Schooling Fish

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Aqualung

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Jan 31, 2004
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I would like to make a suggestion to anyone that is keeping schooling fish or considering stocking their tanks with schooling fish.

Three fish of one (schooling) species is better than one lone fish, but three fish does not make a school. Six is an absolute minumum, but in my opinion six fish still do not make a school.

I'm not trying to put down anyone's stocking techniques whatsoever, but I just want people to be aware of the fact that fish don't truly "school" unless there are large numbers of that species. The more the merrier!

If you are thinking about stocking a new tank and plan to include a schooling species, try to arrange your stocking levels to allow for the largest numbers of the schooling fish possible. Your fish will be more comfortable, and they will reward you with fantastic displays that you would otherwise miss out on.

I won't say that there is a magic number seperating a true "school" from a group of fish, because it is all relative. However, I believe that if you want to keep schooling fish in your tanks then you should stock with the maximum amount of fish that your space allows (staying within the limits of the bioload of course).

That's just my opinion, and anyone is free to add their two cents.
 
My experience has been that fish school when there is a threat. Predator for instance. If I stick my hand in the tank for cleaning purposes. If my fish feel safe they split up and are all over the tank.
 
I agree with you, Aqualung. Although rummy nose are great schoolers, they school even better when they are in groups in excess of 10.

I've also been doing some reading and there IS a difference between schooling and shoaling fish and it has nothing to do with the number of fish.

It's an interesting link and explains a lot of things. Lemme see if I can find it. Here it is:

http://www.thatfishshop.com/reference/shoal.htm

I find this fascinating and it accounts for a lot of smaller tetra behaviour.

Roan
 
The predator thing seems to ring true in my tank. Sure 7 neons isn't exactly a huge school, but they had each found their own little niche in teh tank, until I did a water change, and tehy all bunched up and stayed that way for a while.

Then they gradually split off, until I added my Dwarf Gourami, he doesn't go anywhere near them, but they've stuck togetehr as a group ever since, and I even found one I thought was MIA.
 
some good looking gold killies for the top, some variety of tetra for the middle, and most will say cories for the bottom, but if you want more color get some yoyo loach, or for even more color, get the botia angelicus, wich are exactly like them but with better looks
 
Gomisan said:
Then they gradually split off, until I added my Dwarf Gourami, he doesn't go anywhere near them, but they've stuck togetehr as a group ever since, and I even found one I thought was MIA.
Click to expand...

how long have you had the Dwarf Gourami?if not long maybe they get use to him as well and stop schooling
 
fish_breeder_05 said:
some good looking gold killies for the top, some variety of tetra for the middle, and most will say cories for the bottom, but if you want more color get some yoyo loach, or for even more color, get the botia angelicus, wich are exactly like them but with better looks
Click to expand...

WTF??????
 
Ms.Bubbles said:
WTF??????
Click to expand...
oh, sorry I only read the first part and thought they were looking for interesting scoolers and I was still a bit tired (no school today, slept in)
 
very true, my neons have realized that there is no threat in the tank, and even though there is only 8, and they don't make much of a school to begin with, they are all over the tank, along with my other tetras. My best schoolers are a group of 10 scissortails :D, except for my clowns of course, who love each other :soda:
 
What I have done in the past is select the species that I plan on using in my tank and buying groups of 6-8 at a time. I allow the group to settle in and get used to the tank before I add the next batch. I like to keep my schools in the 8+ side (preferably 16+) just because they really school better together that way.

I have 18 Cardinal tetras in my 60 planted tank with 1 big angel and a discus.
 
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