What about threadfin cardinals? I thought they were the "en vogue" schooling fish of the day (ie. no issues with hardiness like anthias, jumping like wrasses, or turning on each other like chromis). ? (I could be wrong but I thought I read that's what people look for these days when they want a "schooling" fish..)

They look a little like tetras to me, but if they are a true schooling fish then you can overlook that a little, IMO. :) (Well, I happen to LIKE tetras, so maybe it's a bonus..)

Apogon leptacanthus

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/mari...rdinalfish.php

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/cardinal.htm

Other possibilities include other cardinals, like pajama cardinals, I think I've heard they can school. (Sphaeramia nematoptera)

HTH

you could do a school of like 20 A.megastigma as they stay really small and dont eat much, the only problem would be if the larger fish picked on them, and also that their mouths are too small for mysis shrimp.

a school of Apogon cyanosoma would be really nice, and they usually stay in a tight group.

i have four in a 72 gallon(anthias)

Glass cardinals would be a good choice because they are availble captive bred from ORA, not exspenive and I think they are a tight shoaler and peaceful. But they could eat anything that fits in their mouth, such as small gobies.
http://glassbox-design.com/wp-conten.../03/cpfarm.jpg
Not my picture

hmm way to many anthias for a 72 gal, should only have 2 in there max..

Anthias are one the of fish that the LFS never wants to tell you the truth about as they are pretty and they can make lots of money off them.. in reality there space requirements are larger than tangs. but it is the shape of the tank that is more exacting, they should be in a tank that is at least 3' deep and preferably deeper.

Steve

what i've noticed about "schooling fish" over the years is that they tend to drift out of the school after a while. Schooling is a defensive mechanism. Safety in numbers. It makes them feel secure. Whenever I have put schools in (chromis, anthias, cardinals, etc), they school for up to a few months but after that they start to feel comfortable and come to realize that there aren't really any predators in the tank. It starts with one of the fish breaking rank and swimming on its own, then another one and the next thing I know they are all over the place and only come together as a school on rare occasions. I suppose in that case they are still schooling, but for the most part I just end up with a bunch of the same fish swimming all over the place. Maybe I just never had enough critical mass of fish for them to stay in the school. Maybe this is just in my tanks but that's been my experience :-)

Anyway, my favourite schooling fish are the barletts or queen anthias. I used to have a school of 6 pajama cardinals but my wife said they look like Gollum wearing pajamas so i sold them (save for one). They did school for the short while that I had them.