schooling fish : for a 75g

new_world_disor · #1 12/26/2007, 06:34 PM

im in the middle of setting up a 75g tank.

at the moment my fish list is as follows :

pair of clowns
yellow tang
scooter blenny

and a school of fish

but what fish are the best for a tank this size ? i have thought about Dispar Anthias - are there any other choices ? and how many could i have in the tank ?

there will mainly ne LPS in the tank with some SPS

thanx for any help and advice

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swisha · #2 12/26/2007, 06:43 PM

I have 5 blue/green chromis who swim together in a 72 bow. How many to keep would depend on the size when purchased. Mine were relatively small. The only drawback is that you may have to go through a few until you can find ones that get along with each other. I've had to replace 2 casualties in 18 months due to what I call 'natural selection' of the chromis. The clowns will become defensive when the chromis enter their territory. I have 2 GS maroons who will run anyrhing out of their space.

Fishie Nut · #3 12/26/2007, 10:25 PM

I just put in eight chromis less than a week ago and have five left.
They seem to be getting along okay.

Cardinals and/or Anthias are good in multiples.

Graf-X · #4 12/26/2007, 10:27 PM

I'd go with 5+ chromis (the green ones)... I had 7 in my 72 and worked well.

new_world_disor · #5 12/27/2007, 11:06 AM

yeh think im going to go with the chromis. asuming i can get hold of them. livestock in the UK seems to be crap ( well at least at my 3 LFS )

cheers for the help guys

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tcmfish · #6 12/27/2007, 11:10 AM

From what I have heard the chromis will kill each other and you will end up with 2. There have been many threads on here about it. You may want to check out threadfin cardinals or another none bangaii or pajama species.

illal · #7 12/27/2007, 12:20 PM

im not a fan of chromis so id say mabye some pajama cardinals??

new_world_disor · #8 12/27/2007, 01:23 PM

i do love the look of the pajama cardinal. how many of them could i safely keep in a 75. as well as other fish ?

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m2434 · #9 12/27/2007, 01:39 PM

I've never tried to keep a school of fish myself, but from what I understand fish don't really school in fish tanks. Most of the pictures that look like they are are more chance occurences...

Maybe others have more insight here?

Apparition · #10 12/27/2007, 02:25 PM

They tend to only school in home tanks if they perceive a threat. Otherwise, they tend to break down into little territories with some overlapping as they get older. Juveniles will school for a while, but it rarely lasts. Maybe a trigger could get them to stay schooled, not sure. Would be interesting to try out.

obzezzed350 · #11 12/27/2007, 02:36 PM

I have three chromis in a 55g and they are always together. One is bit bigger than the others and if he hides behinds the rock, the others are on his tail.

Dustin1231 · #12 12/27/2007, 02:44 PM

i have 3 dispars and they are always together.. they even try to school with the clowns...lol

NeuroLarry · #13 12/27/2007, 02:55 PM

Chromis don't really school but tend to shoal...I have had a group in my 240 for a couple years and love them. i have lsot a couple along the way. They are best kept in odd numbers.

batguano · #14 12/27/2007, 03:06 PM

I had six pajama cardinals in my 125 set up. They did great and grew quickly. I would recommend them.

new_world_disor · #15 12/27/2007, 06:23 PM

i think im going to give the pajama's a go at first and see how it works out . at the mo theres not going to be any fish for a while. the stand has just bin rethough and is being built at the mo. i still have to wait for the bulkheads to arive so i cn attach them and then fit the wier glass and durso stand pipe. so much to do. then i have to buy sand, rock , skimmer. etc

pics are in my build thread

thanx again

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ahullsb · #16 12/27/2007, 06:36 PM

Well I may be the exception. I have 5 green chromis that have been in my tank for 6 months. They are still getting along fine. And the SPS colony they live in is growing like crazy.

cwilson · #17 12/28/2007, 09:47 AM

the thing ive noticed about cromis (had chromise in severeral setups for about 3 years now), is that when you first get them, they will school. as our buddy apparition said, they really only group in either very large systems (200gal+), or if there is a threat. also, when you first buy, buy more then you wil lwant. they do tend to form little groups, or really from what ive seen, just banish a few, and an individual chromise in a 75will not have much of a fighting chance. also, they seem to do better in larger groups. in a 75, i would say get 7-9, and then youll have prob around 6 or 7 that will make it for the long haul.

