Need suggestions for schooling fish

[lawmary]

Hi, I am looking for suggestions for small schooling fish that would swim in the top part of the tank. I love chromis but am having trouble keeping a stable population.

 

[Lordhelmet]

i like blue eyed cardinals, they are also called long spined cardinals.

 

[anydarnthing]

1 male and 2-3 female anthias, like Lyre-tails or Bartletts depending on what your willing to pay.

 

[yama63]

1 male 3 females Carpenter flasher wrasses

 

[snorvich]

I assume you mean shoal rather than school. You won't get schooling behavior in any tank of reasonable size. I agree with yama63 that a shoal of flasher wrasses would be interesting and beautiful.

 

[lawmary]

Thanks. I will do a little research on those species. I do love the anthias. I saw a beautiful display of them at the Baltimore Aquarium this past spring. I hear they are jumpers. I'll have to do some work to my open aquarium first.

Will a Faco Hawkfish disturb any of those varieties? He's eating my snails and other inverts.

 

[lawmary]

Yes, thanks, Steve, I mean shoal.

 

[snorvich]

Mary,
After reading that you have an open aquarium, I have to warn you that flashers (and fairies) will definitely jump. You will need a canopy in order to successfully keep those fish. Egg Crate is not adequate.

 

[lawmary]

I am using now a white plastic material with 3/4" square holes which I got at Lowe's and cut into strips. The strips lay alongside my light fixture, which sits directly on top. I have to slide it from side to side when I'm working on the tank, so I just take the white plastic off. I put it on because I had some clownfish and they were jumping out. I haven't lost any fish since. Do you think I need a more solid covering and if so, what do you recommend. I could also hang the light if necessary. My tank is very high, and hard for me to reach over and in, so I need something that's very easy for one person to move or take off.

 

[jessp]

if you still have clowns, that have been in the tank a while and have there terriroty, they will probably chase the wrasses right away. the first place they will head to is the surface and then on the floor imo and experience

 

[robgardner]

why are you having trouble keeping chromis? i would have to say that "moving up" on the difficulty scale is not the best option imho

chromis are quite hardy, anthias and wrasses are more difficult to keep, and require alot more feeding...

 

[robgardner]

you could try the schooling bannerfish heniochus diphreutes NOT h.acuminatus

 

[lawmary]

Robgardner, I got three chromis about 6 months ago and they all died within a week or so. Or disappeared, all but one of them. I just got 5 and put them in my QT along with a true perc clownfish and a neon goby and they are fine but I am down to one agressive chromis. It could be that the LFS I got them from did not have quality fish, I really don't know.
Jessp, in the main tank I have a pair of pink skunk clowns and one true perc. None seem to be agressive, but now the pink skunks are in a new rose bubble anemone so maybe they will be more agressive.
I will research al of your suggestions, thank you!