Flame jewel badis

Dario kajal

Also known as Kajal dario, Jaintia dario

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 64–79°F (18–26°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 0.8 in (2 cm)
Minimum tank: 5 gal (20 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Jaintia Hills streams, Meghalaya, India
Family: Badidae

Overview

The flame jewel badis is a nano dwarf that lives low among plants and decor, best kept as a small group of one male with several females so the male can court without a rival to fight. Males colour up hardest when they hold a little territory, so plant densely and break up sightlines. It is peaceful but small and shy, so pair it only with tiny, calm fish, or keep it in a species tank, since it is easily outcompeted. Feed small live and frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia and microworm, and expect it to ignore flake. A planted tank of about 20 liters suits a group.

In the wild

It comes from small, shallow hill-stream pools in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya in northeast India, above 1,300 m where the water runs cool. Give it soft, slow moving water over a soft or fine-gravel bottom, with cryptocoryne and plants such as Java fern, Anubias and moss grown on wood and stone for cover. Keep it soft and close to neutral, roughly pH 6.0 to 7.5, and cool at 18 to 26 C, with dim light.

Good to know

Dario kajal is a member of the family Badidae and stays around 2 cm, described in 2013 by Britz and Kullander. Males show red and blue and defend small territories. Breeding is of moderate difficulty: Dario are near-continuous spawners that scatter eggs almost daily among fine plants when they are warm and well fed, giving no parental care, so fry survive best in a predator-free tank.

Did you know

Its name is a beauty tip. Kajal is the Hindi word for kohl eyeliner, chosen for the bold dark stripe that runs back through the fish's eye like a stroke of makeup.