# Rainbow cichlid 'schooling fish'?



## Anders247 (Jan 29, 2015)

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/viewc ... chthynicar
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?


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

All kinds of cichlids can school under certain conditions in the wild. That doesn't make them 'schooling fish'.
In captivity they are stuck in one place. They won't form groups and swim around like tetras in a tank.
Just because it CAN form a school under certain conditions in the wild doesn't really make it a 'schooling fish'.
Now that said, rainbow cichlids can do well as large groups in aquaria. They are generally more compatible with each other, in comparison to other CA cichlids.
As far as keeping a lone specimen with out other cichlid tankmates.... that is no different then doing the same for any other CA cichlid.


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## Bd79 (Apr 11, 2011)

Is he confusing them with rainbow fish? I've not heard, or seen, that rainbow cichlids school.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Bd79 said:


> I've not heard that rainbow cichlids school.


Did you not bother to read the provided link or the Op's quotes from the study?
The scientific name is used (_Herotilapia multispinosa_) so there is no confusion on what species is being referred to.
Like I already mentioned, not unusual for many fish, including cichlids to school SOMETIMES in nature. Doesn't make them 'schooling fish'. 
Usually, they are on their way somewhere. Conditions that can never happen when they are stuck in the same place. 
A good example is _Pelmatoplapia mariae_ (formerly _Tilapia mariae_) that can form large schools of adults in Florida. I've seen footage in the past, on TV. Of coarse in captivity, such a large aggressive cichlid won't school, even in thousands of gallons, because there is really no where to be going to, in a glass box.
This is quite different then some small fish such as some tetras, that are behaviorally inclined to form a school as soon as there are sufficient numbers. These types of fishes live in schools most of the time as a means of avoiding predation. But even amongst those that are called 'schooling fish' in aquaria, some of these so called 'schooling fish' don't school the majority of time in nature. Being close together in small space might be triggering the schooling behaviour.


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## Bd79 (Apr 11, 2011)

BC in SK said:


> Bd79 said:
> 
> 
> > I've not heard that rainbow cichlids school.
> ...


No, I didn't. I know the scientific name (were also named archocentrus multispinosa at one point) and I've kept those fish and read a fair amount of literature on them.

Not sure why you are so angry, but I don't think it is called for.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Bd79 said:


> Not sure why you are so angry


I'm not.
Not sure why you are suggesting I am. Based on your post it appeared to me that you had not read it and it was a simple question.
There is reason why the OP is bringing this up..... because of the academic study. Probably the reason the other forum user is mistakenly insisting that it some how makes a rainbow cichlid a 'schooling fish".
It's just important to understand that because a fish sometimes schools in nature doesn't make it a 'schooling fish'.


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## Bd79 (Apr 11, 2011)

By phrasing your response as "did you not bother to read" rather than simply saying something more neutral, such as "if you read the linked material", your message seemed to be attacking me. I now understand that you did not mean that way.

And I think you and I agree on the response to the OP: they are not schooling fish.


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## Anders247 (Jan 29, 2015)

BC in SK said:


> All kinds of cichlids can school under certain conditions in the wild. That doesn't make them 'schooling fish'.
> In captivity they are stuck in one place. They won't form groups and swim around like tetras in a tank.
> Just because it CAN form a school under certain conditions in the wild doesn't really make it a 'schooling fish'.
> Now that said, rainbow cichlids can do well as large groups in aquaria. They are generally more compatible with each other, in comparison to other CA cichlids.
> As far as keeping a lone specimen with out other cichlid tankmates.... that is no different then doing the same for any other CA cichlid.


Thank you, this is what I thought as well. 
I also think they are fine in groups, but this guy says that they 'have' to be.


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