Order Cypriniformes
Family Cyprinidae
Genus Danio.
Continued…
— Orange-finned Danio, Leopard Danio — Danio kyathit [Fang, 1998]. (Eng. Orange Finned Zebra Danio). Myanmar, Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers. 4 cm. Two pairs of long barbels. They have two color morphs: striped (body pattern with longitudinal stripes) and leopard (stripes created from dark spots). Very similar to Danio rerio, but the edges of the dorsal, caudal, and ventral fins are pure orange.
The body has 5-7 dark spotted, longitudinal stripes along the sides, which can be distinct or consist of spots. The middle stripes continue to the end of the caudal fin. Males have a redder coloration on the body and fins. During spawning, the area between the gills and pelvic fins in males is also orange, with gills featuring blue stripes and dots.
A timid, active fish, they should be kept in large schools. The fish feel good in groups of 6 individuals in the middle and lower layers of the aquarium. This is a very peaceful species, which can be kept with all danio species and small fish. In poor conditions and in aquariums without vegetation, the orange borders and stripes may become blurred.
Plants are planted along the sides of the aquarium, because these are fast fish, they need a lot of free swimming space near the surface. Lighting is subdued. No special requirements for the chemical composition of the water. Fed with live Daphnia, Cyclops, bloodworms, and flakes. Live about 4 years. pH 6.5-7.5; T 20-26°C; dH 5-15°.
Identification: Orange-finned Danio — Danio kyathit.
— Galaxy, Galaxy Rasbora, Fireworks Danio, Celestial Pearl Danio — Danio margaritatus [Roberts, 2007]. Synonym: Celestichthys margaritatus, Microrasbora galaxy. (Eng. Celestial Pearl Danio, Fireworks Rasbora, Galaxy Rasbora). Thailand, Myanmar, small, densely planted lakes. These are rather small fish species, their maximum size in the aquarium rarely exceeds 2.5 cm. The body is slender and compressed laterally, the upper profile is more convex than the lower (this difference is more noticeable in females, while males often lack the convexity of the abdominal profile). The mouth is very small and located in the center. The dorsal and anal fins are rounded, and the caudal fin is forked.
Numerous white, cream, pink, or gold oval-shaped spots are scattered across the dark blue to black body, the belly is yellowish (reddish during spawning), and the black unpaired and pelvic fins are lined with bright red stripes. The upper part of the dorsal fin is transparent, with a red stripe bordered by black in the center.
The central part of the caudal fin is transparent, with parallel red stripes bordered by black running along the lobes. Adult males have a yellowish (reddish during the breeding season) belly and richer coloration, while females have an almost white belly. The intensity of coloration changes depending on mood and position in the school hierarchy.
The main distinguishing feature of males and females is their different coloration, both of the main body background and the fins. Males have a dark blue body color, which is more greenish-blue in females. The most constant feature is the coloration of the pelvic fins — transparent and almost colorless in females, and with red spots or stripes and patterns in males. Males have bright red anal fins with rounded blue-black stripes on the dorsal and anal fins, as well as on the tail.
Females are paler, more greenish, their fins have less red and more transparent color, pelvic fins are practically uncolored. In body shape, males are more elongated, while females have a more rounded body. Both sexes have bright spots scattered across their bodies. Fry are striped, resembling the coloration of danio.
The fish begin to color up at about two months of age, reaching their striking coloration by five to six months. But in the future, the coloration continues to become more saturated, especially the blue background of the male’s body. Only dominant males have full coloration with a dark blue body background and scarlet fins. Often non-dominant males are colored almost the same as females.
Small aquariums, like nano aquariums of 20-30 liters gaining popularity now, are suitable for keeping fish. Due to their small size, it is advisable to keep fish in a large school, since a small school, for example, of 10 fish in an aquarium will simply be unnoticeable. An extremely timid fish, but they are quite active, peaceful in nature and ideal for small aquariums with dense thickets of plants and floating plants. They can be housed with shrimp.
However, several males will not be able to share territory in a small aquarium, or one of the males quickly becomes dominant, and in this case other males will be limited in movement and nutrition, or in the worst case, the aquarium will turn into a combat arena with constant clashes among males in a futile attempt to establish a clear and stable hierarchy, which can last for a very long time.
