Black tiger dario

Care at a glance

Overview

The black tiger dario is a tiny, territorial nano fish that stays in the lower third of the tank, working through plants and along the substrate. It is best kept as a small group of one male with several females, since rival males spar, so give them dense planting and broken sightlines to spread the aggression. Keep it only with small, calm tankmates, or on its own, because it is easily bullied and outcompeted for food. Like most of its relatives it usually ignores flake and wants tiny live or frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, cyclops, daphnia and microworm. A well planted tank of about 20 liters suits a group.

In the wild

This fish comes from small, shaded, densely vegetated streams in the upper Chindwin drainage of northern Myanmar, where the water is soft, cool to warm and slow moving. Recreate that with a gently filtered nano tank, a dark sand or fine-gravel bottom, leaf litter, driftwood and thickets of fine-leaved plants and moss for cover. Keep it soft and close to neutral, roughly pH 6.0 to 7.5, at 20 to 26 C, with subdued lighting so the fish feels secure enough to show its colours.

Good to know

Dario tigris belongs to the family Badidae, the chameleonfishes, and is one of its smallest members at under about 2 cm. Males hold small territories and court females with fin displays, then spawn on the substrate, scattering eggs beneath leaves or wood. Breeding is possible but takes patience and clean, well fed conditions, rating as moderate difficulty.

Did you know

It hid in plain sight for years. Sold in the trade as just a dark form of another dario, Dario tigris was only named as its own species in 2022, once fin-spine counts and DNA showed it was distinct.

Common questions

Related species

• Flame jewel badis

  Dario kajal

  Freshwater

  0.8 in (2 cm)5 gal (20 L)64–79°F (18–26°C)

• 

  Red melon dario

  Dario hysginon

  Freshwater

  1.2 in (3 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Scarlet badis

  Dario dario

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  0.8 in (2 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Swamp badis

  Badis laspiophilus

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  1 in (2.5 cm)5 gal (20 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)

• 

  Tiger badis

  Badis kyar

  Freshwater

  1.6 in (4 cm)11 gal (40 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Torpedo badis

  Badis autumnum

  Freshwater

  1.6 in (4 cm)11 gal (40 L)61–77°F (16–25°C)