them. At 24–25 °C, the larvae hatch after 3–4 days. They are dark and cryptic initially and for about three days after hatching, they hide away between substrate and detritus and are very hard to see. They subsequently become lighter in color and start swimming freely and feeding on their own. At some 8–10 weeks after hatching, they undergo metamorphosis to adult form, and the color pattern starts to appear from week 12 onwards. Status and conservation Within six months of its appearance in the aquarium trade, the species was falsely reported as having become so rare, collectors were obtaining only a "few dozen fish per day". Initially, only a small number of aquarists managed to breed the fish successfully, while nearly all the fish offered for sale were wild-caught. The (unfounded) concern over the wild populations led British fishkeeping magazine Practical Fishkeeping to request that only aquarists prepared to breed the fish should buy any fish they see for sale, to reduce pressure on the wild stocks by diminishing the demand for them in the UK. As the species seems adapted to living in and colonizing small, possibly ephemeral pools, it seemed not very well able to withstand prolonged and intense exploitation—if the stock in all pools at one location is entirely fished off, it is unclear in how far the fish would be able to recolonize them. Conversely, if only part of a local subpopulation is removed, pools from which all celestial pearl danios have been removed likely will be recolonized with a healthy population again after one year or so. The dire warnings reported by Clarke, later in 2007 were found to be unfounded. The celestial pearl danio is prolific, spawning "almost every day", causing ponds that were thought to be empty to be fully restocked a few months later as fry hatched, grew, and reproduced quickly. The government of Myanmar banned exports of the fish in February 2007. However, an inquest into the species by Myanmar officials discovered populations of the fish in at least "five locations around Hopong". Currently, the fish is captive-bred worldwide commercially and by hobbyists, pushing the price down from its initial high of $20 or more per fish to around $4 each. In the aquarium The celestial pearl danio is a rather undemanding fish if its basic requirements are being met. It does not require much space, as it is not