Inter-species Shoaling?

[noobfish]

So I had 7 diamond tetras. Lost 5 to mouth rot a while back. I chose not to replace them as I had since found out the tank (30"x12"x18") was not of adequate size for dt's and am not ready for an upgrade (its coming in the next 5 months, just in the planning/saving stage). I did however get 7 black phantoms. I've noticed that the dt's are starting to shoal with the bpt's. Maybe I'm imagining it?

Has anyone ever experienced this?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

So I had 7 diamond tetras. Lost 5 to mouth rot a while back. I chose not to replace them as I had since found out the tank (30"x12"x18") was not of adequate size for dt's and am not ready for an upgrade (its coming in the next 5 months, just in the planning/saving stage). I did however get 7 black phantoms. I've noticed that the dt's are starting to shoal with the bpt's. Maybe I'm imagining it?

Has anyone ever experienced this?

You're not imagining it and yes...I've experienced it in my own tank. I'll stick something up in my journal/blog-type thingy, but I have a shoal* including glowlight tetra, black neon tetra, golden pencilfish and a couple of pygmy corydoras, (who always seem to want in on any gatherings).

*Shoal: A group of fish hanging about together, as opposed to a school, which is a group of fish swimming in the same direction together.

 

[Myraan]

i had a ram that used to patrol the tank and spend a minute shoaling with whoever almost as she was worried they were getting food she wasnt

she even started sucking algae off strands of moss after she watched otos eat algae

 

[Slaphppy7]

So I had 7 diamond tetras. Lost 5 to mouth rot a while back. I chose not to replace them as I had since found out the tank (30"x12"x18") was not of adequate size for dt's and am not ready for an upgrade (its coming in the next 5 months, just in the planning/saving stage). I did however get 7 black phantoms. I've noticed that the dt's are starting to shoal with the bpt's. Maybe I'm imagining it?

Has anyone ever experienced this?

Yes, my glolight and rummy nose tetras do it often

 

[Byron]

None of us can possibly know what the fish are thinking when they do this, so I would not read much into it. There is safety in numbers, and it is logical that any generally-peaceful shoaling fish will now and then (or more frequently) find other fish to be close to, for safety and security reasons. This is after all the primary reason the shoaling species is just that, shoaling.

I have observed different rasbora species remain together, even when there was a group of say 8 or 9 of the two individual species. Trigonostigma hengeli and Brevibora dorsiocellata did this throughout their lives together in one of my tanks.

As another member noted, Corydoras pygmaeus frequently joins in a group of characins; C. hastatus does this even more often. Of course, fish of any species in the genus Corydoras will chum around with any other species in the genus.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I suspect strongly that it's one of two reasons...or both of them together.

1. Safety in numbers, as mentioned.
2. That particular area of the tank is most favoured, be it due to the current, or lack of, lighting conditions or any other localised environmental feature.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Here ya go...

 

[Byron]

Here ya go...

I assume this is one of your tanks. I would respectively point out that the water current is too strong, and that is most likely the prime reason the characins are staying close...they don't like it. I would reduce the filter return volume if at all possible. I have my internal Aqueon Quiet Flow filter in the right rear corner of my present 3-foot/90cm length tank that houses my 40 cories, along with some upper fish. I increased the surface disturbance (for the same reason as explained in my last post here) and the flow is directed down the back wall to the opposite end. By the time it gets past the opposite end on its return journey across the middle and front of the tank, it is not sufficient to make mosses or other plants move, and the fish do not need to be battling a current. This is important, because this continual energy loss just to stay afloat can lead to internal problems and stress.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I assume this is one of your tanks. I would respectively point out that the water current is too strong, and that is most likely the prime reason the characins are staying close...they don't like it. I would reduce the filter return volume if at all possible. I have my internal Aqueon Quiet Flow filter in the right rear corner of my present 3-foot/90cm length tank that houses my 40 cories, along with some upper fish. I increased the surface disturbance (for the same reason as explained in my last post here) and the flow is directed down the back wall to the opposite end. By the time it gets past the opposite end on its return journey across the middle and front of the tank, it is not sufficient to make mosses or other plants move, and the fish do not need to be battling a current. This is important, because this continual energy loss just to stay afloat can lead to internal problems and stress.

It is my tank.
Actually, they are usually dispersed throughout the tank, with plenty of 'quiet' spots behind wood and in the centre of Amazon Swords, for example. This was just an opportunity I took to illustrate multi-species shoaling.

 

[Avel1896]

i had a ram that used to patrol the tank and spend a minute shoaling with whoever almost as she was worried they were getting food she wasnt

she even started sucking algae off strands of moss after she watched otos eat algae

It is more a matter of territoriality than mimicking other fishes.

 

[noobfish]

You're not imagining it and yes...I've experienced it in my own tank. I'll stick something up in my journal/blog-type thingy, but I have a shoal* including glowlight tetra, black neon tetra, golden pencilfish and a couple of pygmy corydoras, (who always seem to want in on any gatherings).

*Shoal: A group of fish hanging about together, as opposed to a school, which is a group of fish swimming in the same direction together.

Thanks. None of them swim together, but during mid-day I'll catch them all together.

 

[Sgooosh]

for me, my peppered and green cories shoal
and some curious guppies think they are cories too

 

[Avel1896]

If they are schooling fishes, they feel safe in numbers, reason why they gather together – get into a group of different species of same schooling behavior – acting this way in desperation because they don't have any individuals of their own species.
This is why it is so important to respect the schooling behavior for the well-being of the fish, by constituting groups of 10 minimum and taking into account tank measurements, volume, and water parameters!

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

If they are schooling fishes, they feel safe in numbers, reason why they gather together – get into a group of different species of same schooling behavior – acting this way in desperation because they don't have any individuals of their own species.
This is why it is so important to respect the schooling behavior for the well-being of the fish, by constituting groups of 10 minimum and taking into account tank measurements, volume, and water parameters!

Although in the wild, with more space available than any aquarium, different species will still intermingle and shoal together...the safety in numbers still applies and they don't do it out of desperation.

 

[Avel1896]

different species will still intermingle and shoal together.

Of course number is the key.

they don't do it out of desperation.

Except OP question is about schooling captive fish...