one thing you should remember is although its probably wont be a huge bully, having a fast, active, yellow tang in the tank may result in the chromis schooling more. somehting to consider i guess...

tat or just get cardinals. IMO cardinals are somewhat boring, hey just kind of sit there. but i do love the colors on them!

either way, let us know what you end up doing. as im sure we all know, the chance of your stocking list/system layout on paper is never quite the same is what is actually purchased

King-Kong · #18 12/28/2007, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tcmfish
From what I have heard the chromis will kill each other and you will end up with 2. There have been many threads on here about it. You may want to check out threadfin cardinals or another none bangaii or pajama species.

Threadfin cardinals.

Bangaii's (and I think pajamas) will pair up, and kill the rest, once they reach sexual maturity.

Appearantly, threadfin cardinals are the only ones that arent so aggressive they kill off the school, like other cardinals.

I have 10 threadfins in my 90g, but ive only had them for a couple of months.

Graf-X · #19 12/28/2007, 12:14 PM

what do the threadfins go for x$? Def not a common find in LFS.

tcmfish · #20 12/28/2007, 12:24 PM

No but common find on the internet. Liveaquaria has them a lot... reefermadness has them and I don't really check too many other fish sites but im sure others carry them as well. One of the tanks of the month has a school like kong said above he has them and likes them and there is a guy with a thread called formosa forest who has a school. I would keep them but I don't have a tank for them now.

Mavrk · #21 12/28/2007, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by King-Kong
Threadfin cardinals.

Bangaii's (and I think pajamas) will pair up, and kill the rest, once they reach sexual maturity.

Appearantly, threadfin cardinals are the only ones that arent so aggressive they kill off the school, like other cardinals.

I have 10 threadfins in my 90g, but ive only had them for a couple of months.

Yeah, it is my understanding that Apogon leptacanthus (Threadfin/Longspine) can be kept in small groups without agression. They will still create a hierarchy, but do so without fighting.

Graf-x asked about price: LiveAquaria has them for 16 dollars (plus shipping of course). Perhaps you could find it locally by asking the LFS under the different common names: Threadfin Cardinalfish, Longspine Cardinalfish, Bluestreak Cardinalfish, Glass Cardinalfish, or Slendertail Cardinalfish. Yes, they go by all those names (and maybe more).

I know that Pterapogon kauderni (Bangaii's) will pair up and attack others of the same species. I am not sure if Sphaeramia nematoptera (Pajama/Spotted) have the same issue.

Mavrk · #22 12/28/2007, 12:51 PM

On another note. If you go with chromis, add them all at the same time and do so in odd numbers. I would say 3 or 5 is a good number to keep in a 75. I made the mistake of adding 2, then 3 more. I now have 3.

Kannin · #23 12/28/2007, 02:13 PM

I have heard that they are less likely to kill each other off if food is plentiful. Maybe if they feel they can benefit by having fewer numbers... they'll kill in order to have more food for themselves.

I have had 3 for 10 months in my 54 gallon and they are fine. I feed alot though.

gig · #24 12/28/2007, 02:39 PM

5 clown triggers?

vlogic · #25 12/28/2007, 03:49 PM

Long spine are also called "Blue eyed Card fish" by some.

Yes, as mentioned above, the bangaii will pair up (usually will form a mated pair) and pick off the rest (I’ve heard if the tank is large enough – i.e. 200+ this may work, but they won’t shoal). As far as the PJs go, I'm pretty certain they will just form a hierarchy, but will not pick each other off (but they will keep each other in line from time to time).

The anthias are definitely too large for that size tank.

Another fish you might want to consider is the Orangestriped Cardinal fish (Apogon cyanosoma). A bit pricier, but definitely something different. They will not pick each other off either. I have never seen a group of these in person, so I don't know how/if they actually shoal. I know that the Thread fin will hang out together, but from what I've seen, they don't really shoal. There is also the red spots Cardinals? Don’t know too much about these, but they will shoal.

Best of luck...