What's the best shoaling fish for a reef tank

[snake1]

I really want to add life to my tank I have a hippo,yellow, and sailfin tang a magnificent foxface, green clown goby, and a pair of black and white clowns and would like to add some small colorful fish looking for thoughts and experiences. I would love to see a shoal of fish ..Thanks

 

[CrazyEyes]

Chromis, cheap and will school.

 

[snake1]

Chromis, cheap and will school.

I like chromis but some of colors of the damsels are really cool like the azure but not sure about the damsels being a pest in the end and they don't shoal....I love anthis but to have the group I want it's gonna cost a good penny

 

[snake1]

If I was to get 2 ignitus anthias now could I keep adding them later till I get to 5 or 6 ...they say they are easy to keep and peaceful on liveaquaria so maybe they won't kill the newer ones later?

 

[rogergolf66]

Anthias is what I would go with. Easier to add all at one time. I would get all female. Let 1 change on its own

 

[ganjero]

The best would be any of the smaller cardinal species mixed with a large "semi-aggresive fish". The feeling of being threatened is what make fish shoal.

 

[snake1]

Anthias is what I would go with. Easier to add all at one time. I would get all female. Let 1 change on its own

If it's to expensive could I add a couple at a time?

The best would be any of the smaller cardinal species mixed with a large "semi-aggresive fish". The feeling of being threatened is what make fish shoal.

That's what I was just reading on some other reef central pages about shoaling...I have heard some others talk about the cardinals but I'm just not a fan of them let alone a group of them they are not that colorful.

 

[rfalvey89]

you could try certain butterflyfish. Cardinals are cool as well.

I would say anthias but I didn't find them very hardy.

 

[Richocet83]

Blue-Streak Cardinals

 

[snake1]

Blue-Streak Cardinals

What's the price tag on those ?

 

[hobbzz]

I've had or currently have lyretails, sunburst, borbonious, dispar, randals, japanese fairy basslet (a type of anthias despite the name, same as randalls and resplendant I'm sure), and sunset.

Dispar stick together like glue no matter what else is in the tank or how may of them you add. Very peaceful, never fight or bicker, not even the males. Mine eat everything, even pellet. I use sustainable aquatics pellet, something like 1mm. Even my bangaii eats it.

Sunset, randalls, and japanese fairy basslets also stick together, but are not very hardy and won't last on less than 2-3 feeding a day. Also out of all of the three species, only one of my randalls eats pellet. The rest only eat frozen.

Sunburst and borbs are loaners, it's their nature. Lyretails don't school or shoal. I had nine at the height and they would be scattered all around the tank. One here, two there. Ended up with three males and 6 females. Still didn't shoal.

I'd suggest dispar. Try to find some that eat pellet and get yourself an eheim auto-feeder.

 

[rogergolf66]

I've had or currently have lyretails, sunburst, borbonious, dispar, randals, japanese fairy basslet (a type of anthias despite the name, same as randalls and resplendant I'm sure), and sunset.

Dispar stick together like glue no matter what else is in the tank or how may of them you add. Very peaceful, never fight or bicker, not even the males. Mine eat everything, even pellet. I use sustainable aquatics pellet, something like 1mm. Even my bangaii eats it.

Sunset, randalls, and japanese fairy basslets also stick together, but are not very hardy and won't last on less than 2-3 feeding a day. Also out of all of the three species, only one of my randalls eats pellet. The rest only eat frozen.

Sunburst and borbs are loaners, it's their nature. Lyretails don't school or shoal. I had nine at the height and they would be scattered all around the tank. One here, two there. Ended up with three males and 6 females. Still didn't shoal.

I'd suggest dispar. Try to find some that eat pellet and get yourself an eheim auto-feeder.

Great answer. Wasn't my question but thanks for info.

 

[hobbzz]

You're welcome Roger. Anthias are some of my favorite fish.

 

[rogergolf66]

You're welcome Roger. Anthias are some of my favorite fish.

Yes me too. I have lyretails but as u mentioned they never stick together like I had wanted. I will try dispar next time around.

 

[hobbzz]

I've had good luck with them as a whole. Just make sure they're eating when you get them.

 

[snake1]

What about Ignitus. They claim they are really hardy

 

[hobbzz]

Never tried them. Check with SDguy. He's the anthias guru and has probably had them. Iirc they're similar to dispar, just not as colorful.

 

[snake1]

If disbars are pretty hardy I would give them a try .....I only feed once a day is that really a huge problem for anthias I have a great skimmer but it's still a ton of excess nutrients to feed multiple times a day ?.....by the way Thanks for the input guys ..I have always liked the colors of the anthias but just scared to shell out the money for them ....I will have to start saving some cash aside

 

[hobbzz]

It's a big deal for some anthias. The smaller anthias have stomachs too small to survive on one meal a dayday. They can't physically fit enough food in their stomach to last the whole day. Some larger anthias usually do fine on one feeding.

That being said, feeding multiple times a day doesn't necessarily mean more food per day. You feed the same amount per day, just break it into a larger number of smaller meals. 1ml twice a day vs 2ml once a day etc.

 

[snake1]

It's a big deal for some anthias. The smaller anthias have stomachs too small to survive on one meal a dayday. They can't physically fit enough food in their stomach to last the whole day. Some larger anthias usually do fine on one feeding.

That being said, feeding multiple times a day doesn't necessarily mean more food per day. You feed the same amount per day, just break it into a larger number of smaller meals. 1ml twice a day vs 2ml once a day etc.

Yeah that's what I was thinking you guys would say but with the ehiem auto feeder and the new life spectrum 1mm sinking pellets all my fish love them but some pellets sink and 3/4 of them float on the surface and end up in the over flow .which is excess waste and pollution to my water ....I would have to come up with the funnel design jfoltz told me about they use at his work I think louisagos designed it it keeps the pellets in one area in the water at the bottom of the funnel and they naturally sink once they are fully soaked....