shoaling and schooling

[7thheaven]

Hi all~

I searched about shoaling and schooling in RC forum.

But I do not know what exactly purpose fishes do schooling like

baracuda and jacks.. (these fishes are schooling. right?)

Is it because of protection or catching food?

Why the anthias and chromis do shoaling? just becasue?

I want know the purpose of schooling and shoaling.

Thanks in advance~

 

[cl2ysta1]

i may be wrong... but anthias shoal over the reef... they kinda all hang out but dont really swim anywhere. if a predator comes they all go hide in the rock.. that is shoaling.. schooling is like the jacks... they all swimm in unison and actually go somewhere. This of course is for feeding and predators. they try to confuse them with all the fish.

 

[snorvich]

Anthias will shoal over a reef but they do not school. There are a fair number of shoaling fish, fewer schooling fish. Baracuda and jacks will school under some circumstances; they will not always do so however. It is difficult to get schooling behavior in aquariums; but one can get shoaling behavior with the right fish. Schooling is almost always a result of dithering which is why jacks school when the current is running.

 

[philter4]

It is more correct to call it polorized and non-polorized. A school and a shoal is a group of fish that are either mixes species or all one species. When they move in unison they are called a polorized school and this is usually a defensive position. Even lg jacks and baracuda, tarpen ect. still get eaten by larger jacks, baracuda, tarpen ect. Shoals are usually considered mixed sp (though they can be single sp) that are just grouped together for feeding and protection, more eyes means more chance of seeing a preditor approach. Polorized schools of fish are also good for travelling the open ocean again, for both economy of energy by swimming in the slip stream of the fish in front, and for many eyes to see prey and preditors.

 

[snorvich]

Yes, that is a good explanation.