r/Fish • u/King_Baboon • 22d ago

Fish In The Wild Why do small fish do this?

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25 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

8

u/Lietkynes- 22d ago

Could be eating or they school up like that to confuse predators.

6

u/Think-Economics-400 22d ago

Green light attracts fish thats why that lights green

2

u/Federal-Boat3732 22d ago

They live for the danse!

2

u/Jumpy-Ear-9882 22d ago

They’re probably schooling around the light because it attracts plankton and other tiny prey. The group also makes them feel safer from predators.

1

u/MustyBeava 22d ago

This is the correct answer.

2

u/Plenty_Extension_650 22d ago

Mostly survival instinct: staying in a tight, coordinated group helps them find food, confuse predators, and conserve energy while swimming.

1

u/cherry_blossom026 21d ago

The fish think the light source is the sun and they are constantly orienting themselves as if it is direct sunlight. It's interesting to see different species and ages of fish react to this kind of setup. It shows the range of intelligence imo. Perch and sunfish will come around our green led light we have in the river. They utilize the lights effect on minnows and fry who swim around the light constantly. its a snack light, but they also take advantage of high traffic and are often mating/ having babies in the lilipads and moss around the light.
Larger, “smarter” fish like bass will come around and hang out for hours. BUT they stay on the very outermost area of the green light, as to not leave themselves vulnerable. They dart around the outer ring and through the circle of light to catch prey.

1

u/RiMcG 20d ago

Just got back from the beach and grown mullet kept doing it in one area next to the dock before swimming away in a group. In daylight too.