General Information: Zebra Danios are lovely fish and good for beginners as they are hardy. They are shoaling, upper region fish who are very enthusiatic swimmers. Not aggressive, but do NOT keep with long finned fish as they are too fast for them and can be fin-nippers. Keep in a shoal of at least 6. In the summer they can be kept in unheated tank.
Tank Requirements: Zebra Danios are very active so appreciate a larger tank with plenty of swimming space.
Diet Requirements: They are very adaptable and will eat most aquarium foods, even goldfish flakes.
Compatibility: They are community fish. Don't keep with slower or long finned fish.
Recommendations: There should be a current in the water. Goldfish will eat small Danios.
Similar Species: Many related species and colour variants.
Sexing: Females are rounder and usually larger.
Breeding: As soon as the lights go on (real sun or artificial light) in the morning, the Danios prepare to spawn. The males chase the females. Remove adults after spawning.
Not sure if I agree with the temperature. I've heard conflicting reports about this; some claim that the zebras will lose more colour when kept at lower temperatures.
Personally I have found higher temperatures between 75 to 80 suit them fine and mine are much more colourful and active then when I kept them at a room temperature between 70 to 74.
As with most fish they will be more active and colourful with a dark substrate as opposed to a light one.
Generally these fish will leave others alone assuming you have at least five; they will be so obsorbed with chasing each other they will ignore any others. Don't worry if they chase other danios, I have never seen them actually harm each other or damage their fins.
I would never allow any of my tanks containing danios (I've got several other species too!) rise above 25. I've had danio rerio thriving and spawning in temperatures as low as 17*C. I always struggle in heat waves because the danios actually struggle at the high temperatures. I also found their colour faded and became very slow moving.
I would never expose danios to 80!!!!
Danionins are one of my favourite fish and the ones i have (i think 6 species(soon to get another 4 species)) also find higher temperatures a struggle, especially my wild species.
My Zebra Danios are kept in a warm room.
i had danios as my first starter fish and they were always busy and interesting to look at aditionaly the have been compatible with all my other fish since then includeding guppys,neon and ember tetras, angelfish, platys, fighters, and many others!
THEY CAN JUMP REALLY HIGH!
I nearly lost one of them on the first night after it flipped itself out of the tank, and unfortunately I did actually lose one a couple of days ago after it managed to jump out of a gap in the tank lid that is no more than one inch by two inches.
My group of six became five, but I'm currently having a proper glass lid cut to avoid this sort of thing happening again.
Hi, I have got a new tank (well 2 months old) and last weekend I purchased 3 Danios's and two fancy goldfish. I did a big water change on Thursday, and for the last couple of days my zebra danio has been not swimming alot and it at the top of the tank (seeming to get fresh air). He has got red marks on his tail too. All the other fish are fine? Was it the water change? Do I need to do another smaller change? I dont want to hurt him but miss him swimming around.
Could you repost this in the cold water forum please as that's where questions are answered and more people who can offer help will see your post.
Was the tank cycled before any fish were added and if so how?
What are your current test results for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH?
Given the sudden huge increase in stock it's most likely that your fish are currently suffering ammonia and /or nitrite in the water from the extra waster they produce. If the tank is also small (and with three fancies "small" is anything less than 200 litres/ 3 feet long) the effect will be more drastic.