This situation is due to the fact that in nature the number of females is greater than males, in a ratio of 3:1, as a result of which each male created a kind of harem of 3-4 females. Such conditions are difficult to create in a small aquarium. And in this case, it is necessary to arrange decorations and vegetation with clear visual territories. Captive-bred fish are more peaceful.
An aquarium with them, however, heavily planted, looks completely empty. If you intend to get these fish, know that expecting to see a colorful school in the aquarium, you will be very disappointed. If plants are kept to a minimum and Java moss is removed, the fish will be more visible, but they will not spawn. If you want to see the fish not timid, in all their glory — keep them not in a species aquarium alone, but in an aquarium with other fish, and the bottom layer should be occupied by other species. Compatible with almost all peaceful freshwater inhabitants.
Galaxies almost always keep in a rather tight school, so a school of 6-10 fish will be almost unnoticeable — 20-30 fish are needed with a 2-3 fold predominance of females. Rivalry is established between dominant males, distinguished by the brightest coloration, but it never comes to real fights. The favorite pastime of males is showing off to each other with their flared fins in a spinning dance. They also chase females, but everything goes without injuries.
Prefer dim lighting, do not need large spaces. They look best in overgrown planted aquariums with marked visual territorial zones. They love to play and swim among the leaves and roots of floating plants. Soft acidic water is required. They do not like strong water movement, but filtration and aeration are desirable. The fish are very unpretentious to their maintenance and easily adapt to any maintenance conditions. Prefer any small live food. They eat both from the water surface, and in the water column, and from the bottom.
They reach sexual maturity by three months of age, but it is better to spawn fish upon reaching 6-7 months of age. Spawning always occurs in the thickets of fine-leaved plants or among the roots, and the location of the substrate does not matter at all — whether near the bottom or near the water surface.
With normal growth, fry reach a size of 1-1.2 centimeters in a month and a half, at three months their size is already 1.5-2.0 cm. Coloring begins at 2 months, and fish reach full coloration at 4-5 months. Live up to 2.5 years. T 22-24°С, with an increase to 26 the well-being of the fish worsens. And at values around 30 degrees, death is possible. dH 5-12°; pH 6.0-7.5.
— Dwarf Spotted Danio, Black-striped Danio, Nigrofasciatus danio — Danio nigrofasciatus [Day, 1870]. Synonym: Brachydanio, Barilius nigrofasciatus, Danio analipunctatus. (Eng. Dwarf Spotted Danio). Mountainous Myanmar, small rivers and ponds. 4 cm. Oval-shaped body, one pair of barbels is located near the mouth.
The body is yellowish-white, the back is olive-brown, the sides shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow from blue to orange, the belly is whitish. A wide golden-silver stripe runs from the gill covers along the body, accompanied on both sides by dark blue stripes extending onto the caudal fin along its middle rays. A row of blue dots is located under the lower stripe (hence the name spotted). Black stripes are also present on the caudal fin.
The dorsal, caudal, and anal fins are yellowish-brown with a golden tint when light hits them. Several blue dots and intermittent stripes are located on the anal fin, with a light brown border along its lower part in the male. The rest of the fins are yellowish or even yellowish-brown. The male is smaller, the belly is yellowish-white, in females it is orange. Females are noticeably plumper, larger, and longer. In fry, adult coloration appears by a month.
The spotted danio is similar in size and striping pattern to rerio, but, unlike it, the lower part of the body and anal fin are covered not with stripes, but with bluish-blue dots. These fish easily crossbreed with Danio rerio, so a spread of traits of one or the other species is not uncommon in hybrid fish broods.
Peaceful, schooling fish. Less active and mobile than their other relatives. Get along well with various fish species that prefer bright lighting. It is advisable to keep them in a school of at least 6 fish. They love light and transparent, oxygen-rich water, and stay in all layers of the water. Can be kept in a covered general aquarium because they are jumpers, which alongside fine-leaved plants should have enough free swimming space.
Strictly observe the temperature regime, not lower than 23°C. Water soft to medium hardness. Filtration, aeration, and weekly water changes are necessary. Eats dry, live, and vegetable food. Reach sexual maturity in 4-6 months. Live 3-4 years. T 23-28°C; dH 5-12°; pH 6.5-7.5.
Danio dangila, erythromicron, feegradei, kerri. 
