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Hey all,

I have a question. What is the difference between a shoal and a school? i have seen both words while researching my fish. Are they both the same thing?

Thanks, Don

They're similar. Shoal is a loose versian of a school. Schooling fish will be alot more stressed than shoaling fish if not kept in a proper school....that's not to say that shoaling fish shouldn't be kept in a shoal.

Visually schooling fish will tend to stick together closer than shoaling.

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The Dictionary writes

shoal a large group of fish

school a group of fish or other aquatic animals that swim together.

Still confused?

Keith

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I always thought it was the same meaning and was just two different ways to spell it?

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Yep, a shoal is just a looser school. Shoaling fish will swim near each other, but they are each doing their own independent thing. Schooling fish, on the other hand, are usually swimming close together, and often facing the same direction.

Shaoling fish like to be kept in groups, but most of them can be kept singly without any effect on their well-being (although they will be more active in groups). Schooling fish will become stresed and hide if they are kept in groups less than about 4-6 individuals, depending on the species.

Here are some examples:

Shoaling: Corys, loaches, danios, (most) rasboras, pencilfish.

Schooling: Neon/cardinal tetras, glass catfish, harlequin rasboras, many barbs.

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In my understanding they are similar, but not the same and shouldnt' be used interchangebly. I think you can draw the parallel that corys are more shoaling then schooling whereas neons are more schooling than shoaling.
Least that's how I've always thought of it .

EDIT: what cory adict said

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Last edited by Babelfish at 04-Dec-2004 04:24

A common example would be a Shoal of Danio's, they hang out together, but they don't swim in uniform.
Now go to a neon tetra tank, and they would be a school of fish, all moving and acting as if they were one large fish as a whole.

That explains why my cories and danios don't really "school" together.

A school are fish that need to be together, and like being together. Fish that always swim together in groups of different numbers. The reason this word is used, is it comes from the idea of little kids in school. As fry and baby fish stay close together for protection, and many have parents that guard them, and they appear to be in school, learning from watching their parents. As the word applies, they are like in a classroom or school. Also, schooling usually refers to a group of fish of the same species or at least genra.

A shoal, is also a group of fish together, but for a specific reason other than the need to always be together. Like when fish come together in big groups to breed. Or they come together to feed. As well, a shoal does not always contain one type of fish. Many times when feeding, it may be a large group of fish of many different species together. The use of this word pertaining to fish, is from its definition of a shallow area of water. Like a sand bar, or a long beach that goes out far, but remains shallow. The groups of breeding fish often come into the shallows to breed, and thus called shoaling fish. As well, when groups of fish are feeding, they often chase their food into the shallows to pin them in there, making it easier to feed on them. Thus they are shoaling fish. If you have ever been out on a boat, and suddenly see the fish breaching the water in one place and see the minnows jumping, trying to get away, this would be the use of both words, and the minnows are schooling for protection, and the attacking fish would be shoaling.

HTH.....

Last edited by ACIDRAIN at 05-Dec-2004 13:06

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There is always a bigger fish...

thanks for clearing that up everyone!
Don

the way I look at it is how they treat fear. If they pack together all the time to help combat fear, then its a school. If they tend to group up CLOSELY only when something scares them, then its a shoal.

Like stated above:

Shoal: Cories, Loaches, Rainbows

School: Tetras, most Barbs

In the middle: some Barbs, Danios, most Rasboras

(i say in the middle because some depend on species, and others on the group, even sometimes on the conditions)