"best" schooling fish...

dnsfpl · 01/20/2009, 09:17 AM

my vote goes to chromis, reason being its changes color while schooling, from green to blue to purple, and best of all its least aggressive

"best" is pretty subjective, if possible please state your reasoning to support your stand
cheers

46FiatYamaha · 01/20/2009, 09:24 AM

I like chromis as well, the iridescent colors are great and never pick on anybody but themselves

DevilBoy · 01/20/2009, 09:26 AM

I think a school of Bangaii Cardinals or Firefish would be cool.

GSMguy · 01/20/2009, 09:30 AM

Apagon cardinals, they are much more peaceful than chromis and they actually school in small tanks something chromis wont do.

bdepp · 01/20/2009, 09:35 AM

+1 for chromis

jgln · 01/20/2009, 10:36 AM

Tuna

Chihuahua6 · 01/20/2009, 11:04 AM

If you have a large tank, nothing beats Yellow Pyramid Butterflies imo. Mine stay close together 90% of the time.
Here's a not so good pic.

sassafrass · 01/20/2009, 11:06 AM

Schooling is a survival behavior to defeat predation once your fish discovers there are no predators the schooling behavior will cease.Some types of fish will shoal (they gather in a group ,but don't swim around that way)cardinals are one of those types.Chromis over a period of time will continue to kill the weakest one until there is only one left, unless you have a very large tank. In my 150 I started with 5 ,1.5 years later there is 1 left.

suasponte2/75 · 01/20/2009, 11:47 AM

I have chromis and apagon cardinals and must say that I've been sorely dissappointed in the chromis' schooling behavior. After a few months they pretty much stopped while the cardinals have been schooling every day for the last year or so.

If you're looking for a nice small schooling type of fish, I highly recommend as the above poster recommended, the apagon (blue eyed) cardinals. Also, they don't pick on each other like chromis do.

GSMguy · 01/20/2009, 12:23 PM

Chromis fight always, the apagon is the only cardinal that will shoal without agression the flame and bangaii don't shoal in the same way.

m8j4c · 01/20/2009, 01:24 PM

I think nothing looks cooler than a school of bangai cardinalfish!

LobsterOfJustice · 01/20/2009, 01:27 PM

Banggai cardinals are not a good option for schooling, as when they mature they will pair off and kill others.

chimmike · 01/20/2009, 01:30 PM

anthias, but of course, they shoal, not school

DT's_Reef · 01/20/2009, 02:15 PM

I also recommend apagon cardinals. They're the best. Super peaceful, always schooling.

They don't swim all over either using lots of energy requiring lots of feeding (e.g., they're not crap factories...something to consider when you want a bunch of "something"!).

snorvich · 01/20/2009, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DevilBoy
I think a school of Bangaii Cardinals or Firefish would be cool.

Neither of these fish like each other. You get at best two otherwise they kill each other in the long run.

snorvich · 01/20/2009, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sassafrass
Schooling is a survival behavior to defeat predation once your fish discovers there are no predators the schooling behavior will cease.Some types of fish will shoal (they gather in a group ,but don't swim around that way)cardinals are one of those types.Chromis over a period of time will continue to kill the weakest one until there is only one left, unless you have a very large tank. In my 150 I started with 5 ,1.5 years later there is 1 left.

I agree. Apogons will shoal but very few other fish will in our aquaria.

snorvich · 01/20/2009, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by m8j4c
I think nothing looks cooler than a school of bangai cardinalfish!

Have your tried this? You will end up with either one or two, never more.

aztbs · 01/20/2009, 02:46 PM

I started with 8 healthy blue eyed cardinals (the pictures above do not do them justice). They do school nicely when very small. As they mature, I have also witnessed the group murder the weakest of the bunch one at a time. Now I am down to 3, and they seem to have settled in to a nice breeding routine.

Some of my very first fish where chromis, and after 3 years, I was left with one.
I tried Anthias, but when the male died, the entire group of females had an all out power struggle and killed each other.

I really really liked the idea of a group of fish in my tank, but I have given up on the idea.

Kengar · 01/20/2009, 03:18 PM

my vote goes for a school -- six or eight at least! -- of gem tangs. Can't beat it!

Kenmx10 · 01/20/2009, 07:37 PM

Heniochus

Aurora D. · 01/20/2009, 08:02 PM

I think it is hard to attain natural schooling behavior in the aquarium without putting the fish in danger, because the main reason most fish school is to avoid danger.

snorvich · 01/20/2009, 08:37 PM

Actually it is impossible to attain natural schooling behavior in an aquarium of our size. Schooling is a specialized form of shoaling in response to a perceived threat.

Moondog123 · 01/20/2009, 08:55 PM

i like anthias

Kenmx10 · 01/20/2009, 09:29 PM

My Heniochus tend to stay together most the time . unless they are eating. Then its every fish for themselves.

dnsfpl · 01/21/2009, 12:25 AM

wow quite a lot of choice to consider

01/20/2009, 09:17 AM	#1
dnsfpl Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,121	"best" schooling fish... my vote goes to chromis, reason being its changes color while schooling, from green to blue to purple, and best of all its least aggressive "best" is pretty subjective, if possible please state your reasoning to support your stand cheers

01/20/2009, 09:30 AM	#4
GSMguy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northern New Mexico Posts: 17,420	Apagon cardinals, they are much more peaceful than chromis and they actually school in small tanks something chromis wont do. __________________ Nick. Conehead. Shallow Reef club. Current Tank Info: 48"x27"x14" Envision Acrylic rimless, 6x39w ATi Sunpower, Custom ATB Deluxe Skimmer, 4x tunze nano stream,ATB flowstar 1500, ACJR, Tunze osmolator.

