The best/tightest schooling fish?

R

rjrevers

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Nov 16, 2006
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Chicago, Il
What is the best schooling fish. I had zebra danios before but they seemed to only school a couple of seconds at a time and then break up. I'm looking for someting that will stay as a group mostly and at the top portion of the tank. My parrot fish is pretty mellow but i want sometjing that won't fit easily in its mouth just in case.
 
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Not sure how true it is because I have never kept them, but I was told that rummy nose tetras usually stay in tight schools.
 
We have 10 rummy nose tetras, and they school quite well. So do our 10 red eye monk tetras. I'd say the rummy nose have the tighter school of the two.
 
Although it is true that rummy nose tetras school well, IME the more comfortable they become in their environment, the less tightly they school.
 
fballguy said:
Yep, that is true. The goal IMO with shoaling fish is to make them not school, then you know they are happy and healthy.
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That is a VERY true statement. That was my goal with my rummys. :dive2:
 
IME, with rummynoses however, that if they're not in a school, their noses lighten from the beaty red. my water parameters are fine (dkh of 8, pH of 7 and the ammonia and nitrites at 0 with nitrates at .2 ppm)...so i think with rummynoses, but this is just IME, try to keep them in a school
 
my needlefish are ALWAYS sticking together and they're topwater fish, never seen fish pack together as tightly as they do.. they even stick together when feeding, it's cool watching all 3 stalking a group of rosy reds. I doubt that's what you're looking for but I have to premote them whenever I get the chance, I'm really really enjoying mine.

http://www.aquaria.info/modules.php?file=speciesdetails&id=1165&op=modload&name=database for information

this site sort of lies though, the needlefish are the absolute most docile fish I've ever had, ever, they will not attack another fish if you kep them fed (they'll even run from the occasional stupid feeder that wants to peck at the tip of the needlefish's mouth) .. and they don't *need* any salt, I keep my aquarium saltfree and they're as fat and healthy as they possibly can be.

of course, the rosy reds also school pretty tightly, especially at night, when the needlefish apparently feed, as I always wake up with 5 less reds than when I went to bed.

you'll have better luck with predatory fish if you want something that schools. Most of the false gar school nicely.. I know of some bottom feeders that will almsot always stick together.. and it's sorta cheating but if you keep one end of your tank planted, dwarf gouramis will only occupy that side of the tank.
 
ny rasboras like to school a lot, even though there are only 4. my neons school pretty tight, but they've been through quite some upheval lately so i'm pretty sure they're just nervous.
 
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