Do different species of tetras school together?

Stacey269

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:huh: I have 3 neons, and I was at my lfs yesterday and saw some white cloud tetras and glow tetras. They both look pretty cool. Will they all school together or stay within their species? For example, if I got 2 white clouds and 2 glows, will they school with the neons? Will cardinals school with neons?
 
my glowlights and neons sometimes shoal together :)
 
I've had Neons, Glowlights and Rummy-nose tetras school together. Similar sized tetras often shoal together, but sometimes they keep to their own species. As mordernhamlet said, you never know.
 
I've got all sorts of tetras (see my sig) some I of the little blighters I'm yet to identify. However they do all seem to show schooling tendancies together, so I'd have to say "yes" too.

ooh nearly forgot tho, these tetra in my tank have been together a long time (well in tetra years :D ) so they are well established.
 
I went to a Tropical fish rescue centre this weekend iand there was a 100,000,000 ltr tank whitch was at one point in the past a large freashwater fish tank. but the funding stopped so the aquarium is now for rescueing fish that are no longer wanted by people.
it has been split into 5 sections for the different size fish.

I looked at all of them and did look at how they all schooled and stuff.

Because im building a large tank and want all small fish i was interested in seeing that because most of the tetra family all swim at the same level the do tend to school together at times. it all depends on which tetras.

i noticed that there were around 10 schools swiming around with around 3000 tetras in each school.

They were all mixed schools e.g. Cardinal, neon, Rummy nose, glow light, citron

another schoold were all the larger types like red fined, black phantom, Basiclally the large finned type.

It was interesting to see and it was nice to see but if i also thought it was a shame because it looked a mess.


The way that they have started to make money for the aquarium is that they now sell the fish back to the shops.

but also they now have a good breading system.

The nicest part of the whole thing was that i had seen around 200 dicus fish all together in a large school.

but they also said that they use allot of the smaller fish like the guppies that they have in another not so large tank 100,000 ltr as feeders.

When I looked in the tank withthe larger fish there were loads of small fish in the tank.

Also because of the size of the tank you can see the large fish with its fry all around it protecting them. But it was really nice and funny
 
Fish tend to school mostly in large aquariums with relatively low stocking levels. Schooling is an anti predator device. In a small crowded tank, the fish don't get any benefit from forming a school, and are just as likely to go their own way. Put the same fish in a large tank, they feel a little vulnerable, they school up.
 
fozzy_wozzy_woo said:
100,000,000 Litres
That's a cube measuring roughly 150 feet x 150 feet x 150 feet (46m x 46m 46m)
That's is one big aquarium!

What's the difference between a school and a shoal? Is there a difference or is it just two names for the same thing?
 
SirMinion said:
fozzy_wozzy_woo said:
10,000,000 Litres
That's a cube measuring roughly 150 feet x 150 feet x 150 feet (46m x 46m 46m)
That's is one big aquarium

What's the difference between a school and a shoal? Is there a difference or is it just two names for the same thing?

i think my finger stuttered take one zero off of it . oh i will go get a leaflet next time im that way.
well it was close to that except for the hight. it was longer though. they used to keep schools of salamon trout and other fresh water things. but money and intrest run out.

schools = fish

shoals = fish and mamals

pods = mamals
 
I just got 3 neons and 3 glowlights tonight at lps and they all seem to be swimming togeather in a school for the past hour or so just down twords teh bottom. I think they are all scared of there new tank :p. I'll see how they are all doing tomorrow if they split up or what goes down with that.
 
SirMinion:

When fish school they all move as a unit and usually
face and swim in the same direction.

When fish shoal they tend to just hang loosely together,
facing and swimming in different directions.
 

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