Dumb Question

[eduller]

Probably stupid to worry, but I overthink.
 
My 54 gallon tank has been running well for a while now (a lot of thanks to folks on here who helped me stock and troubleshoot). All the inhabitants are getting along great - a little too great! Everyone schools with everyone else. The only fish who even remotely stick to their own school are the rummynose tetras, and they will even break off and go school around with someone else. I think they somehow all think they are the same kind of fish. I know it's not unheard of for different kinds of tetras to school together, but seriously right now I'm watching 2 neon tetras, all 3 dwarf gouramis, and 3 of the corys schooling together with all but 1 of the rummynose tetras. I'm not sure the cories know they are supposed to stay on the bottom. And the other rummynose is in with the rasboras. Like a proper school, following each other and everything.
 
What's the deal?
A - stop worrying, everyone is healthy and happy and feels comfortable
B - schools are not large enough, so they're desperate for safety and will find it anywhere they can
C - My tank is too heavily planted for schooling fish, so they don't have enough room to school so they break off into gangs
D - something else
 
Stocking:

• 11 neon tetras
• 10 rummynose tetras
• 10 harlequin rasboras
• 6 peppered cories
• 3 dwarf gorami
• handful of cherry shrimp
• handful of snails
• Blank spot for another small school of fish or pair/trio of something which I cannot decide on or maybe just more cories

 

 

[star4]

So long as your water is fine I wouldnt worry too much. I have a tank full of various different tetra, all rescue, none in the correct amount for a school that all hang around together. My oscar used to lie on the bottom with the clown loach too. Fish will do what they please, they do not always follow what you read about them. Keep the water correct and the fish will look after themselves

 

[Lillefishy]

Fish school as a defence mechanism, safety in numbers.
Yours sound like they're perfectly safe & happy so don't feel the need to stick together all the time

 

[attibones]

A note on the corydoras: They tend not to realize they are bottom dwellers until they're adults, so, in my experience, they pretend they're mid-dwellers until they get out of adolescence.

 

[ShinySideUp]

I have a single Siamese Algae Eater who has been without his/her original partner for many years and he/she swims nearly all the time with the Clown Loaches when they are out. When they are not he just mooches around, seemingly quite happy.
 
My 24 Rummy-nosed tetras only tend to school now when the lights first come on, reinforcing what LilleFishy says above, once they have got over the surprise they wander off and only school in small groups.
 
I go for your Option A and let them do what they want. If they were unhappy with their lot it would probably show in other ways (listlessness, inactivity, skulking in dark places, etc.).