Large Reef tank Schooling Fish??

[Mattsaquariums]

Planning to go big and start a very big reef tank (undecided on size) but I would love to find or have a schooling fish in my reef tank. Any ideas on a fish that would school nicely in a large reef tank? Was thinking some type of anthias or something? Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[Charley Diesing]

Planning to go big and start a very big reef tank (undecided on size) but I would love to find or have a schooling fish in my reef tank. Any ideas on a fish that would school nicely in a large reef tank? Was thinking some type of anthias or something? Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

From the research I've done on this topic I have found that no fish school in the home aquarium... Unless you're talking like 3000 gallons + big.

That being said some fish "shoal" research shoaling vs schooling on wiki to give you an idea.

Fish that shoal in the home aquarium are...

*Blue/green chromis (they generally kill each-other off in a matter of months)
*Long-spine Cardinal-fish (great option as far as availability goes)
*Red spot Cardinal-fish (beautiful but high mortality rate and hard to come by)
*Various types of Anthias

Your best bet is cardinals or Anthias IMO... Schooling will not happen.

 

[brett559]

Lookdowns? I think they are ugly as sin, but I think they exhibit some of those behaviors in LARGE tanks.

 

[vhuang168]

I think you should define "very big". Very big mean different to different people


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[juniorrocketdad]

Idk how big we're talking but I always wanted to try a school if moorish idols although this would be very challenging to get a large number of them

 

[ThRoewer]

If you set up the rock work right, Grammas may do the trick. They will stand in front of a wall like you often see it with Anthias, but without the aggression you often get with those.
At times they may also form a school to explore other parts of the tank - at least that's how my 3 behave.

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[snorvich]

In biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are shoaling (pronounced /ˈʃoʊlɪŋ/), and if the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are schooling (pronounced /ˈskuːlɪŋ/).[1] In common usage, the terms are sometimes used rather loosely.[1] About one quarter of fish species shoal all their lives, and about one half shoal for part of their lives.[2] The only schoolomg fish in aquria that I know of are glassy sweepers; theo require a rather large tank, however

 

[andy67]

I have 21 longspine cardinals. Awesome looking fish and the way they school is very cool. make sure you get twice the amount you want. they have a high mortality rate

 

[MarkW64]

I have 21 longspine cardinals. Awesome looking fish and the way they school is very cool. make sure you get twice the amount you want. they have a high mortality rate

+1. I have a group of 6 "longspine" cardinals that I really like. Also called "threadfin". Actually got my six from Petco where they called them "blue-eyed". I've had mine for about two months with no mortality. Wish I could have afforded an even larger group!

 

[Jeff4777]

How big are we talking? I love anthias personally.

 

[carrots]

My vote would be for a dozen Blue/Green Chromis. They stay in a group and are very active in the top 1/3 of the tank. Only get them if you are able to feed them four or more times a day. If you feed them less and they will start to pick off the weakest rather quickly. The standard 2 feedings a day will not be enough for this active fish.

 

[Maritimer]

The public aquarium where I work on weekends recently opened a 3,000 gallon (coral insert) reef exhibit. Several groups of anthias in the tank (Bartlett's, lyretail, pink-square) seem to spread out throughout the upper third of the water column; a group of about a dozen and a half green chromis tend to pack into a fairly tight shoal. A green amorphous mass holding station among all that orange... This behaviour is strongest during the early part of the day, when there's a several-hours-long drip of brine shrimp nauplii going into the top of the tank . . . (>__<)

~Bruce

 

[snorvich]

I have 21 longspine cardinals. Awesome looking fish and the way they school is very cool. make sure you get twice the amount you want. they have a high mortality rate

In the long run, they will pair up and go their own ways and no longer shoal.

 

[Kremis]

I have a small group of 3 pyramids in my 180, they usually stick together and roam around the tank. Depending on how large the tank is, this could work out greatr

 

[nuxx]

Closest I have are a group of 3 male and 1 female Huchtii Anthias that stick together. The 4 Orange Anthias really don't.

Also the 3 Pajama Cardinals stick together... meh...

I have 3 to 4 Zebrasoma Tangs that stick together as well (Yellow, Yellow, Black and Black Hybrid).