Anyone for a little fish psychology?

Question

So, I wonder: How do fish know their own kind? And even more so, their own colors? I have a tropical community 55 gallon designer aquarium and am more fascinated everyday. It is a new tank, and I started adding fish little by little over 8 weeks. My final result is: 2 sunburst Mollies, 2 red Mollies, 2 dalmation Mollies (one white with black spots, one black with white spots), 5 zebra Danios, 2 Ghostfish, 2 Gouramis (one powder blue and one sunset color), 2 neon tux Male Guppies, and 1 Plecco algea eater.

So here is what I came to notice. Every fish sticks with their own color! As you see, I have 6 Mollies, two of each color and they only stick with the coloring that they are. I find this fascinating.

Does anyone know why and how they do this?

Answer 1

I totally believe that even though I am not an authority on things like that. I have a 10 gallon tank with two Coi Fish and one little red fish (I don't know the species). We had a silver fish but it was like the two Coi fish "off'd" him because he just died one day. The two Coi fish play together and mate and the little red fish hasn't grown much, and he sticks to himself. I feel like my two "huge" coi fish are the fish mafia! That's a very interesting discovery, I'm sure someone, somewhere has done studies!

Answer 2

i dont put much stock into color bases theories.

Fish do smell eachother, the bestexample would be mollies, males will smell the females "rear" area and tell when they are best for fertilizing.

So it has something to do with smelling eachother to know their own kind.

It could also be affected by the spawn, the whole idea of siblings being closer than random fishes. if you got two black mollies from the same spawn then thats what im talking about.

Answer 3

This a safety issue. In the wild, fish travel in schools to confuse predators. They are geneticly programmed to stay with their own kind. As to how they do this....well, they recognize thier own kind. If you traveled to England with a group of Americans, for example, although you would be surrounded by a culture much like America's, it is different enough that you could recognize an American by the way they dressed, carried themselfs and spoke. Same principle here.

Answer 4

It's really not psychology. It's genetic disposition. All living entities, from plants to animals and all in-between are genetically set up to only want to be with their own kind. Doing so prevents cross-breeding and a weak species.

Answer 5

Ditto to Venice, it's genetic.

MM

Answer 6

birds of a feather flock together