01/20/2009, 10:36 AM	#6
jgln Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Pedricktown,NJ Posts: 555	Tuna __________________ Jim Current Tank Info: 125g reef with 30g sump/fuge

01/20/2009, 11:04 AM	#7
Chihuahua6 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: West Hempstead, NY Posts: 2,124	If you have a large tank, nothing beats Yellow Pyramid Butterflies imo. Mine stay close together 90% of the time. Here's a not so good pic. __________________ Leah Amanda Current Tank Info: First salt tank 1985, current tank 150 g acrylic

01/20/2009, 12:23 PM	#10
GSMguy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northern New Mexico Posts: 17,420	Chromis fight always, the apagon is the only cardinal that will shoal without agression the flame and bangaii don't shoal in the same way. __________________ Nick. Conehead. Shallow Reef club. Current Tank Info: 48"x27"x14" Envision Acrylic rimless, 6x39w ATi Sunpower, Custom ATB Deluxe Skimmer, 4x tunze nano stream,ATB flowstar 1500, ACJR, Tunze osmolator.

01/20/2009, 09:24 AM	#2
46FiatYamaha Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Matthews NC Posts: 990	I like chromis as well, the iridescent colors are great and never pick on anybody but themselves

01/20/2009, 09:26 AM	#3
DevilBoy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Wooster, Ohio Posts: 1,724	I think a school of Bangaii Cardinals or Firefish would be cool.

01/20/2009, 09:35 AM	#5
bdepp Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 240	+1 for chromis

01/20/2009, 11:06 AM	#8
sassafrass Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: capitola ca Posts: 1,729	Schooling is a survival behavior to defeat predation once your fish discovers there are no predators the schooling behavior will cease.Some types of fish will shoal (they gather in a group ,but don't swim around that way)cardinals are one of those types.Chromis over a period of time will continue to kill the weakest one until there is only one left, unless you have a very large tank. In my 150 I started with 5 ,1.5 years later there is 1 left.

01/20/2009, 11:47 AM	#9
suasponte2/75 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Bay Area (Fremont, CA) Posts: 514	I have chromis and apagon cardinals and must say that I've been sorely dissappointed in the chromis' schooling behavior. After a few months they pretty much stopped while the cardinals have been schooling every day for the last year or so. If you're looking for a nice small schooling type of fish, I highly recommend as the above poster recommended, the apagon (blue eyed) cardinals. Also, they don't pick on each other like chromis do.

01/20/2009, 01:24 PM	#11
m8j4c Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Livermore, Ca. Posts: 69	I think nothing looks cooler than a school of bangai cardinalfish!

01/20/2009, 01:27 PM	#12
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	Banggai cardinals are not a good option for schooling, as when they mature they will pair off and kill others. __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles

01/20/2009, 01:30 PM	#13
chimmike oxygen abuser Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Parrish, FL Posts: 5,089 Blog Entries: 2	anthias, but of course, they shoal, not school __________________ -Mike Tankless wonder Geaux Noles!

01/20/2009, 02:15 PM	#14
DT's_Reef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 3,083	I also recommend apagon cardinals. They're the best. Super peaceful, always schooling. They don't swim all over either using lots of energy requiring lots of feeding (e.g., they're not crap factories...something to consider when you want a bunch of "something"!). __________________ 85g starphire system, 38"x26"x20", 250w Radium SE + Galaxy Ballast + Lumenmax Elite reflector, Tunze Nano Wave Box, 2 Tunze Nano Streams, Profilux dosing system (2-part + vodka), ATB 840 Skimmer, Eheim 1262 return pump.

01/20/2009, 02:46 PM	#18
aztbs Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Chandler, AZ Posts: 4,492	I started with 8 healthy blue eyed cardinals (the pictures above do not do them justice). They do school nicely when very small. As they mature, I have also witnessed the group murder the weakest of the bunch one at a time. Now I am down to 3, and they seem to have settled in to a nice breeding routine. Some of my very first fish where chromis, and after 3 years, I was left with one. I tried Anthias, but when the male died, the entire group of females had an all out power struggle and killed each other. I really really liked the idea of a group of fish in my tank, but I have given up on the idea.

01/20/2009, 03:18 PM	#19
Kengar Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Gaithersburg, MD (D.C. Metro Area) Posts: 1,970	my vote goes for a school -- six or eight at least! -- of gem tangs. Can't beat it! __________________ Resident Patent Attorney

01/20/2009, 07:37 PM	#20
Kenmx10 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Charleston S.C. Posts: 771	Heniochus

01/20/2009, 08:02 PM	#21
Aurora D. Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 325	I think it is hard to attain natural schooling behavior in the aquarium without putting the fish in danger, because the main reason most fish school is to avoid danger. __________________ Cats, Gardens, and Reefs... OH MY!!

01/20/2009, 08:37 PM	#22
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	Actually it is impossible to attain natural schooling behavior in an aquarium of our size. Schooling is a specialized form of shoaling in response to a perceived threat. __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

01/20/2009, 08:55 PM	#23
Moondog123 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Shoals Area, Alabama Posts: 134	i like anthias

01/20/2009, 09:29 PM	#24
Kenmx10 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Charleston S.C. Posts: 771	Heniochus My Heniochus tend to stay together most the time . unless they are eating. Then its every fish for themselves.

01/21/2009, 12:25 AM	#25
dnsfpl Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,121	wow quite a lot of choice to consider __________________ Achilles Tang \| Bandit, 2 x False Shepardi Angelfish \| Cleaner, Flame & Mystery Wrasse