Schooling fish

[Reefguard]

Thanks Boomer.

[AustinReef]

Boomer great pics, but they dont do that fish justice when seen in person under good lighting. Every move they make flashes a different shade of blue or purple.

[sincityreefer]

well since no one has mentioned them yet, i shall. What about bar gobys, i have a school of 4 in my 120, pretty interesting fish i think...

[Craig Manoukian]

Originally posted by Craig Manoukian
Gobies like the Fire Fish or Banded/Barred like to school as well.

SCR,

Did you miss me?

[addict]

Like wooddood mentioned, I have a school of 8 chromis in my 120, and they're great fun. I haven't noticed any aggressiveness between them at all, except for when they initially went into the tank and had to establish their pecking order. Even then most of it was mock aggressiveness, with little nips and fin flares than outright battle. My orchid dottyback loves to rush the school and make them scatter, which he does a couple times daily.
I also have a small school of 3 Firefish, though they tend to be more free-swimmers than the chromis, and sometimes venture apart in the tank.
The firefish also had to establish a pecking order, and once that was completed their aggressiveness toward one another has subsided.

Good luck with your decision

[mps9506]

BTW,
Regarding th anthias, the reason I don't recomend them, is simply their need for food. When people recomended feeding a few times a day, they aren't kidding when it comes to anthias.
There are some beutiful anthias no doubt, one of the reasons I got into SW aquaria, but after researching them, I came to the conclusion they were a bit too high maintence for me, my girlfriend is about the only high maintence thing I can handle.

Cardinals are pretty low maintence in my experience, they aren't a very "interactive" fish though. I would have to say they seem to be one of the "dumber" fish I have ever kept. They don't seem to recognize me and react the way other fish in my aquariums tend to. They do prepare to eat when I walk up to the tank, but all my other fish tend to dance or start swim back and forth, etc. These guys just sit and stare They are fun to watch dart around the tank though.

All this talk about fish, keeps making me realize I don't have anyfish in my tank anymore... Guess I should start looking around for some fishies for the sps tank.
Mike

[Craig Manoukian]

Mike,

Did I say a male and harem of Flasher Wrasses?

[mps9506]

Originally posted by Craig Manoukian
Mike,

Did I say a male and harem of Flasher Wrasses?

What's that? You suggest longspine cardinals?

J/k
I love flasher wrasses, I just wish I had a tank big enough to keep a few hundred of them.
Only wrasse I ever kept in a personal tank was a lubbocks fairy wrasse, he was such a wimpy fish too, let the tang and the clowns boss him around. He finally decided one day he had enough and decided to jump towards that bright halide in the sky, and found himself on the dry carpet on the floor.

Mike

[Craig Manoukian]

Mike,

All you need is a buff Carpenter's Wrasse with some ladies to impress and you won't believe the coloration and display. Your tank should be able to handle four or five 3.5" fish, eh?

[wooddood]

go look at playa's pic in the photo gallery and tell me the green chromis are'nt the way to go i dont know exactly how many he has but thier not in a school thier in college

[mps9506]

Originally posted by Craig Manoukian
Mike,

All you need is a buff Carpenter's Wrasse with some ladies to impress and you won't believe the coloration and display. Your tank should be able to handle four or five 3.5" fish, eh?

EEEK...
Four or five wrasses in a 40 breeder? You really think so?
I know my filtration can handle that, but do you think they will enjoy that size?
Mike

[Craig Manoukian]

In a forty breeder I would go with no more than 4 total fish and in a harem situation, no problem. With two males it would be a different story.

[sincityreefer]

I really dislike green chromis.. You know a chromis is related to damselfish, so, just like my other damsels i used to have my now elderly chromis have started to act like any other damsel, they dont school up much anymore, they have become VERY teritorial, they nip at everything. I used to have a school of 6 in my 120, but i have been trying to catch them for the last couple weeks. I replaced them with a school of 4 bar gobys, i love em, much more interesting IMO, I might do chromis again but only if i had a BIG tank >300gal, so they could have plenty of their "own" teritory. JMHO. good luck

[wooddood]

sincity are you sure your talking about green lyre tail chromis? i have six in my 120 and have for a long time and have never seen any aggression out of them and have naver seen them nip at any of my corals. they are always swimming in the open water. i'd like to see what playa and reefer addict and anyone else that has them has to say. mine have been model tank inhabitants.

[Craig Manoukian]

Two years and my Green Chromis are a scream to watch, no aggression. When they go to the big reef in the sky, Flasher Wrasse harem for sure.