Little fish in a big tank - more than one way to do it

[LobsterOfJustice]

Hey all,

I've always been a fan of filling a tank up with more small fish rather than fewer larger fish. I'm going back and forth on how to execute this on my tank that I'm starting to stock now. Basically, a lot single individuals of different types of fish, or fewer types of fish, but in groups.

Basically, assuming the tank was big enough to house this many fish, which stock list would you prefer?

Royal Gramma
Green Chromis
Bicolor Blenny
Orange Clown
Black Clown
Rainfordi Goby
Candy Hogfish
Mandarin
Yasha Goby
Diamond Goby
Yellow Clown Goby
Green Clown Goby
Sunburst Anthias
Talbot's Damsel
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
Pygmy Hawkfish
Possum Wrasse

OR

10 chromis
10 anthias
10 zebra dartfish
Maybe 2-3 other types from the list above kept as individuals

The different types of fish is more interesting on an individual level, but I feel like the tank as a whole might be too crazy - a cacophony. The groups are more natural but you miss out on keeping some other interesting individual fish. I've done stocking similar to the second list before, and thats the way I'm leaning now.

 

[Elvishfrost]

Could you possibly decrease the amount of the schooling fish (unless 10 is the magic #) and hand pick a few of your other choices for diversity? Kind of a best of both worlds?

 

[SushiGirl]

What size is this big enough tank? Is this the 90?

 

[Ambition]

IMO, I wouldn't like either option... The tank would have more balance if you do a mix of both. Keep some species of multiples then add some single species. IMO, too many single specimens will not look natural, but having few species in groups make the tank seem void of variety. Mesh both stocklists to get a couple groups of fish like 5 anthias, 3-5 fairy/flasher wrasses, and maybe a trio of royal grammas. Then do a pair of cardinals and clowns, with single specimens of some other species of fish. The tank will look more natural IMHO.

Don't do this unless the tank is of appropriate size of course. What size tank is this going to be?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I'm just throwing around theoretical stocklists for theoretical tanks, I don't want to worry about the tank size discussion.

So something in the middle, like maybe the group of anthias, group of dartfish, and then several individuals. Somewhere there seems to be a "golden ratio" of schooling fish to individuals that looks good, I'm just not sure where that is. A group of 5 fish mixed with 15 individuals loses the group feel. The group aspect has to be dominant, but I'm not sure to what extent.

 

[SushiGirl]

If it's just theoretical, plan the stocklist how you like.

If you want to get realistic, watch coral reef snorkel or dive vids (or go snorkeling LOL). When I went snorkeling last year on the recovering reefs of the Caribbean in Mexico I saw a school of some tiny fish (they swam with me by surrounding me!), but they were so tiny I have no idea what they were. A school of seargent majors followed me around with a single blue-headed wrasse in their midst. I saw several blue tangs, but only ever saw 2 near each other, the rest were alone. There was a large school of smallmouth grunts with about 5 other unrelated fish packed in tight with them as they moved around to hide under various rocks. A couple of 4-eyed butterflies alone.

So, though those are all larger fish, in nature you get all kinds of combinations that you wouldn't think. I mean, that blue-headed wrasse stayed with those seargent majors the entire 1 1/2 hours I was snorkeling LOL, and most people envision tangs schooled together at all times, not singly.

You also have to realize a tank is not a natural environment, so you're not going to get what you think are natural schooling patterns, anyway. In nature, chromis school and shoal. In our tanks, even very large tanks, they pick each other off.

So, it's back to plan the stocklist how you like because nature is not consistent.

 

[Terra Ferma]

Hey all,

I've always been a fan of filling a tank up with more small fish rather than fewer larger fish. I'm going back and forth on how to execute this on my tank that I'm starting to stock now. Basically, a lot single individuals of different types of fish, or fewer types of fish, but in groups.

Basically, assuming the tank was big enough to house this many fish, which stock list would you prefer?

Royal Gramma
Green Chromis
Bicolor Blenny
Orange Clown
Black Clown
Rainfordi Goby
Candy Hogfish
Mandarin
Yasha Goby
Diamond Goby
Yellow Clown Goby
Green Clown Goby
Sunburst Anthias
Talbot's Damsel
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
Pygmy Hawkfish
Possum Wrasse

OR

10 chromis
10 anthias
10 zebra dartfish
Maybe 2-3 other types from the list above kept as individuals

The different types of fish is more interesting on an individual level, but I feel like the tank as a whole might be too crazy - a cacophony. The groups are more natural but you miss out on keeping some other interesting individual fish. I've done stocking similar to the second list before, and thats the way I'm leaning now.

