Schooling behaviour

[XnSdVd]

Any idea why my 24 harlequin rasboras aren't schooling in my 6 footer? There's sparse vegetation, 2 betta pugnax and a 3 feeder mollies in the tank if you want to know. The rasoboras are all over the place. Do they only school when they feel threatened or do they have to establish a pecking order of some sort before they start? They've been in the tank for about 6 hrs so far...

[stormhawk]

You have to give them time to get used to the surroundings. 6 hours is a short time. However at times, rasboras do not school. In fact I only see loose schools amongst my rasboras, including the boraras, at any time of the day. Plus these guys have been in my tank for more than 1 year and still no "proper" schooling behaviour.

[vinz]

Usually schooling fishes spread out into a loose school if there are no predators. If the tank is small enough, they look like they are all over the place.

They could still be exploring. Now that you mention it, looks like it happen with my R. espei in my 200 litre tank. I added about 25 of them recently (to the existing 5 or 6) and they were all over the place. That was about a week or two ago. But they started schooling a few days later.

[XnSdVd]

Which is weird considering I was practically being mobbed by them when I was in the shop... I forgot to mention I don't have a pump yet so there's no circulation.

[stormhawk]

Haha yes, Vincent has a point there. Space too plays a role in "forcing" them to school. If the tank is large enough they sometimes don't bother to stick in a school.

[XnSdVd]

Maybe i should just put my cat on the shelf again
But seriously, any recommendations for a "predator" that won't actually kill them? The "all over the shop" thing doesn't exactly look attractive...

[brianclaw]

Jerome, I don't know of any schooling fishes that will actually stay in a tight bunch if there's no "danger" lurking nearby... Most schooling fishes stick close in the LFSs mainly because of the constant "stress" of their environment(nets being put in to fish them out for customers, people constantly walking back and forth, etc)...
(PS.. just got back from Thailand, we should meet for coffee again some time)

[Justikanz]

Harlequins won't school tight... Unless there is a percieved predator... Try the SAE... They grow bigger than the rasboras and will not eat them... Also, provide an area that is more densly planted with an open space... They will then school whenever they wanna swim in the open space...

My cardinals finally schooled after I rescaped my 4footer. Previously, it was too thickly planted and there's no open space and they feel safe... They also couldn't see the SAE properly due to the thick vegetation...

But you want fish found in Singapore naturally, right?... That's kinda difficult...

[xxdivinityxx]

Err Brian,

You talking to me or XnsDvd? Lol.
Unless he's named Jerome too!
And yes, we should meet up for coffee soon too, just give me a sms.

I used to add fishes like Discus or Angels, they're harmless but will get fish to school anyway.

I just threw in some 20 Rasbora borapetensis into my 1.5 cube. I must say its a very bad move. In my pond, they seem to school endlessly, however in the tank they're like scattered rice. But i do notice they're schooling in smaller groups of 5s so think i'll remove 10 just to see how that goes.

[brianclaw]

You talking to me or XnsDvd?

Ahaha... That's what happens when screen names are too close together... I meant you.

[XnSdVd]

Woah... you've got a pond? Are you in aussie or s'pore?

[xxdivinityxx]

Lol Brian! Anytime dude, just give me a text.
In Singapore, not much of a pond, more of a water catchment area, touted (By myself) as the best place to grow echi emersed, because I threw in 4 different echi plants in to kick start it and within a few days they were growing emersed.
No filteration, direct sunlight.