Tang School
- Thread starter Mouse
- Start date
Thanks james, i thought that might be the case. I got the suggestion from someone when i was asking about circulation for a 250 gallon, but i thought it would be a bit small. They do get allot bigger than many people think IMO. What about FireFish, any knowlege about those schooling. I know they jump but i like to have really chilled out inhabitants, so hopefully it wont give them much cause to jump. What do you think?? Any ideas you have for very small or smallish brightly coloured, tightly schooling fish.
I was initially thinking about a school of some sort to go with two or three Henocius Deprhutes (like accuminatus but feed on Zooplancton). I was thinking about the fire fish because then it would look like all the fish were radio controlled, with little yellow areals.
i do like the anthias, are they super mellow???
I was initially thinking about a school of some sort to go with two or three Henocius Deprhutes (like accuminatus but feed on Zooplancton). I was thinking about the fire fish because then it would look like all the fish were radio controlled, with little yellow areals.
i do like the anthias, are they super mellow???
I remember reading in The Natural Reef Aquarium by John Tullock; that you can keep a school of 5 tangs as long as tank is 6 feet long and 125+ gal. He suggested that once you have more than 1 tang, you should keep 5+ that way a dominant one has more to pick on and will not just pester a lone tank mate.
I have 5 yellow. One appears dominant but I introduced them all at same time and they get along great. They school some of the time, but each one has it's own sleeping spot at night in or behind the rocks. I usually feed once or twice a day (sheet of nori and a meat item) Come feeding time they follow me from end to end of tank. However, as soon as I reach in tank, they are gone to the rocks.
My .0002 worth
I have 5 yellow. One appears dominant but I introduced them all at same time and they get along great. They school some of the time, but each one has it's own sleeping spot at night in or behind the rocks. I usually feed once or twice a day (sheet of nori and a meat item) Come feeding time they follow me from end to end of tank. However, as soon as I reach in tank, they are gone to the rocks.
My .0002 worth
They will school for the short term, and while Tullock claims 125 is enough, that IMO is way too small.
We have a school of 4 green chromis in our 50 gal SPS tank at the store. They still school but have only been in there for about 6 months. Usually most schooling fish will soon discover that their reason for schooling (protection) no longer exists i.e. no one is there to eat them and they end up going their separate ways as the years go by so that instead of a school of 30 green chromis in a 200 gallon tank you end up with a chromis here, chromis there etc
We have a school of 4 green chromis in our 50 gal SPS tank at the store. They still school but have only been in there for about 6 months. Usually most schooling fish will soon discover that their reason for schooling (protection) no longer exists i.e. no one is there to eat them and they end up going their separate ways as the years go by so that instead of a school of 30 green chromis in a 200 gallon tank you end up with a chromis here, chromis there etc
I used to keep 5 hippo tangs in my 150G, and I thought they are schoolers. They were, for about a year or so. Gradually, as they get larger, the weak ones got singled out and I have to start salvaging them out of the tank to my LFS. Pretty soon, all there is remaining the the dominant one. If I have to do it again, 150G is too small for school of tang IMO. I would go with at least 300 or 400+ gallon tanks.
However, different species of tangs do school together. I currently have 1 hippo, 1 purple, and 1 jewel tang. They do swim together..................well, the tank this small, it is hard to see them NOT swimming together.
The pecking order activities are more obvious when you have one or more of the same species of tang. Whereas if you have multiple species of tang (and especially if their feeding requirement is all different), the aggression among themselves is much less common.
However, different species of tangs do school together. I currently have 1 hippo, 1 purple, and 1 jewel tang. They do swim together..................well, the tank this small, it is hard to see them NOT swimming together.
The pecking order activities are more obvious when you have one or more of the same species of tang. Whereas if you have multiple species of tang (and especially if their feeding requirement is all different), the aggression among themselves is much less common.
Schooling fish are very hard to come by for reef aquariums.
Anthias will form heirarchal schools. However, they need a relatlively large tank to house 5 specimens (~100 gallons). One male per tank only. Anthias are not "mellow" fish. They're very aggressive towards congenors, and even more aggressive towards conspecifics. Two males will usually battle to the death in captivity, and females display aggressive towards other females to maintain a "pecking" order. Anthias also require a lot of regular feeding. I recommend no less then twice a day.
Similiarily, for larger tanks you can consider Cirrhilabrus wrasses. Fairy wrasses behave much like anthias in their schools (appropriate term is harem): one male to X amount of females. They are perfect reef fish, granted you have a big enough tank to house a harem. I recommned no less then 100g.
Flasher wrasses (Paracheilnus sp.) are like small versions of Cirrhilabrus, better suited for smaller tanks. Same schooling trait. They're shy, however, so you can't house them with aggressive fish.
Both wrasse genus are jumpers. Tank needs to be covered.
Chromis works, and are affordable. But most don't live long in captivity due mainly to collection practices. They tend to school only in larger tanks. In tanks smaller then 6', they often times scatter throughout the tank.
Firefish are not schooling fish. Do not buy them in groups. They exists either solitarily or in pairs. A group of firefish will kill each other. I don't understand why some people (including experts) propagate the idea they're schooling fish.
Anthias will form heirarchal schools. However, they need a relatlively large tank to house 5 specimens (~100 gallons). One male per tank only. Anthias are not "mellow" fish. They're very aggressive towards congenors, and even more aggressive towards conspecifics. Two males will usually battle to the death in captivity, and females display aggressive towards other females to maintain a "pecking" order. Anthias also require a lot of regular feeding. I recommend no less then twice a day.
Similiarily, for larger tanks you can consider Cirrhilabrus wrasses. Fairy wrasses behave much like anthias in their schools (appropriate term is harem): one male to X amount of females. They are perfect reef fish, granted you have a big enough tank to house a harem. I recommned no less then 100g.
Flasher wrasses (Paracheilnus sp.) are like small versions of Cirrhilabrus, better suited for smaller tanks. Same schooling trait. They're shy, however, so you can't house them with aggressive fish.
Both wrasse genus are jumpers. Tank needs to be covered.
Chromis works, and are affordable. But most don't live long in captivity due mainly to collection practices. They tend to school only in larger tanks. In tanks smaller then 6', they often times scatter throughout the tank.
Firefish are not schooling fish. Do not buy them in groups. They exists either solitarily or in pairs. A group of firefish will kill each other. I don't understand why some people (including experts) propagate the idea they're schooling fish.
If you are looking for schooling species, off my head, I can only think of convict gobies and anthias. Even these in a small tank, when they grow larger, will single out the weak and eventually, there will only be a pair left in the tank. Most fish I know of that we commonly keep do school when juvenile (for protection), and live singly when reaching adult size. Only in open water do you see the adult size fish schooling.
Unless you have a 1200 Gallon tank, that's a different story.
Unless you have a 1200 Gallon tank, that's a different story.
Thanks for all the info guys. The tank would be a 7ft long 250 gallon with a 50 gallon refugeum, so i guess i have plenty of room. But the idea of just one type of tang isn't half as appealing as three different species. Im going to try and post a pic of the banner fish im considering, it's a speceis that feeds on Zooplanktons, but getting one could be a bit of a trauma.
Heniochus diphreutes
What do you think of two of these for a 250???
Heniochus diphreutes
What do you think of two of these for a 250???
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