Golden Danio

The golden danio, scientific name Danio rerio, belongs to the Cyprinidae family. The fish completely copies the appearance and behavior of its relatives, other Danios, with one important exception – it has a golden color with white stripes. This species is an artificially bred form that is not found in the wild, despite this, the fish is quite hardy and can be recommended to a novice aquarist.

Habitat

Golden Danio is bred for the aquarium industry in special nurseries by changing the color of the common Danio Rerio. This species is not found in natural water bodies.

Requirements and conditions:

• The volume of the aquarium – from 40 liters.
• Temperature – 18-24°C
• Value pH — 6.0–8.0
• Water hardness – soft to medium hard (5-19 GH)
• Substrate type – dark fine gravel or sand
• Lighting – subdued
• Brackish water – no
• Water movement – moderate
• Size – up to 6 cm.
• Food – any food floating on the surface
• Life expectancy – from 3 to 4 years

Description

The fish has a slender, slightly laterally compressed body. A characteristic feature inherent in many cyprinids is a mustache at the end of each lip. There are special breeding subspecies with elongated fins. The color of the body is golden with white stripes all over the body, stretching from the head and continuing on the tail; in Danio Rerio, these stripes are dark blue.

Food

Fish eats almost everything – live (bloodworm, tubifex), frozen and dry food. An important condition is that the feed should float on the surface, so it is not recommended to use granules, flakes, tablets. Remains of food that sink to the bottom will not be eaten, unless, of course, other bottom-feeding inhabitants, such as catfish or shrimp, live in the aquarium.

Maintenance and care

The fish is not demanding on the conditions of keeping, it is enough to observe only a few conditions: space for swimming in the upper layers, clean water (regular change once a month for a quarter) and a weak current, which even weak filters can provide. A heater is redundant, the fish will be comfortable at room temperature as long as it is at least 18 degrees. The aquarium must be provided with a lid, Danio is able to jump out of the aquarium during his games. The lighting is subdued.

Social behavior

Peaceful accommodating fish, feels great in the company of the same small active fish. Slower neighbors may experience discomfort from their constant activity. The exception is the bottom inhabitants, Danio will not disturb anyone in the lower layers of the water. It is recommended to keep at least 5 individuals, a smaller number is allowed, but, as a rule, the fish becomes lethargic, the color turns pale.

Breeding / breeding

The Golden Danio, like its relatives, is easily bred in captivity. Before spawning, the fish form a pair, at which point the fish should be placed in a separate tank. The first to launch is the female, she is larger than the male and has a rounded abdomen, a day later – the male.

The minimum volume of a single tank is 20 liters. The bottom should be strewn with large pebbles or glass balls with a diameter of about 1 cm. Several plants in pots will diversify the appearance. Of the equipment, an aerator or a simple airlift filter is sufficient, since a conventional filter can suck in fry.

When the steam is in a separate tank, add a couple of glasses of cold water. This serves as an imitation of the rainy season, which is an incentive for spawning. The female releases the eggs into open water and the male fertilizes them. Sinking to the bottom, the eggs roll between pebbles or balls, which saves them from being eaten by their parents. At the end of spawning, the couple is returned back to the general aquarium, and the fry appear within 7 days.

Diseases

The Golden Danio, despite the artificial selection, retained the endurance of the classic Rerio, therefore, under favorable conditions, diseases are not observed. When conditions worsen, the outer integument of the body is primarily affected by fungal and bacterial infections. For more information on symptoms and treatment methods, see the Aquarium Fish Diseases section.