How to make schooling fishes school?

[zenz]

Hi guys,

Care to share the tips and tricks to make the schooling fishes school instead of swimming dispersely in the tank?

Cheers,

Zenz

[lorba]

The easiest way is to put in a predator or larger sized fish.

The fishes usually school when in need of protection, to dither the attention of predators on individual so that they have a better chance to escape.

You may want to try a average sized school in a larger tank. 20 tiger barbs in a 4ft tank should school very very well.

[chua]

Can suggest some bigger fish or predator?

But by adding it in may stress the fishes causing it to get dieases such as white spot.

Hi lorba, are you saying that fishes that school will school better with smaller number?

[RonWill]

Hi Zenz,
You may know it, but we don't know what fishes you're referring to and what makes you think they'll school? (Do they carry books and wear uniform? )

Jokes aside, the previous responses are correct, in that there's safety in numbers. But when there's no threat, there's no need to group together.

IME, I know danios, minnows and Emperor tetras don't school at all.

More sensible possibilities when we get more details from you.

[lorba]

If you put six banded barbs and exclaimation mark rasboras together, they are going to mingle together happily even though the size is > 10 times.

So sometimes, size may not matter.

An arowana with 20 SAE, just like what you see in Pet Safari's tank, the SAEs are going to be a hell of a platoon. Not because the arowana is 50 times bigger, but because he may decide to eat one anytime.

Hi lorba, are you saying that fishes that school will school better with smaller number?

It may not be true for all. But you will notice with 10 cardinal tetras in a 4ft tank, they are going to school better than a 100. When the size force is huge and no danger is spotted, they will be really at home and all over the shop.

[kelloggs]

One very good schooling fish is rummy red nose.. they will swim in sychronise whether you have 3 or 20. Another chap is penguin tetra.. their 45 degree stance in the same direction is mesmerising.

As for cardinals, go to Gan aquarium and take a look at their show tank. IMHO if you let go a thousand cardinals in a 6ft, they will swim in the same direction. strange.

Previously i had about a hundred cadinals in my 4ft but they were quite diversified. I agree with some bro here that when u put some predators, they will school. i guess is their animal instinct to be coorporative in the face of danger. Recently i got 6 adult altums and put them in the same tank with the cardinals and immediately the cardinals were very united. A warning is that make sure your cardinals have reached a certain jumbo size before trying altum to "school" them. It is a well-known fact that altums eat cardinals during light out..

[juggler]

Other than Rummy Nose, Harlequin Rasbora are excellent schooling fish as well. I have kept both before.

[Encriptic]

juggler is right. keeping school of harlequin now. 20 of them in a 2 ft tank. they school together all the time. and when i stare at them especially. they think food is coming and they swim left to right as a big school.

[chua]

Will a schooling fish see another different schooling fish as a threat? Thus, both will school.

[zenz]

Hi Guys!
Tks for the prompt response!

Ron Will,
u r rite, shud provide some specs of my tank. Mine is a 6 footer planted and the "primary school" is cardinal, abt 200 of them. size 2-3 cm.

lorba,
yup, adding more aggressive species was wat i tried. First i added 6 barbs (puntius rhomboiocellatus), doesn't work. then added 12 Danio Choprae, still doesn't work, the choprae school amongst themselves though. And then I started to find some of my cardinals becoming one-eye jacks! culprits must either be the barb or the danio. So, i guess chua's rite, it's a fine balance between adding a chaser n not stressing the fish. In the end, i move both the danios and the barbs into another tank.

chua,
to answer your question, first i need to ask if pencils r schooling fishes? cos my "secondary schools" are pencils, but they don't seem to school or cause the cardinal to school.

kellogs,
seen that tank at gan's, but think it's abit crowded imho.

kellogs, juggler, encriptic
will go look at the fishes that u guys mentioned. nowadays a bit more careful when buying fishes. used to buy fishes without knowing the characterisics of the fish or if the fishes fit in my tank. This resulted in hvg to set up a spare tank to fit the unsuitable fishes like the barbs n danios. So now trying to be a more responsible fish keeper and cautious with wat i buy. To me fish-keeping is a hobby, but to the fish, it's its life.

Cheers,

Zenz

[s050399b]

good thread, i'm thinking of getting schooling fishes in my 4 feet tank,

1) penguin tetra
2) Harlequin Rasbora

Anymore?

[s050399b]

from http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_...nids/barbs.htm

you can find which are schooling fish (marked 'S' at the side).

But are they compatible with penguin tetra & Harlequin Rasbora?


thanks,

[s050399b]

http://www.bettasrus.com/faq/tankmates.htm