Why don't my cherry barbs school?

[CaptainBarnicles]

There's 7 females and one male (I'd like a few more males) but they're all over the tank instead of with each other, I thought they were a schooling fish? Not that I'm bothered particularly, they obviously feel comfortable enough in their environment to not feel the need to with each other I'm assuming? I do love the schooling behaviour though so I'm a bit sad

 

[AquaBarb]

Mine have never schooled. Females tend to hang around the middle of the tank while my 4 males all have a corner each

 

[Essjay]

I had cherry barbs a few years ago and they never schooled in my tank. Like yours, they all went their separate ways.

I notice that Seriously Fish does describe them as schooling, but I wonder if the person who wrote it confuses the words 'schooling' and 'shoaling'? Many people use the word schooling to mean a species which needs to be in a group (ie shoaling) when schooling means swimming together in a co-ordinated manner.

 

[Colin_T]

Put a big predatory fish in the tank and they will group up. Without a predator to stress them, they will just hang out in a loose group and live happily ever after.