Schooling fish- Does a fish know its own color/pattern?

[everythingjane]

I posted yesterday about my 4 danios that are not getting along.. A poster pointed out that the fact that each one is a different color is probably making it difficult for them to form a school.
I'm curious how these visual cues work. I'm assuming that they would be based on the colors of other fish in the school rather than the color of the fish itself. Can a fish know its own color/pattern? Theoretically,a zebra danio swimming in a school of leopard danios doesn't know it's not a leopard, but the leopards all know, so they'll pick on the oddball?

Is this behavior completely instinctive or is it partially based on learning (ie. patterns/colors of fish it became accustomed to early in life)?

 

[PRINTS]

I am not sure about the coloration. If the fish are just zebra or leopard danios, they ought to get along. I think Giant Danios are a bit more aggressive, so maybe that is the problem. In regards to the fish wh have dye in them, I don't know how that affects them. It is strange, but I have seen how fish do know who they should swim with. They do seem to pick the colors out that match them and the breeds, of course. But, I remember that zebras and leopards seem to get along, anyway since they all swim in a similar "style", although I think the zebras might swim a little quicker. In that case, maybe the zebra wants the others to swim faster, or he is annoying the leopards in his fast swim games. For more questions, you might consider asking a good aquarium supply store - one who knows their stuff.