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Most, if not all species of fish, setup a pecking order. It usually is not a problem. But, if one fish is smaller, weaker, slower, or sick, the other fish will pick on that lone fish so much that it usually leds to death.

I too think it's a matter of personal preference.

Funny thing is when I started reading this thread my first reaction was 'odd'; I tend to like five or seven. But when I thought about the schooling fish I keep I realized they're all even numbered groups :%)

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Odd numbers of everything are supposed to be more asthetically pleasing because you can't group them. I believe our brain automatically groups groups into groups of 2. ].< Can I say groups any more in 1 sentence? Anyways, with odd numbers you can't evenly group them, so it looks like there are more than there really are. Although, with fish like rummynose tetras, they move so fast and are moving constantly, so it already looks like you have twice as many as you really have.

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

i prefer odd, just because odd-numbered groupings tend to be more aesthetically pleasing. i dunno. something about symmetry maybe?

Who cares? How about this: the more individuals of a schooling species, the better. How many you can squeeze in is the perfect number, whether it's odd or even.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

Here are a few sites that suggests odd numbers:

just press CTRL+F and search for the word: odd

http://www.petco.com/assets/articles/caresheets/pdf/aqfbarb050103.pdf

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/BarbsDaniosRasborasArt.htm

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chromisfaq2.htm

http://www.loaches.com/cloachfaq.html

http://www.fishzine.com/message/archive/messages/670.html


Even though some of these suggestions aren't for Tetras, etc I feel the odd numbers can transfer over to other types of schooling fish. Mostly they say keeping them in odds will prevent natural pairing and make them less territorial. That is why I keep my Neons in odd numbers. That is my feelings on it.

It really does lead to a person preference to keep it odd/even. I bet articles can be found suggesting even numbers are better. So there isn't a right/wrong answer.

But as far as pairing is concerned, I haven't noticed my Neons to be pairing off. They usually are spread out individually because they are comfortable in the environment or at times get into groups of 3 or more. And when they are really scared they all get together. Heheh.

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-26 14:24][/span]

It seems to me that if I got 11 tetras instead of 12 tetras, it doesn't mean they won't pair off, it just means that when they pair off, 1 will be the outcast who's shunned as Janna was explaining...

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.

I mostly am an odd number guy. I've got 3 guoramis and 3 petricola cats. Also I have 3 tiger barbs and 1 albino barb (bought them small, trying to see if they'll breed). As you can see of 2 of the 3 types that I have, it is recommended to have an odd number to keep the fish from being territorial or confrintational.

I am new to fishes so I was reading up on schools before I started buying anything. What I got from reading is that odd numbers are favored among many fish owners. The reason is, most people don't want the fishes to be paired off. This can lead to territorial problems between pairs of fishes with other pairs of fishes. So the odd fish will disrupt the pairing and allow a more relaxed environment.

That is why I decided to get 11 Neon Tetras. So far I don't see them pairing, and they are comfortable enough to spread out the tank individually, or at times they do get into groups of 3 or more, but never in pairs.

This whole thing is just a silly superstition.

janna, that's because you break their heirarchy by having one more fish to an established school or one less.

No, the same thing happens when I add 5 instead of 6.

The rummies aren't very openly aggressive to the chosen outcast, but they do nip and stress him. The outcast doesn't die as soon as you guys seem to think I was suggesting. It takes about a week of being shunned from the school.

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

I don't see any difference in keeping odd or even number of fish.

:88)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Odd. Landscaping rule of thumb is odd numbers of like plants in groupings. For me it carries over to the tank. Odd numbers in schools, plants and even rock groupings. Don't think it realy matters to the fish. My long fin barbs were happy in a group of 6 and they are still happy now that there are 11 of them.

janna, that's because you break their heirarchy by having one more fish to an established school or one less. they get very active in such timse at best, chasing each other and establishing a new power pyramid.
if you'll add two more fish, the same thing will happen.

do your rummynose start beating one particular fish, or are they fighting each other, while the weakest gets more of his share of the beating?

this is not really a question- more like a "thing that makes you go mmm."
i recently overheard a discussion concerning fish school sizes. both agreed on making it as large as posssible. the lfs employee said he always makes his schools with an odd number of fish. he claimed having an "odd man out" affects tempermant and schooling behaviour, and since most schools are not equal parts male/female buying in even numbers is unnecessary. the customer thought otherwise.
most of the threads here seem to lean towards the "even". Any particular reason- or just habit?
(i am talking about common community fish- neons, zebras, white clouds, scissor tails, etc.)
this is not a question- just a curiousity observation.

My rummynose seem to prefer to be in even numbers. Every time one of their number dies of an accident, or only 1 new one is added, they will single out one member of the school who will get pecked on and killed.

Tetras that kill each other?!?

That blows my mind. Here I am thinking that the little guys are just nice peaceful schoolers who want nothing more than to cruise around in a huge group and eat some mosquito larvae. And meanwhile yours are doing a professional re-enactment of Lord of the Flies.

On a more practical level, what happens if you add five at once? Do they still single one out and pick on him 'till he dies?

[span class="edited"][Edited by Silverlight 2004-08-24 21:49][/span]

This leads me to a related question. When replacing adult school members with juveniles, how does this affect the mix?

My rummynose seem to prefer to be in even numbers. Every time one of their number dies of an accident, or only 1 new one is added, they will single out one member of the school who will get pecked on and killed.

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

Currently I have 7 WCMMs, 6 Zebra Danios, 6 Peppered Cories, 3 ADFs, 2 Platies, and 1 Otto. So as you can see, to me, odd or even, it doesn't matter.

I too prefer an odd number in a school......it seems that every time I start with an even number, I lose one anyway. Nothing scientific, but it just seems to look more natural.

I apply the same theory to plants, clumps of three or five look much better than two's or fours.