Help me build a nice fish list

[ReefRockerLive]

I've been browsing the Live Aquaria and Blue Zoo sites looking for unique fish that will display shoaling behavior and ones that will not become overly territorial due to space limitations.

The tank is 67g (36" x 24" x 18") and currently holds the following fish:

2x Blue eye Cardinals (2")
1x Adornatus Wrasse (3")
1x Aeurus Cardinal (1.5")
1x Tailspot Blenny (1.25")
1x Percula Clown (1.5")
1x Aiptasia Filefish (2")
1x Foxface (3") *Peaceful, but may be removed soon due to potential size.

My goal is to have a fish population that displays shoaling behavior while maintaining color balance. Cardinals have become my new favorite fish for their unique characteristics and appearance.

Being in the hobby for 10 years, I've decided to look past common fish such as Banggais', PJs', Hawkfish, and firefish. I'm staying away from surgeonfish since the tank isn't big enough.

I've been thinking about adding 5 or 7 more Blue eye cardinals which are about 1-1.5", my only hesitation is with the existing ones in the tank. I tried a small group of aeurus cardinals which were an inch and one by one, my tailspot decided to take'em out until there was one left.

So here's what I am thinking about adding:
*Borbonius Anthias
*Bimaculatus Hog
*3-5 Green Chromis


Suggestions and advice would be helpful.

 

[rssjsb]

Those are nice dimensions for a reef tank, and it sounds like a nice list.

I'm never sure what people have in mind when they use the word "shoaling," but I doubt you'll see behavior in the fish you've listed that looks like grouping together in that size tank. Think about your aquarium as a 36 x 24 x 18 rectangle removed straight from the ocean. A group of fish in that space would likely consider themselves in a shoal, even if they are evenly distributed within the space and even if to us, they appear to be randomly spread out from front to back and top to bottom.

There are some tiny cardinals (red spots) and dartfish that may group together in a nice display in that space, depending on what else you've got going on in there. I don't know if the separate species of cardinals will group together at all. Maybe someone else who's tried this will speak up.

I would skip the foxface. They're nice and useful fish, but they grow pretty fast and will be too big for your tank before you know it. They get every bit as big as some tangs that people would not even consider for smaller or mid-size tanks. And they're really skittish, especially in tight spaces. If you're thinking about them for algae control, there are better options. Your tailspot will eat a surprising amount of filamentous algae, for example. And you can get crabs that will limit bubble algae.

Borbs are great fish, if expensive. I've never kept hogfish, but am assuming that they're like any other wrasse in terms of compatibility with the rest of your list. You'll probably end up with one or two chromis, assuming the ones you get are healthy.

Hope this helps.

 

[ReefRockerLive]

Rssjsb, thank you for your input. Your point of view on shoaling makes a lot of sense and gives me a new way to look at fish.

The rabbitfish will be taken out of the tank in a couple weeks.

I really like the Red Spot cardinals, but they have such poor survival rate. Perhaps, adding the extra blue eye cardinals and a few fiveline cardinals would do well.

How about rosy scales fairy wrasses, do they have a territorial temperament? Does anyone feel this fish and the adornatus would pick a fight with each other?

 

[reefgoddess808]

The one spot foxface should be ok in 70 gals, yours is 67 I would think thats close enough

 

[reefer91]

The one spot foxface should be ok in 70 gals, yours is 67 I would think thats close enough

It's not an issue of gallons. It's an issue of footprint.

 

[DopeCantWin]

The one spot foxface should be ok in 70 gals, yours is 67 I would think thats close enough

-1. My 90 gallon didn't allow it to display proper behavior. In my 210 it eats from my fingers. 70 gallons is way too low.

 

[agent1923]

I have about 10 chromis which I purchased for shoaling qualities. They rarely stick together unless threatened by other fish. I aslo think that if you have a few big chromis and the rest very small; the smaller ones will relentlessly follow teh big guys which gives the appearence of shoaling.

 

[BonnieMiller]

Our reef is a 70 gallon we have 9 chromis fish in it....we will add more bigger fish soon....

 

[arnoldrew]

I've been browsing the Live Aquaria and Blue Zoo sites looking for unique fish that will display shoaling behavior and ones that will not become overly territorial due to space limitations.

The tank is 67g (36" x 24" x 18") and currently holds the following fish:

2x Blue eye Cardinals (2")
1x Adornatus Wrasse (3")
1x Aeurus Cardinal (1.5")
1x Tailspot Blenny (1.25")
1x Percula Clown (1.5")
1x Aiptasia Filefish (2")
1x Foxface (3") *Peaceful, but may be removed soon due to potential size.

My goal is to have a fish population that displays shoaling behavior while maintaining color balance. Cardinals have become my new favorite fish for their unique characteristics and appearance.

Being in the hobby for 10 years, I've decided to look past common fish such as Banggais', PJs', Hawkfish, and firefish. I'm staying away from surgeonfish since the tank isn't big enough.

I've been thinking about adding 5 or 7 more Blue eye cardinals which are about 1-1.5", my only hesitation is with the existing ones in the tank. I tried a small group of aeurus cardinals which were an inch and one by one, my tailspot decided to take'em out until there was one left.

So here's what I am thinking about adding:
*Borbonius Anthias
*Bimaculatus Hog
*3-5 Green Chromis


Suggestions and advice would be helpful.

Despite what people say, I've never seen chromis display shoaling behavior. However, I have seen it in the blue eye cardinals. I've even seen them shoal with pajama cardinals and make a rather dense cloud of fish (~20) in a 180 gallon.