Rather than mix up the schooling fish...I would rather go with all one sort of schooling fish. I have no idea what size tank you are thinking about but I used to do schools of 25- 30 green chromis in a 65 gallon and it was pretty awesome. There can be a lot of attrition and infighting (unless you bone out for the adult micronesian Chromis), but eventually you will get to the right size for your tank. The cyanide caught issue is more problematic than the group size.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Sushi, I guess I wasnt clear enough in my question... I know I can stock it however I like. I'm looking for experiences (and maybe pictures) from people who have done this, something along the lines of "I tried #1 and it looked cool having tons of different types of fish" or "I tried #1 and it looked too messy having a little of everything all over the place" or "I tried #2 and it was boring."

Rather than mix up the schooling fish...I would rather go with all one sort of schooling fish. I have no idea what size tank you are thinking about but I used to do schools of 25- 30 green chromis in a 65 gallon and it was pretty awesome. There can be a lot of attrition and infighting (unless you bone out for the adult micronesian Chromis), but eventually you will get to the right size for your tank. The cyanide caught issue is more problematic than the group size.

Cool, thats the kind of info I'm looking for, essentially don't water down the group/school with different groups. One large group looks better than several smaller ones. Got any pictures? Did you have any individual fish in that tank too, or just the chromis (how many and what fish)?

 

[SushiGirl]

Not knowing a tank size makes it hard to "plan" a stock list and I guess I didn't make my point, which I'll blame on my pain meds making me ramble & lose my train of thought, which is quite common with me right now LOL. My point was that, like when I went snorkeling you could have a few of the single fish listed in your first post & a "school" from your 2nd post & it would still look natural. The "school" plus an individual or 2 might hang in with that group, while the few others did their own thing.

2nd point would be that in order for fish to school, it would have to be a huge tank with some kind of threat in order for the fish to school. So, chromis aren't really going to school or shoal, but if that's all that's in the tank it may appear that way. Anthias in a harem will hang out together a bit more, but they'll still scatter & do their own thing a lot of the time.

 

[Terra Ferma]

Not knowing a tank size makes it hard to "plan" a stock list and I guess I didn't make my point, which I'll blame on my pain meds making me ramble & lose my train of thought, which is quite common with me right now LOL. My point was that, like when I went snorkeling you could have a few of the single fish listed in your first post & a "school" from your 2nd post & it would still look natural. The "school" plus an individual or 2 might hang in with that group, while the few others did their own thing.

2nd point would be that in order for fish to school, it would have to be a huge tank with some kind of threat in order for the fish to school. So, chromis aren't really going to school or shoal, but if that's all that's in the tank it may appear that way. Anthias in a harem will hang out together a bit more, but they'll still scatter & do their own thing a lot of the time.

Gonna have to disagree with you there. Chromis (green ones at least) school/shoal just fine in anything larger than a 40 breeder on up in my experience. I've always had plenty of structure (liverock/hard corals) in my tanks so that may have helped. If anything it takes them time to get back into the school vibe (as opposed to when they are in the wholesaler tanks and there is not really enough room relative to the number of fish to see a distinct school).

Lobster - no pics. Those tanks where some years ago. I ended up selling my prized school to a guy with a 90 gallon and they did great in there.

 

[inigomontoya]

I have a combination and like it, multiple wrasses, 7 scissor tail gobys and 4 anthias, plus clowns, midas blenny, leopard wrasse, naso, etcetera. I think a school of 10 anthias would look awesome supplemented with numerous wrasses and punctuated with a few big fish. Which happens to be my long term plan for the tank though I would have preferred more anthias. Some of the gobys are always out but never all of them. Anthias tend to be better, though some of mine are skittish (loris anthias). When you feed the gobys will all pile out of one small area in the reef one after another, it looks like a subway car pulled in.

 

[sponger0]

IMO tank size has alot to do with stocking. Certain fish take up different territories in a tank and having enough space is necessary for each to be happy that would share certain areas.