Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Cyprinids > Zebra Danio

Zebra Danio

Family: Cyprinidae

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Danio rerio Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   The Zebra Danio is a deservedly popular aquarium fish for its charm, grace, and above all hardiness!

   The hardy and attractive Zebra Danio is an ideal fish for beginners. A prolific breeder, it is also the easiest egg layer to breed. A schooling fish, it should be kept in a small group of at least three, ideally ten. It can be housed with most any fish, provided that the danio will not be eaten and that the other fish aren’t startled by swift movement.

   The Zebra Danio can withstand an impressive range of water temperature and conditions. These fish will generally do just fine without a water heater, as they are comfortable down to the low sixties (F). But even though they are not finicky about water conditions, it's best to not keep your aquarium at either extreme. Don’t be surprised if the school spends a lot of time in the stream of the filters or pumps as this is the swift moving environment to which it is accustomed.

   Today there are also dozens of variations of danio, certainly a variety of this fish for every taste. Some of these varieties are: the Leopard Danio and Longfin Leopard Danio, Hybrid Danio, Longfin Zebra Danio, Gold Zebra Danio, Albino Zebra Danio, and the recently introduced “Glo-fish” , a genetically modified little fish which is the most controversial in the hobby.

   Care needs to be taken that neither specimens nor fertilized eggs be released into the environment, as this fish has invasively populated some environments.  

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Distribution:
   The Zebra Danio lives in clear freshwater streams of South East Asia. In the wild they inhabit acidic waters, but the stock now for sale is many generations past this.

Status:
   These fish are not endangered. Care needs to be taken that neither specimens nor fertilized eggs be released into the environment, as this fish has invasively populated some environments.

Description:
   The slender compressed body of the Zebra Danio is pale yellow, marked with steel blue stripes that fade off into the fins and tail. It has a barbel at each lip end. Some varieties of this fish include:

• Leopard Danio & Long fin leopard danio
  Although sometimes separated as a different species, the leopard danio is actually only a bred color morph developed by a Czech scientist. Rather than the stripes, this fish’s side is adorned with steel blue spots. The two will school and can even breed together. The long fin has been bred with extended fins and tail.
• Hybrid Danio
  The hybrid danio is another bred color morph for those of us who just can’t choose between spots and stripes. Its side is spotted about halfway down the body, at which point the spots condense in to stripes. Hybrid danios are fairly new to the hobby. They also can breed with either the leopard or Zebra Danio but offspring won’t stay true to the parent’s coloration.
• Long fined Zebra Danio
  This is merely the Zebra Danio with more extended fins. It has nearly exceeded the traditional variety in popularity.
• Gold Zebra Danio
  This is a gold morph of the Zebra Danio, which has had the blue stripes bred out. This fish ought to not be confused with the pearl danio, an entirely different species.
• Albino Zebra Danio
  This is a naturally occurring phenomenon, the absence of pigments on the fish’s body surface. Also not to be confused with the pearl danio.
• “Glo-fish”
  This little fish is the most controversial in the hobby. It is a recently introduced variety of Zebra Danio that has been genetically modified to sport unnaturally red, green, orange, or yellow coloration. They also glow in the dark or under a black light. Their care does not vary from the natural Zebra Danio. They are fairly difficult to come by in many places due to bans or public dissent. Read more about the Glo-fish here.

Size - Weight:
   This fish will grow to about 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) in an aquarium, slightly larger in a pond.

Care and feeding:
   Since they are omnivorous, the Zebra Danio will eat most any prepared or live aquarium food. They enjoy chasing after tubifex worms, whether living or freeze dried and floating.
   This fish as fairly hardy and will adapt to most aquarium conditions. Though a school of danios can be kept in a smaller aquarium, they will do best in about a 20 gallon size. The aquarium should have plenty of open water for swimming and be covered to prevent jumps.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   The Zebra Danio will spend most time in the top and middle regions, particularly if there is open water or water current.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Temp: 64-75° F (18-24° C)
   pH: 6.0-8.0
   Hardness: 2-20° dGH

Social Behaviors:
   The Zebra Danio will get along with its own kind and most other species. A pecking order may emerge in the school, but nothing will come of it. Take care that its tank mates are unable to eat it, and that the Zebra Danio is unable to do the same. In addition, be sure the other fish can keep up with its fast paced lifestyle, because it will aggravate fish that need a peaceful environment.

Sexual Differences:
   The females are generally more colorful, and the males are more streamlined and slim in body shape.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Zebra Danios are very easy to breed, and it may even occur on accident. Two fish will form a breeding pair which they often keep for life. If you wish to retain the young, the breeding tank should be empty except for a two inch layer of large (.5- 1 inch in diameter) glass marbles. Add the female to the tank and let her settle for about a day before adding the male. When they are both in the tank, adding a few cups of cold water will cause the courtship to begin.
   If conditions are favorable, the female will release her eggs in open water and the male will fertilize. The eggs will then sink to the bottom and fall through the marbles, out of their parents reach. The fry will emerge from the marbles after about 7 days. At that time or before, parents should either be removed or kept constantly well fed.

