When you’re looking for a hardy, easy to raise fish for your tropical aquarium, take a good look at the zebra danio. Also known as zebra fish or striped danio, these fish are great for the first time aquarium hobbyist.
What makes this fish a good choice for the beginning aquarium owner?
- Zebra danios are hardy!
- Zebra danios live well in groups of six or more so you’ll have lots of fish to watch.
- Zebra danios are pretty.
- Zebra danios tolerate a wide range of water temperatures and chemical balances.
In other words, if you’re just starting out, you’ll have a relatively easy time with zebra danios in your tank. They’re happy to chow down on vitamin enriched fish flakes, frozen food, freeze dried food, and fresh food like brine shrimp, bloodworms, and daphnia.
These fish are not too big and reach up to around two inches (five centimeters) when fully grown. Expect a life span between two and five years. They are happy in tanks of ten gallons and larger, and live well in large groups of danios, or with corvdoras and some tetras. Males have yellow in between their black stripes; females can be larger than males.
Zebra danios make good dither fish — fish that help calm down other, more skittish fish. The danios are very active, which helps nervous fish become more comfortable with the new tank environment. Zebra danios tend to hang out in the middle and top of the tank.
One problem you may see with zebra danios is fin nipping. Why do they take bites out of their tank mates? Danios are schooling fish and are happiest in groups of six or more. When there are too few zebra danios in your tank, they may start harassing each other and other fish.
Tank basics for zebra danios:
- pH level between 6.5 and 8
- Temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (18 and 24 degrees Celsius)
- Warmer temperatures (around 78 degrees Fahrenheit) will encourage mating. Eggs hatch two days after they are dropped, but adults may eat the fry (babies) before they mature.
- Water hardness between 5 and 25 degrees