Natural Reef

[Truebluereefs]

I don't think aquariums often answer the call of " natural reef" with out having schooling fish, nano fish, larger ones and a diverse amount of corals, such as LPS, SPS, softys, NPS corals, sponges to boot.

I'm looking to make my aquarium more like a natural reef by adding smaller fish as well as large reef safe fish.
By small fish I'm thinking fish that don't get bigger then 3" like nano gobys, blennys, pipe fish, and cardnialfish.
By large fish I'm thinking Tangs, triggers, clowns, morish idle, ect.
Any one have a large amount of schooling fish, nano fish mixed with large fish in their aquarium?
like 10+ fish in a school?


Thoughts and pictures of your schooling fish would be great, thank you in advance.

 

[ZoWhat]

You need to keep in mind that unless you have a 1,000+ gal system.... all our tanks are truly just glass boxes tightly containing a "natural reef" in a VERY CONSTRICTED ecosystem

Much like a small cactus garden in a small planter container sitting in your window sill is a VERY SMALL representation of a large beautiful Arizona landscape

 

[Truebluereefs]

I dont want to fill my tank with 100+ fish im just thinking of other schooling fish besides green chromis that are smaller so that I can have 10 of them, but I also want life on my rocks. like I have a circus goby that I only see when I feed the tank, he come out from hiding in his cave and I'm like oh cool something new that I dont always see. like my clowns they are always there I can count on them to always be in the same anemone.

 

[Sailfinguy21]

Flame hawks love running around on rocks and have cool persinalities.

Sea urchins.. shrimp..

 

[Truebluereefs]

Flame hawks love running around on rocks and have cool persinalities.

Sea urchins.. shrimp..

They will eat my shrimp

 

[Reesj]

I dont want to fill my tank with 100+ fish im just thinking of other schooling fish besides green chromis that are smaller so that I can have 10 of them, but I also want life on my rocks. like I have a circus goby that I only see when I feed the tank, he come out from hiding in his cave and I'm like oh cool something new that I dont always see. like my clowns they are always there I can count on them to always be in the same anemone.

Schooling behavior is mostly a response to an external threat like a a predetaor fish. I don't think you want that going in your tank. How large of a tank are we working here ?
1.Bangai Cardinals will school and will also breed in aquarium setting although imo they are not the pretiest lot of fish.
2. Anthias will definitly school and are beautiful fish. Specially if you can buy 5-6 from the same shop staying together.

Will be quite intresting to check if you pull it off. Atleast get a 150 gallon tank if you going for it.
I also loved the this concept when I looked in to saltwater. A natural reef tank without many electronic gadgets or filters and dosers. Well I guess you need to learn to walk before you run .

 

[vetteguy53081]

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I have always wanted to try a shoal of redspot cardinals

 

[lavoisier]

I'm not sure we will be able to get schooling behavior in our tanks but we can hope for "shoaling." I have a 600g DT but my max numbers long term seem to be about 7 or 8 Blue/green chromis and 7-8 anthias. They will swim "together" in the same area of the tank because they are mid-level swimmers but several are often swimming off to either end. Nonetheless, I find their shoaling pleasing.

 

[Truebluereefs]

My current tank is 250 gallon, I have 2 fire gobys, 2 bangi cardinals and 2 yellow tail damsels, gem damsel, 2 clowns and a mandrin goby, circus goby. good number of fish but want to add may be shoal of redspot cardinals or close to something like that, something that stays about 2" or less in size and have like 7-10 of them.