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Cyprinds / Danios / Zebra Danio

Zebra Danio
Brachydanio aequipinnatus | Pictures

Giant Danio [Pictures]
Danio aequipinnatus
Synonyms: Danio alburnus, D. aurolineatus, D. malabaricus, Perilampus aurolineatus, P. malabaricus
Physical description: An elongated fish with one pair of barbels. The body is laterally compressed and the mouth is up-turned. The back is gray-yellow to gray-green while the flanks are bluish-green. This area is marked with various yellow spots and stripes. The outer parts of the fins are transparent, while their may have a green or pink tinge.
Size/Length: To 4.8" (12 cm)
Similar species: Bengal Danio ( D. devario ), Queen Danio ( D. regina )
Habitat: Inhabits still and slow-moving rivers on the western coasts of Sri Lanka and India.
S: All
Aquarium: A school can be kept in a tank measuring 36" (91 cm) with a volume of 30 gallons (114 L), although they would prefer a longer tank (48"). Leave open swimming areas and plant the corners with robust plants. Use a tight-fitting cover.
Water chemistry: pH 6-8 (7.0), 2-20 dH (8), 70-75°F (21-24°C)
Social behavior: An active, schooling fish that should only be combined with species that can tolerate its activity. Pairs form bonds, although they are not as strong as those of Brachydanio species.
Suggested companions: Loaches, Epalzeorhynchus , Loricarids, Armored Catfish ( Corydoras ), Danios, Gouramis, Acaras, Eartheaters, larger barbs.
FOOD: Flakes; live; insect larvae, crustaceans, worms, insects.
Sexual differences: Males are smaller, slimmer, and more colorful.
Breeding techniques: Use water with a temperature from 77-82°F (25-28°C). Add the female a day prior to adding the male. Spawning is initiated by the morning sun,. 10-20 eggs are laid at each pairing until 300-1000 eggs have been scattered among plants. Throughout the spawning the parents should be fed with whiteworms so they do not consume their spawn. The young hatch in two days and are free-swimming five to seven days later. Start feeding with powdered dry foods and small live foods.
Breeding potential: 5. The Giant Danio is easy to breed in a large breeding tank.
Remarks: A few color varieties are known. Fish are mature from 2.8" (7 cm) in length.
Difficulty of care: 2. A robust species.


Recent articles about fish

Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.

Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.



Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.





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Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2009

The copy for fish.mongabay.com was written in 1994-1995. Therefore some information such as scientific names may be out of date. For this, I apologize. Feel free to send corrections to me.