Advice with fish choice

[Mihai]

I'm looking for some advice with fish choices for my 90gal display.
For now I have the following:
1 yellow tang
2 mandarins (S. splendidus) (pair)
1 Royal gramma
2 Ocellaris clownfish (pair)

All of the above either stay hidden or stick to their anemone. The yellow tang swims by every once in a while but more than 50-70% of the time is hiding (very shy guy). Thus, most of the time when I look at the tank there are no fish to be seen. I'd like to change that.

What I'm thinking is a small school of fish (5-7) that like to stay out and perhaps a pair of flame angels.

For the school of fish I'd like to skip the chromis because they're aggresive in small numbers (and don't have a lot of color - at least by marine standards).

Anthias would be ideal, but I understand that they are quite aggressive and require a (much) larger tank.

That's why I was thinking about a school of cardinalfish (not Banggai as they don't school well as adults), but rather some with yellow or red that stay small. However, I'm not sure if those guys stay out in the open or they'll be schooling in the rockwork.

Finally, would a pair of flame angels stay out or stay mostly in the rocks?

Thanks for the advice
Mihai

 

[Anonymous]

They're not red but they make a great schooling fish, Apogon leptacanthus.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Anonymous]

How about 1 male flasher wrasse with a few females to keep him displaying?

 

[moses13]

I have 3 Pajama Cardinals that do NOT school. I bought 5, 2 died within a week. They stay on opposite ends of the tank... not what I had in mind. I've heard you need at least 5 or more for them to school.
I'd go with the wrasses recommended above or some smaller anthias.

 

[Anonymous]

I have 3 Pajama Cardinals that do NOT school. I bought 5, 2 died within a week. They stay on opposite ends of the tank... not what I had in mind. I've heard you need at least 5 or more for them to school.
I'd go with the wrasses recommended above or some smaller anthias.

That's because Sphaeramia nematoptera (Pajama Cardinals) are not schooling fish.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[moses13]

Hmm, well, not according to much of the research that I did...
Marinedepotlive: "The Spotted Cardinal is commonly found in small schools in amongst the branches of various types of branching Corals."
fishbase.org: "Forms aggregations among the branches of Porites nigrescens and P. cylindrica in sheltered bays and lagoons"
Other research stated that they should at least pair up, which I'd be happy with, but I may have all same sex at this point. Given their behavior toward each other, I am hesitant to add any more. fyi my tank is a 135.

 

[Anonymous]

A fish's behavior is the wild does not always cross over well into the confinement of tank life. I have been swimming with large schools of conspecific tangs before, but would not try that in my tank!

You SHOULD be able to pair those Pajama cards up. Hopefully out of your group you will end up with a pair, that is what I would expect to happen. When I pair Banggai cardinals, I put a small group in a tank they can be caught from, when two start hanging together, I net the remainder out. Even in my old 155, the ones that are kicked out of the pair are trying to hide in the corners, and not to hard to grab.

 

[Anonymous]

Mahai,
I know you said no chromis but these guys are fun! Always out and about not schooling but sometimes shoaling.

 

[Mihai]

Pajama cardinals are out (neither I nor my wife fancy them).

I like the David's cardinals - they look cute. Any idea where to get them (liveaquaria doesn't seem to have them)?

Regarding the flasher wrasse, this looks like a GREAT idea! The only thing I have to ask about it is if it outcompetes my mandarins for pods. I've been thinking about a 6-line for a long time but I didn't for exactly this reason. Also, how do I get a male and a bunch of females? Are they changing sex (so I buy a bunch of small ones and one becomes male)? Finally, what's a reasonable ratio? Say 1 male and 2-3 females?
I do have a tight fitting lid .

Thanks,
Mihai

 

[Anonymous]

A couple of Heniochus diphreutes - longfin bannerfish might work. You would have to be sure they were diphreutes though.

 

[Anonymous]

I think most LFS and mail order fish know to sex the flashers before sending them out. So you should get 1 male and a few females I don't think that the ratio has too much bearing on vigor. And if the male dies, one of the females will change. Just the nature of the beast. They won't change due to temp change say like allegator eggs do. They are great fish, always swimming around, and I think if you keep them on a regular diet say feeding small feedings a few times a day, they should stay satiated and not have huge pod appetite, I figure they will go after easier food before searching for pods.

 

[cjsrch]

"Marinedepotlive: "The Spotted Cardinal is commonly found in small schools in amongst the branches of various types of branching Corals." "

you do relize that they are trying to sell fish right O_O bad idea to use a store as a resource.

chomis dont seem to be agressive but with eachother and it seems fine ( not so much to kill but more of "IM IN CHARGE" mabey you should reconsider them

 

[Len]

A hogfish like a Candy Hog (B.bimaculatus). They're very active, colorful, and will stay out in the open. Only thing is they may eat ornamental crustaceans.

 

[Anonymous]

How about a foxface?

 

[Mihai]

A hogfish - nah - I love my shrimps. Even the hermits and the featherdusters.

A foxface - nah - I'm very happy with my yellow's tang belly. Besides, sometime I think that my tang is too big for my 90. I don't want any more large fish. Same goes for the bannerfish - I remember they are quite large.

I'm trying to stick to small fish if possible. The flashers and the small cardinals are top choices for now.

Thanks guys,
M.