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Rainbow cichlid

Anders247

Member
Messages
102
Location
Lunenburg, MA
OK, so I'm getting pestered by this one user on another forum that rainbow cichlids are 'schooling fish'.
I have kept my rainbow cichlid alone for two years and he has never exhibited any signs of being lonely or going nuts like a real schooling fish, a zebra danio for instance, did when I had one alone (the rest died).

What are you opinions on this?

I also want to throw this in there: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1034&context=ichthynicar
Look at page 18, and read the whole thing. In 'Territoriality' it states that they give up breeding and start being territorial towards one another. On page 30, it says this: 'The schooling behavior of the adults can be related to the need for high vagility. Say we are trying to disperse a species to isolated habitats. If we disperse them as individuals, each individual has a certain probabilty of arriving in a suitable habitat. But the probability of two individuals arriving in the same habitat will be lower, and the probability that the two animals are of the opposite sex will be lower still. However, if we disperse our organisms in randomly composed groups of six individuals each, the probability of a pair being present given they arrive in a suitable habitat will be 1 - (1/2)6, a high probability indeed. I doubt that the function of the schooling behavior of the adults is to reduce the chances of predation, as the average group size observed (5-6) would be too small to be effective, although the 'selfish herd' model would fit the fry nicely (HAMILTON 1971).'

What are your opinions?
 

abrooks12376

Active Member
Messages
201
I mean.. they'd probably be better off with a mate at the very least. In an appropriate sized aquarium I can't see a group of 20 mixed sex being a bad deal. It's not like a solitary fish like a betta or gourami or anything. Theyre certainly not a schooling fish though.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 

Anders247

Member
Messages
102
Location
Lunenburg, MA
Yeah, that's what I have been saying to him, but he constantly says they 'have to be in groups' because they're 'schooling fish'.
I think they are fine in groups, just don't have to be.
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Mine lived happily as singles and pair for many years. I used them to eat snails that proliferated in grow-out tanks once I removed the juveniles. They are not a true schooling fish.
 

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