school fish --- the principle ???

[MisticX]

i still do not understand how you define a fish that "schools"

the ones that herd ... like the zebra danios ?

[Purrbox]

A schooling fish will swim together in a tight formation when they feel threatened. They also don't do as well if they don't have enough of their own kind to swim with. A schoaling fish will swim together in a loose formation for defense, but do not swim as tightly as schooling fish. They generally still need some of their own kind around, but you can generally get by with a few less. Non schooling fish will not swim with their own kind and generally don't care if their own kind is around.

[MisticX]

does this except repro ?

example guppies are all together in periods of reproduction, but are not so tight when not.

[Jarred Darque]

It should be noted that without something at least slightly aggresive in the tank, schooling fish may stop schooling.

[MisticX]

oh, that might not be true by the definition that Purr gives, because my zebra danios are MAD, they'd play all day long together and even run after the smaller guppy, that would once in a while return the favor.

by what i understand that would be schooling too.


pls pls pls pls if i am mistaken slap me by the head but gimme what YOU consider a school means

[Jarred Darque]

the purpose of schooling is that smaller fish in large groups can give of the presentation of a much larger fish to their predators, throwing the predators off, and If the predator attacks, it decreases the chance of it getting a hold of a small fish (all the same looking targets making it hard to target an individual)

So, in essance, what real schooling fish do is act very similiar, mimicing movements instantaneously etc. oftren times facing the same way, swimming very tightly, they turn together, move together, staying in essentially the same order etc.

Granted, loose schooling fish (like most schoolers in FW) don't hold to this quite as much, but they do a decent and impressive job none the less. Larger schooling fish look cool, my silver dollars do it to a small extent....possibly because they can end up as food though....

[MisticX]

Originally Posted by Jarred Darque

So, in essance, what real schooling fish do is act very similiar, mimicing movements instantaneously etc. oftren times facing the same way, swimming very tightly, they turn together, move together, staying in essentially the same order etc.

mostly like a herd ... i get it

[theotheragentm]

This is a school of Corydoras. It's quite obvious here. Like other people noted, in your tank there probably doesn't exist the same predator threat as in the wild. The fish will school less.