Danios – A Great Freshwater Tropical Fish For The Beginning Aquarist

Danios are a great beginner’s fish for new aquarium owners, as they are considered hardy and will get along well with most other types of fish. The main consideration to keep in mind if purchasing Danios for your tank is to buy them in groups of six. They tend to need each other’s company to survive, but you can choose from any of the varieties of Danios.

You should keep your aquarium heated to about 70 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal temperatures for Danios, although you can train these fish over time to live comfortably in an unheated tank of water.

Danios could survive on floating flake food alone, but it is beneficial to feed them occasional freeze dried bloodworms (which are mosquito larvae) and Black Worms from time to time.

Some of the best friends for Danios in aquariums include Rainbow fish, a single Red Tail Shark or a single Rainbow Shark, all types of Barbs or most Gouramis (just try to pick Gouramis that are smaller than Danios to avoid conflicts), or schools of Clown Loaches, Bala Sharks and Yoyo Loaches. At times, livebearers like Mollies, Swordtails and Platies are kept in aquariums among Danios, as well as Plecostomus Catfish and Corydoras Catfish.

Danios are unique in that they can be used as the tank “peacemakers”. Some types of Danios will distract aggressive fish from fighting with the weaker fish. Female Betta fish are known for attacking one another if kept in the same tank, but add a school of Danios, and the Bettas will be distracted and mind their own business!

Danio fish species live for a few years, with sizes ranging from a small 1.5″ of the Zebra, Gold, Leopard, and Pearl Danio varieties to a large 5″ in length of the Giant Danio variety.