend to stick together in closer "schools". It could be a coincidence but I also wonder if they view the trigger as a threat and therefore school closer together.


D-Nak is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:23 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2025 Axivo Inc.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef CentralTM Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2022
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2025 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.