Things You'll Need
- At least six fish of the same schooling-fish species
- One or two fish that are bigger than your schooling fish
- Large fish tank
Instructions
Choose a fish species that's most likely to swim in schools. AquariumFish.net suggests tetras, danios, white clouds, barbs, rainbows, bala sharks and corydoras catfish. A poll on TropicalFishForum.net ranked the best schooling fish (in the following order) as: black, cardinal and glowlight neons; zebras; rummy nose; harlequin rasboras; celebes rainbows; white clouds (golden); lemon tetras; and congo tetras.
Buy at least six fish of the same species. Schooling fish in groups of less than six tend to become anxious, shy and more prone to disease, according to AquaticCommunity.com. Having only two or three schooling fish in a tank may affect their behavior, causing them to hide or even attack or nip at other fish in the tank, according to AquariumFish.net. A large group of the same species is more likely to school (12 or more of the same species is optimal). Fish of any age will school in the proper environment.
Pick a large fish tank. The larger the tank, the more likely fish are to school. Since you'll need at least six fish of a particular species to school, your tank will need to be big enough to accommodate a school of adult-size fish; keep this point in mind if you buy young fish, which will grow over time. The size of the tank you'll need will depend on the number and size of the fish you buy. Experts note that fish will school best in a 30-gallon or larger tank.
Introduce one or two larger fish to the tank. Some fish enthusiasts recommend adding larger fish to the tank to pose a threat to the smaller fish and thus encourage them to school. However, you don't want the larger fish to eat the smaller fish. To help avoid this issue, choose gentler, vegetarian large fish. Some less-aggressive species include bala sharks, cherry barbs, danios, rasboras, corydoras catfish and blue gouramis.