Tightest schooling fish

S

shinyfish

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Aug 7, 2008
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Well after my experiences in the last week or so my spirits are not yet broken.

(basically I got tired of being asked why there are only small fish in my tank and where are the fish worth looking at. So I bought a few gouramis because of my ignorance and they ended up killing quite a few of my fish.. long story short I am out some cash and my tank is where it started)

Anyways just trying to brainstorm. Perhaps the any fish around the size of gouramis simply wont work as the corys are not all fully grown.

My other idea besides some larger fish is a decent sized (20-30) school of fish, that was my original idea with the lemon tetras but they were rather lackluster in their schooling effort.

Are there any fish that 99% of the time stay in a tight school? or do they all get rather lazy with time if there is nothing to keep them on their toes?

Sorry for multiple thread on similar subject but just getting that itch again and thinking a lot.

Thanks for replies.
 
Yes, I enjoy trying to share my fish with friends, but I don't really listen to any "advice" they give -- *laugh*....

I've heard that rummy-nose tetras school nicely. I have brilliant rasboras and they stick pretty close together (don't swim around a whole lot, but maybe if I had more and had them in a bigger tank)...

Good luck!
 
I like my white clouds they dont school very tightly but I love them and I have them in with two big gold gouramis and the gouramis dont bother them in my experience most schools fall short when there isnt someone bigger around. also how in the world do you have TWO empty tanks I have one and its driving me nuts!
 
Rummynose tetras are the tightest schoolers I've ever seen. Another thing to keep in mind is that schooling fish tend to school more tightly if there is a larger fish in the tank. One gourami may have kept them in a tighter school without having such issues with aggression.
 
I've had harlequin rasboras for more than a year now, and they still school together in the the mid-level of the tank. The tightest schoolers than I have are my rummy nose tetras, but mine stay more on the lower levels of the tank. I only have 8 of them, so perhaps if I had more they would venture into the higher levels of the tank, don't know.
When I watch the harlequins, all the harlequins will school across the tank, and then one of the ones in the rear will turn to go the other way and the rest will turn and follow. Pretty neat to watch!!! Plus, I find their colors striking!!

I once bought a school of neons hoping they would school, but I was sadly disappointed.
I also had brilliant rasboras that schooled very tightly when they were the only fish in a tank. When I had them in a tank with other fish, they didn't school quite so well.
:)
 
I've also got rummynose tetras and harlequin rasboras. They sometimes like to school together, though the rummys do seem to school much tighter.
 
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I have to agree with Harlies and Rummies. I have had a school of 10 rummies in the past in a 29g with a blue gourami and they schooling pretty much all the time! but the downside is they arent as colorful as many other tetras
 
I too have Harlequin Rasbora and Rummynosed Tetra currently and both are active and school pretty well. The rasbora stay near the top and are hyper, entertaining schoolers. They kind of go up and down near the top instead of straight as they go back and forth. (If that makes any sense.) My non-fishy father always giggles at them and seems to enjoy them.

The rummynose stick more to the middle/bottom and zip back and forth in straighter lines. They generally only go to the top of the tank at feeding time, though most of them will hit the surface for the food.

I also have cardinals in there and they stick together, but don't move nearly as much. Still, I like the color they add.
 
My Norman's lampeyes are the tightest schoolers I've seen, moreso than any tetra I've had. They're small too, so you could have a nice big group of them- they're very striking, IMO.

They're pretty much top dwellers, as well. They'll venture down, but spend maybe 75% of their time at the top. And when they go off on their own, their response to pretty much any outside noise/motion is to school even tighter- common, but again, more pronounced in these guys. They take a little while to settle in- when I first got them every time I'd move they'd all huddle in a little group behind the heater, with their lamps dimmed. :lol: they're much braver now!
 
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