schooling fish

[xiaoyu04]

Hello:

So i'm on the continuing search for a proper stocking list for a new tank upgrade that I'm planning for (~40-55 gallons).

I've always wanted a schooling type of fish in the tank- like chromises or anthias, but to my knowledge, chromises can end up killing eachother over time, and anthias require a lot of tank space.

Are there any recommendations regarding fish that exhibit schooling behavior?

Thanks

 

[AMD30]

blue streak cardinals or red tail cardinals are your best bet. they are peaceful shoaling fish. just kinda hang out around each other darting in the same direction. hard to find sometimes and hard to get to eat initially but are hardy once acclimated to aquarium life.
hope that helps ya.

 

[1crazymofo]

blue green chromis?

 

[landlord]

I love my cardinals. Tiny little suckers, wish I had twice as many. The LA/DD crew did a great job getting them into a good eating state. These guys ate right outta the box anything that touched the tank.

They pretty much stay in a pack like this all day.

landlord

 

[revaltion131]

I'd recommend cardinals as well. If you have an LFS that uses ORA stock, you might be able to get some tank-raised Apogon species.

 

[xiaoyu04]

I love my cardinals. Tiny little suckers, wish I had twice as many. The LA/DD crew did a great job getting them into a good eating state. These guys ate right outta the box anything that touched the tank.

They pretty much stay in a pack like this all day.

landlord

awesome!
What type of cardinals are those?

Also, do most cardinals school? or only specific species?

 

[velvetelvis]

The cardinals pictured above are redspot cardinals, Apogon parvulus. They're frequently available on Diver's Den.

I haven't kept the redspots, but I do have 2 pairs of the threadfin cardinals, Zoramia leptacanthus, purchased through DD. They were tank-raised by Sustainable Aquatics. I can't recommend the SA threadfins sold by DD highly enough--they shipped in perfect condition (and small schooling cardinalfishes are bad shippers) and settled in right away. They've gotten fat on frozen mysis and cyclopeeze and have started to hide amongst my branching corals, just like in nature. Threadfins can look a bit plain in pictures, but in a well-established tank, healthy ones will develop a subtle silvery-blue sheen to their bodies and red and blue highlights in their fins--and you can't beat those sapphire-blue eyes. IMO, they're the perfect reef-safe fish.

Shoaling depends on the species. Redspot and threadfins are the safest bet, as they are peaceful with each other. Banggai cardinals are found in large shoals in nature, but do best singly or in mated pairs in all but the very largest aquariums (the dominant pair will kill off the other Banggais in their territory). I don't have much experience with pajama cardinals, but they supposedly do well in pairs or in odd-numbered groups (3, 5, 7, etc). Orange-lined cardinals are popular too, but I don't really know anything about them.

 

[Ooulophilia]

You may be pushing it size-wise in a tank that size but take a look at bar gobies. They will ofter look washed out in an LFS tanks but are beautiful fish when acclimated and colored up. Just make sure you have a good lid because they are jumpers!

 

[skibum9884]

Another vote for the red spot cardinals. They're beautiful, not aggressive, and stay very small.

They can be a bit difficult, but should be good if you get them from a reputable source.

 

[xiaoyu04]

Another vote for the red spot cardinals. They're beautiful, not aggressive, and stay very small.

They can be a bit difficult, but should be good if you get them from a reputable source.

I've been trying to locate them on Live aquaria, but I guess they are seasonal? its not showing up on diver's den or their normal cardinal fish list..

I'll keep an eye out for it

 

[skibum9884]

They have been on the LA Diver's Den pretty regularly. Maybe 2-3x per week or so in groups of 5.

They normally sell pretty quickly, but not instantly like the regal angels. Keep trying, you'll get some.

 

[velvetelvis]

Sign up for the DD email alert list. Around 1:30 PM EST, M-F, they send out email notification of the fish, corals, and inverts that might be appearing on Diver's Den later in the day. It's really helpful if you're trying to get ahold of rare or coveted species.