Damselfish thoughts

ok so I was watching a video a while back and they said African chiclids are related to damselfish/chromis. We don’t keep Africans in schools right? So why keep damsels in schools. Imo I think damsels should be kept in pairs like chiclids.

 

ok so I was watching a video a while back and they said African chiclids are related to damselfish/chromis. We don’t keep Africans in schools right? So why keep damsels in schools. Imo I think damsels should be kept in pairs like chiclids.

Well the way I see it is that even if there related they dont live in the same enviroment as each other. Damsels are probably fine in schools because it would help benefit them in the ocean since there so small compared to their neighbors while african cichlids can probably hold there ground and are more of a predator then prey so they dont need to be in schools, and will actively fight rival males and females for territory and mating while damsels can tolerate being in groups.

Edit: What kind of african cichlid are you talking about if I may ask? People have been able to keep large schools of african cichlids of all different varieties and colors, but cichlids like the cuban cichlid are more territorial and aggressive and wouldn't do well in community tanks or schools

 

I would also consider that many species of damsels live as groups among coral branches. It's safety in numbers. That's typically why unless you have a big tank they often don't really form a tight school. Same thing like many tetras.

 

ok so I was watching a video a while back and they said African chiclids are related to damselfish/chromis. We don’t keep Africans in schools right? So why keep damsels in schools. Imo I think damsels should be kept in pairs like chiclids.

If they are related it is pretty distant. In the wild Damsels do form pretty good sized schools but in the relatively cramped confines of an aquarium it takes a pretty good sized tank to have this work. Then again Damsels aren't the greatest community fish.

 

ok so I was watching a video a while back and they said African chiclids are related to damselfish/chromis. We don’t keep Africans in schools right? So why keep damsels in schools. Imo I think damsels should be kept in pairs like chiclids.

Actually there are several varieties of Africans that shoal in the wild. Lethrinops species can form vast shoals as they scour the sand looking for tasty tidbits. These shoals attract follower fish who like to eat the things that the Lethrinops scare up while they are rooting in the sand. Eventually you get a "super" school of mixed species traveling together.
Pseudotropheus Acei, a mbuna, live in schools in the wild. They prefer to scour algae off of sunken tree branches/logs together. They prefer to live in small groups in the aquarium. If they don't have another Acei to pal around with, they may latch on to some other fish in the tank to pal around with.
Many of the Copadichromis species shoal in the wild, scouring the water column for zooplankton. They can be kept in groups in the tank as well. Placidochromis school.
Aulonocara females and juveniles school, as they search for food, but the males tend to be more territorial and will stake out a breeding space. Actually, the females and juveniles of almost all of these species school. I can't think of any that don't.

A lot of these species can be kept in groups in the aquarium, the problem is usually space. While they might do well in groups, you need a big tank to house a group. A lot of these species get to 6 inches or more. A lot more in some cases. And most people can't do a monster tank.

To put it another way, it is way easier to buy a school of 6 two inch corydoras than it is to keep a school of 6 six inch Acei.

Also, a lot of African keepers just want to keep the pretty males and not the females that make up an important part of a group of cichlids. The females are fifty shades of grey and brown, rather drab. The All Male tank is a goal for many (me too), but it is not a natural tank by any means. And elevated aggression levels can be a result.

There are a lot of loners out there too though. Most of the predator haps are loners, swimming around the lake looking for their next meal. But even some of the predator haps school in the wild. I think it is Nimbochromis Polystigma (or maybe it was Livingstoni?) travel in groups sometimes, like a pack of dolphins, choralling prey fish and picking them off as a group.