Exactly, I've been trying to find a suitable "threat" for my 90 gal schooling tank ever since I took my half grown oscar out (who was an ideal "threat" but didn't work with the planted aquascaping) I had 40+ common smelt/whitebait in there who schooled brilliantly while the oscar was present, roaming and feeding in a tight swarm, it only took a few hours or less for them to disperse after the oscar was removed, they only group up now at feedings. It's a fine line between something that will sufficiently scare the school without actively devouring all of them.
Hardy tight schooling fish
- Thread starter james_kim189
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Exactly, I've been trying to find a suitable "threat" for my 90 gal schooling tank ever since I took my half grown oscar out (who was an ideal "threat" but didn't work with the planted aquascaping) I had 40+ common smelt/whitebait in there who schooled brilliantly while the oscar was present, roaming and feeding in a tight swarm, it only took a few hours or less for them to disperse after the oscar was removed, they only group up now at feedings. It's a fine line between something that will sufficiently scare the school without actively devouring all of them.
i think i am going with 20 white clouds (10 cents ea!) and a nice crowntail betta. how does that sound?
unbeatablec
Lives in Michigan
I've heard about the 'threat' making the shcool group together more tightly. I wonder just how much a threat it takes or is it simply the presence of other larger fish? For example I plan on having a group of say two dozen rummys in my tank I'm setting up. Other stock includes a large group of clown and zebra loaches, and roseline sharks. I also have a rainbow shark and some SAEs. Non of these fish are really a threat, but obviously they are much larger than the rummys. Could I expect the to school well or does it take fish to actually chase them around?
I agree that rummynose tetras are the tightest schoolers I have ever seen but they really are not that hardy to start out with. Once they are acclimated they do very well actually. They will school no matter what. I have mine in with hatchet fish and yo-yo loaches. I like the idea of the white clouds though. A crowntail betta with them will look sweet. I also think that brilliant rasboras are beautiful and very tight schoolers. I have a small school of them in my 16 gallon tank and they are the only occupants. They constantly school which looks totally awesome.
Marinemom
Marinemom
The threat fish will actually have to be a real threat (either by attempted predation or terrortorial chasing) or the schoolers will quickly get used to it and ignore it, afterall we're the biggest "fish" that our aquarium buddies will encounter and they quickly learn that far from being a threat we are the source of food and they act accordingly.
My Buenos Aires tetras school tightly, without any threats (though sometimes I tell them that they'd go nicely with chips).
OK, so you can't have a predator swimming in a small tank, so why not find an image of a real natural predator, get some card board and paste the image onto the cardboard. Cut around image and cardboard to the shape of the predator - put it on a stick and wave it around wildly whilst watching your fish.
This will encourage the schooling behaviour! :evil_lol:
This will encourage the schooling behaviour! :evil_lol:
