Small schooling fish suggestions

[Steve]

Would like to add a school of small fish to the 180 when I set it up. Color is always good but more interested in peacefulness and actual schooling behavior. Thanks for your input.

[lazylivin]

All schooling fish will stop schooling in a reef tank after a while. They only school to avoid predation. You would need to be willing to have an aggressive fish that will eat a fish from the school every now and again to keep them in a school. I know we can find pictures online with a nice school of fish in a reef however that is only after being shortly introduced.

[Steve]

OK, now that Brian has busted my bubble, how about a small highly active non aggressive species.

[lazylivin]

Not the most colorful but small - Apogon parvulus

[njrdc]

love blue eyed cardinals 

[volcano]

My 6 pajama cardinals are always schooling.  The biggest predator to them in my tank is maybe the maroon clown or the sapphire damsel.  The damsel will sometimes chase one if it isn't in the school, but he never actually hurts them.  My clown goes after them if they are too close to it's anemone.  Maybe this is the reason they are still schooling. 

[Wall_Tank]

The other thing with schooling fish in our small tanks, is that they can outcast the least dominant fish, and they will die.  In a lot of cases all the way until 1 is left.

I've seen this in anthias and chromis.    Although in my 180 with the chromis the numbers have dwindled to 4 (from 10)  and the outcast fish lives in the corner of the tank.   He looks like a starving runt, but he comes out to eat, and nobody really picks on him.   The other 3 are now twice his size and fat and happy.

[referinohio]

The other thing with schooling fish in our small tanks, is that they can outcast the least dominant fish, and they will die.  In a lot of cases all the way until 1 is left.

I've seen this in anthias and chromis.    Although in my 180 with the chromis the numbers have dwindled to 4 (from 10)  and the outcast fish lives in the corner of the tank.   He looks like a starving runt, but he comes out to eat, and nobody really picks on him.   The other 3 are now twice his size and fat and happy.

I had 7 Chromis, down to 3

[Steve]

I am just wanting to try something a little different with the larger tank. Also looking at trying to keep mostly pairs of fish. Would love to have a mated pair of pygmy angels and the wife wants a black capped basslet of which Gerber's had a pair a while back and I didn't buy. Caught it for that one. Still open to more suggestions.

[volcano]

Schooling Bannerfish are great too.  I had a trio that schooled until I added domino damsels.  They killed them one by one.   

[Marine_freak]

I vote for anthias...... 1 male and  females....

[Steve]

Yes the antias are colorful. Saw some incredible ones at Ideal Aquatics last week.

[Wall_Tank]

I've seen this in anthias and chromis.    Although in my 180 with the chromis the numbers have dwindled to 4 (from 10)  and the outcast fish lives in the corner of the tank.   He looks like a starving runt, but he comes out to eat, and nobody really picks on him.   The other 3 are now twice his size and fat and happy.

The runt finally died......I've noticed one of the 3 remaining starting to hide more.   We shall see.