Shoal or School?
A shoal is the term used to describe a group of fish which swim together. This behavior is all about survival. Shoaling behavior is a means to ward off potential predators and to feed or forage more successfully. Can you call it a “school” of fish? Sure—if you like. Since Anglo-Saxon times, the word has been used interchangeably (and the Irish have even been known to say scule). While there are some generally accepted differences between shoal and school, they are beyond the scope of this article. Do All Shoaling Fish Shoal in the Saltwater Aquarium? The problem with shoaling fish in the saltwater aquarium is that certain species that shoal in the wild will fight to the death if placed in anything but the largest public aquarium. Yellow tangs are a good example. This most common of saltwater aquarium fish shoals in large numbers in the wild, but more than one adult in a home saltwater aquarium can cause serious problems. Therefore it is not advisable to try to recreate that shoal of fi
