Suggestions on Schooling fish.... ? ? ? ?

shortbusldtang

shortbusldtang

Member
Was curious on what kind of fhish you would suggest for a fish only / live rock peaceful tank. I've been told Goby/chromis/ Any suggestions on what will stay out front/ swim together and add great color to my tank? Right now I have a Powder Blue tang 4" a Blue Hippo Tang 4" a Blonde Naso 6" and two nemos.... 100lb live rock and 3" sand bed. Was thinking i'm going to be doin fish only so I don't really need to worry about reef safe.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
I agree on the chromis in certain situations. What is in this tank now? What size is it? If you add a school of chromis once the other fish are in there then they will be fine. If you add the chromis first then they may not work out so well. Chromis, like all damsels, live by a hierarchy system. The weakest is cast aside or killed. The group dwindles. They are best in groups of eight or more. If you add them last then you don't need such a large group.
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
If your tank is large enough then a small group of anthias would be cool. Ghost cardinals also stick together.
While the chromis would be cheaper, they tend to pick each other off like sepulation said.
-Justin
 
shortbusldtang

shortbusldtang

Member
Wow as always I come back with lots of feedback... This site rocks. I was actually thinking about pajama cardinals but someone told me they tend to hide out in rock a lot and then dart out for food only here and there. Anyone have experience with these? Are they hardy? School? School out and about or school in one spot under rocks where they can't be seen?> I was lookin at the blue green chromis listed in the picture above. do they stay out and about? Will they pick one another off?
 
fishkid13

fishkid13

Active Member
Chromis/Cradinalfish/ I like them both and have had schools of both I have 6blue/green chromis right now and going to get a few PJ cradinals or longspine cardinals.
 
shortbusldtang

shortbusldtang

Member
Hmmm, Have you received any feedback from people about the pajamas? Will they stay hidden or school out and about? I've heard both.
 
nano reefer

nano reefer

Active Member
chromis or anthias. chromis at a small size need to be fed 3x a day. anthias look way better, but their prices do not.
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
I've never seen a school of PJ cardinals, but I know that ghost (longspine) cardinals do. IMO they look nicer too.
-Justin
 
gweezpie

gweezpie

Member
I would stay away from damsels ...especially dominos. look at Chromis. I ahd a domino and is was the meanest fish ever. I finally put a mysis shrim on a #12 trout hook and caught that little SOB and banished him to the sump!
 
gnorman

gnorman

Active Member
I have schooled both Blue/Green Chromis and Benggai Cardinals. I prefer the Chromis. They are quick swimmers and add a lot of movement to the tank. However, you have a few tangs so if you are not looking for movement but volume, go with the cardinals. As said before, you will need to get them in odd numbers because the cardinals operate in a pecking order and will kill the weakest.
 
ci11337

ci11337

Active Member
Getting a happy shoal of fish can be very difficult, and often boil down to a lone fish or a pair. The easiest species to get a nice little shoal of is longspine cardinals, they stick together no matter how many and never seem to fight.
 
dameindistress

dameindistress

Member
Just admire the DAMNsels in the lfs. Especially if your system is at peace already. I am trying to get rid of my domino damsels, blue damels and yellowtail damsels. The dominos are REALLY getting aggressive towards each other and they get very bold towards the other fish especially @ feeding times. They were darling when tiny, rescued them from being sucked to death in the overflow. Now they are hard to catch. They are too smart! Yes they school- unless thats all you want in your tank.
 
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