Yes,fish that like the company of their own kind do better in groups.

[Stan510]

You would think 240 gallons would make Rainbowfish happy..and they seemed happy. Yet,when over the last two years I ran the total to 14 fish?..they really go back and forth now.
I know fish are not cheap anymore..Neons for $4 sometimes each. So beginners usually go for one or two..but for the rest of you farther along? You really would enjoy those fish you have if you added a few more. You can feel the difference too..they seem tamer than ever. No panic when the wife was picking up around the tank as I watched-lol.
So just some advice...Coolie loaches will thank you, Barbs will thank you and Candy cane Tetras will thank you for keeping them a half dozen or more. I thank you.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

yep, I find that the magic number for a lot of species seems to be between six and ten. When I went from four dwarf chain loaches to seven in my old 55g, the difference in behavior was amazing. They were like a whole different species.

 

[Retired Viking]

Currently have 27 neon, 14 glow light and 5 ember tetras in my tetra tank. I want to add a few more embers but they are hard to find. They are the ones that seem to stick together the most.

 

[Stan510]

EXACTLY RK. It also helps when you keep fish with similar habits...with the Rainbows I have six Giant Danios...so six of them,14 of Rainbows...and I'm getting that look I wanted of fish and minnows in a stream. Feeding time is great..they rush to the food. No hesitation.

 

[FishBR]

With age I have learned to appreciate quality instead of quantity, when it comes to the number of species in a tank. When I was young I would have a lot of different species in a crowded tank, instead of attending to their needs and appreciating the beauty of fish that school together with the appropriate amount of space. I am setting up a 55g right now and I will have only four kinds of fish in it, in groups that will range from 6 to 10.

 

[Stan510]

True FISHbr. Its very hard to convince a starter..How could they know? But if you can get them to buy six of something? Not one?...they would have the satisfaction of seeing Corydoras..hang together. Barbs playing.
One of the calmest tanks I ever saw was in the 70's or 80's. It was a 6' long 100 gallon with a dozen large Tinfoil Barbs. Red fins and they moved perfectly around each other. No decorations in the tank..just gravel. It was mesmerizing!

 

[Stan510]

Another thing...you notice that an aquarium that has larger numbers of the same fish seems not to be overcrowded to the eye and thriving-no sicknesses break out...while an identical size tank with..one of this and two of those...have stressed fish,sooner or later something breaks out? And slow eaters lose to fast eaters..just problems with the same bio mass in the same gallons.
Why dealer tanks with 100 tetras looks to be fine and where they keep 14 different species..uh,not so good..somebody has ich!

 

[HoldenOn]

At first I thought I wanted a bunch of flashy fish. Then I got some corydoras, now all I want is more corydoras