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Schooling & group fish

Buy the whole group at once. Under-schooled fish hide, nip, and ignore food.

Either a schooling flag is set, or the group minimum is at least four. Under-schooled fish look sick: they hide, nip, and ignore food. The same species in a proper group of eight behaves like a different animal. Buy the whole group together whenever you can — adding two more later rarely undoes stress already locked into the first six.

81 species are flagged schooling, or have a group minimum of at least four.

Keeper decision notes

Group size is one of the few stocking decisions you can fix cheaply on day one and almost cannot fix later. Six tetras bought together school; six bought as two groups of three a month apart often will not. By the time you add the missing three, stress on the first fish has already shaped their behaviour.

Every row is a real profile. The list moves when a record changes. Shortlist names, then verify litres, water, and mates on each profile before you buy.

Fish on this list

Next steps

Shortlist a few names from this guide, then verify the real mix before you buy.

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Tank hubs: 60L · 100L · 120L · 160L

Before livestock: tank setup checklist · filter size · beginner plants.

Other guides

Schooling fish — quick answers

What does the “Schooling fish” list include?
81 species are flagged schooling, or have a group minimum of at least four.
How many schooling fish should I buy at once?
Buy the full group on day one whenever you can. Under-schooled fish hide, nip, and ignore food. Adding two or three later rarely undoes stress already locked into the first fish. Check each profile’s group minimum.
Can I mix different schooling species in one tank?
Sometimes — after you meet each species’ own group minimum and pair-check water and temperament. Do not replace one real school with a mixed handful of ones and twos.
Which species appear on this guide right now?
Examples currently matching include Adolfoi cory, African Cichlid, Bala / silver shark, Banded leporinus, plus 77 more. Counts change as the library grows.