Availability:
   The Zebra Danio and its variations are available nearly universally. Cost ranges generally from $.50- $3 USD in a pet store and about the same from internet or mail order.

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Latest Comments
I have the Glofish Zebra's, 4 of them. I think the Glofish are neat. My 4 Glofish are in with my 3 Glowlights, my 5 neons, and my Clown loach and everyone is getting along fine. kathy 2007-11-26
I have a Zebra Danio named Stripey-stripe and he`s a good fish to have. He is in a 10 gallon tank with 6 guppies and a female betta. At morningtime, I see his stripes shining in the light. He is doing fine and I know he`ll stay that way. Jacob Gomez 2007-03-17
I have 4 of the little guys and they are great fish. they will some times split up from their group and swim around in a loosely formed group. I might add 2 or 3 more to see if I can get a better schoaling behavior. great fish, fun to watch. Enjoy your danios! Fish keeper 2006-08-09
Some of the coolest comments:
MY EXPERIENCE WITH SPAWNING THE ZEBRA DANIO: Hi..i bought 10 Zebra danios at walmart along with 2 giant danios less than a week ago. They are in a 55 gallon tank with plenty of water current from two power filters (aqua-tech and whisper) and an air pump(whisper) with an airstone and bubble wall. They are in there to help cycle the tank( you can cycle your tank three ways: chemical cycling, fishless cycling, and you can cycle with fish. I absolutely love my little danios! they are extemely playful even with the giant danios who are nearly twice their size! I have at least 4 females and i believe 6 males. Also when i brought them home I found out i had a little leopard danio mixed in with them. They sometimes pick on him it seems, but other than that they all get along just snazzy! And much to my excitement they spawned once already! On 12-30-06 and i bought them on 12-26-06, 4 days in the tank! The tank temperature is set on 80 or 81 (this is a tad high for this species of fish, but they all are happy and healthy). I also use about 1 rounded tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons of water and Novaqua. Some websites and books that I`ve read say unless its absolutely necessary, you should never add salt to freshwater aquariums. But salt helps fish in alot of different ways so i added it. When i purchsed my zebra`s from walmart they had some scales missing and a few scrapes due to the less than great conditions of the tanks and the fact that they were very over crowded (think 50 fish in a ten gallon). But within days the scales had grown back and the scrapes had completely healed up not to mention they felt so good they spawned! Spawning activity usually occurs around daybreak first thing in the morning and mine lasted the rest of the day. Several males would eagerly follow the "chosen" female swimming very close beside her.(Not all of my females spawned and not all of them looked interested in spawning either even though their fellow tank mates surely were) Zebra danios will often choose mates and will usually only spawn with their mates. They do not however form the close bond that some other fish species do. Well the chosen male (usually chosen by the female or the only male with enough energy left to still chase the female) and the female would swim to the bottom of the tank around the base of some of the plastic plants or in a slight depression in the gravel..and then they would get very very close together and swim quickly in circles the female depositing her eggs and the male fertilizing them. I saw this happen many times in a single day. Fortunately( as i dont know what i would do with hundreds of babies!) they polished off all of their eggs. If i really wanted to raise zebra danios i would separate the sexes and condition them on live foods for several days in seperate tanks. Crank the heat up to atleast 80 degrees F and when the females are really plump, put the conditioned sexes together in a 10+ gallon aquarium with a bed of good sized marbles in the bottom. (Not to big or else the parents can get stuck trying to eat their young, but not too small because the eggs and fry then cant escape their parents). Add a sponge filter (sponge filters will grow rotifers that the fry can eat on their surface AND they wont suck up the fry OR cause turbulence in the water). Dont use sponge filters for anything other than breeding/fry tanks or hospital tanks because they tend to clog easily and just work better in those types of tanks were you cant use much else. So, add a sponge filter and some live or plastic plants (If you use live plants it may up your chances of getting a good spawn. There are microscopic one-celled organisms(protozoa) that live in and around plants that your babies most likely will eat). You will need to either use brights lights on the tank for atleast 12 hours or use some very hardy low-light plants like java moss or java fern. Also you dont necessarily HAVE to use an aquarium. Those big clear plastic storage tubs you can buy at any dollar store or walmart will work just as well. just follow the same principles and make sure to rinse it out well before using it and punch some holes in the top for air. Add you male and female danios the night before you want them to spawn and feed them once before you turn their lights out. Wake up the next morning and sit back and watch the action (hopefully)! After you see the spawning winding down or that afternoon remove the parents. To feed the fry you neednt go to extremes as you would with anabantids or other small fish species. Tiny micro-organisms (infusoria) arent really needed with egglayers like zebra danios as they are with most of the anabantids for a fry food. Most danio fry emerge large enough to eat finely crushed flake food or you could even try that commercial fry food(i've never tried it and i would be iffy about using it, just crush your flakes). Baby brine shrimp can also be fed but they arent necessary. Sit back and watch your babies grow! P.S. Hopefully this will work for you too! ^.^ Holly 2007-01-01
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
these are really great tips! i think you should put more on breeding. carl 2006-07-27

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Author: "Yvonne"

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