do diff. tetras school toghether
- Thread starter Gumby131
- Start date
Guys,
Your "lone schooling fish" is schooling with other fish because they HAVE to. They are compelled to school because they don't feel safe unless they are in a school. So, they will do what they can to *be* in a school.
Take two schools: 6+ neon tetras and 6+ cardinal tetras
Do you think any of the neons are going to prefer to school with the cardinals? No, they won't. One or two might occassionally join the other school, but only for a short period of time and only until they get back to their own school.
I frankly can't see why this concept of needing their own family is so hard to accept.
Roan
Your "lone schooling fish" is schooling with other fish because they HAVE to. They are compelled to school because they don't feel safe unless they are in a school. So, they will do what they can to *be* in a school.
Take two schools: 6+ neon tetras and 6+ cardinal tetras
Do you think any of the neons are going to prefer to school with the cardinals? No, they won't. One or two might occassionally join the other school, but only for a short period of time and only until they get back to their own school.
I frankly can't see why this concept of needing their own family is so hard to accept.
Roan
Because all of us want to believe that what we want to do is fine for the fish and right for the fish. And too many myths tells folks that it is just fine. But we do learn from experience - sometimes.
i have neon tetras and black tetras. They do not school with each other. The neons school with the neons, and the blacks school with the blacks.
Roan Art said:
Your post was good up until that sentence, then it got critical. Nobody here said it was hard to accept that fish school with others. We were just giving instance of when it's happened and hasn't. Have you ever seen a black skirted tetra school with minnows half it's size? It looks a little weird to say the least.
Besides, we've all seen Finding Nemo here and we all know how fish truly school, and that's when they all jump on the back of a sting ray and explore the reef.
No, I wasn't being critical. I'm frustrated with the entire schooling fish mentality of how some people, even when they say they know these fish should be in a school, stick them by themselves or in pairs.SinaiTSi said:
As RTR said, people do what they think is right (I prefer "works" myself), not what's right for the fish.
They why even bother posting that x fish schooled with x fish? What is the point to that? Is it to prove that you *can* stick a fish with the wrong genus or specie and it will "work"? Or, to put it another way, "yah, they should be in a school but look here they don't *really* need it. They'll school with other fish".
If you read other threads you'll find a common theme: whenever someone says a fish needs to be in a school, someone always posts that they have x fish that schooled with x fish and therefore it should be okay. Or they had x fish alone and it was fine and happy for years. Heck, I did the very same thing the first month or so I was here. Then I started putting my fish in proper schools and saw a difference in how they acted.
The worst thing is that the bigger the schooling fish, the less likely it will find itself in a school and the more likely the person wanting said fish will "ignore" the fact that it needs a family of same species.
How many people have tinfoil barbs? Quite a few, I think. And how many people have tinfoil barbs in a group of three? Two? How many in a proper school of six or more? One? None?
You missed the part with the moonfish and the groupers
Roan
I understand what you are saying, but I posted this...Roan Art said:
Some of us use these threads to show that the fish really do prefer to school with their own even if they WILL school with others when needed.jodimartin2003 said:
I don't have a problem with the threads in general. I especially don't have a problem with what you posted. How could I? You pretty much proved the point I was making.jodimartin2003 said:I understand what you are saying, but I posted this...
Some of us use these threads to show that the fish really do prefer to school with their own even if they WILL school with others when needed.
You poking at me, girl? :joke:
You know what I wanna hear? I wanna hear from someone who can -- and not BS us about it -- who had/has something like the following: a school of 6+ neon tetras and a of 6+ cardinals that did not school with their own. A romp or three around the tank doesn't count. I wanna hear from someone who can honestly say that their fish *preferred* to school with another specie.
Honestly and no crap.
Roan
Here's the deal, I had to explain this to my science classes when I put in the planted neon tank and they really wanted to know why the fish were grouping together. Awesome spot to stop and do a mini-zoology lesson! I was so stoked!
If there was big scary critter that could eat you and you had a chance to hide or be safe, would you:
A) hide (school) with a bunch of people who look exactly like you, reducing your chances of being seen (even though some of you might get munched)
B) hide (school) with a bunch of kids that all looked the same, but you didn't look like them - you stand out, you make yourself a target, but at least you stand a little bit of chance of not getting munched
C) you go off on your own, making yourself the only target and makes it harder hide, run, or get away.
They all agreed they with A - go figure. One girl, with tears in her lil' 11 year old eyes, "But their so cute, why would anyone eat them, it makes me so sad." (more worldy 11-year old boy) "Cuz silly, they are like hour d'ouvres, ya' know like popcorn shrimp..mmmm." That was a scene, I could not help but laugh!
If there was big scary critter that could eat you and you had a chance to hide or be safe, would you:
A) hide (school) with a bunch of people who look exactly like you, reducing your chances of being seen (even though some of you might get munched)
B) hide (school) with a bunch of kids that all looked the same, but you didn't look like them - you stand out, you make yourself a target, but at least you stand a little bit of chance of not getting munched
C) you go off on your own, making yourself the only target and makes it harder hide, run, or get away.
They all agreed they with A - go figure. One girl, with tears in her lil' 11 year old eyes, "But their so cute, why would anyone eat them, it makes me so sad." (more worldy 11-year old boy) "Cuz silly, they are like hour d'ouvres, ya' know like popcorn shrimp..mmmm." That was a scene, I could not help but laugh!
