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Cross species schooling?


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#1 Assault0137

Assault0137
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  • Hoschton, GA

Posted 20 February 2017 - 12:20 PM

I had a 10 gallon that was empty save for the lone survivor of a school of Zebra Dianos and I thought I would introduce some Yellowfins from my stream. Initially, he kept his behavior and swam mid/top level, and nipped at some fins. But when I came home from work yesterday, I saw that he was schooling with the Yellowfins! He is no longer swimming around at the top, he's rubbing up against the Yellowfins in the rock cave and stealthily skirting around the sand. I've never seen this before, and I thought that fish only schooled with like fish, but sure enough there he is. Just thought I'd shareAttached File  image.jpeg   95.71KB   0 downloads

Edited by Assault0137, 20 February 2017 - 12:24 PM.


#2 JasonL

JasonL
  • NANFA Member
  • Kentucky

Posted 20 February 2017 - 04:05 PM

I have multiple species of dace, shiners and other minnows that all school together in my sunfish tank. Not to mention when sampling schools of fish in creeks you'll often get multiple different species swimming together too. I suspect this is pretty common and largely instinctive.

#3 Assault0137

Assault0137
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  • Hoschton, GA

Posted 20 February 2017 - 04:21 PM

I have multiple species of dace, shiners and other minnows that all school together in my sunfish tank. Not to mention when sampling schools of fish in creeks you'll often get multiple different species swimming together too. I suspect this is pretty common and largely instinctive.


I just found it odd considering that this behavior is opposite of how a Diano usually acts.

#4 Doug_Dame

Doug_Dame
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Posted 20 February 2017 - 08:58 PM

Well, if you're only got one Danio, then he's in new behavioral territory ,,, has to decide if his instinct to be social is stronger than his instinct to stick with his own species, which in this case means hang around mostly with himself. (Or perhaps with other species that tend towards top/mid-waters ... if there were any in the tank.) As JasonL says, it's pretty common for native minnows to school in mixed groups. 

 

I've never kept Danios ... when they're in a mixed community tank, do they tend to stick to themselves?


Doug Dame

Floridian now back in Florida
 


#5 Dustin

Dustin
  • Forum Staff

Posted 21 February 2017 - 12:08 PM

I caught a couple different species of danio in Thailand and they all were schooling with the other cyprinid species so it is not a surprise that they would school with the shiners.  I found them mixed with barbs and and larger schooling cyprinids so it's not a surprise that they are a little feisty.


Dustin Smith
At the convergence of the Broad, Saluda and Congaree
Lexington, SC


#6 Josh Blaylock

Josh Blaylock
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  • Central Kentucky

Posted 21 February 2017 - 01:15 PM

I have a 10gal in my utility garage with 5-6 danios and 2 Blackstripe Topminnows.  The danios are a little aggresive towards each other, but typicall leave the topminnows alone.


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