Gold ring danio

Danio tinwini

Also known as Brachydanio tinwini, Fire ring danio

FreshwaterFish

Gold ring danio (Danio tinwini) — AverageWalrus · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 64–79°F; 18–26°C
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 1.2 in; 3 cm
Minimum tank: 11 gal; 40 L

Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Beginner
Breeding: Egg scatterer · Medium
Rarity: Common
Family: Cyprinidae
Origin: Northern Myanmar (Mogaung Chaung, Kachin State; Irrawaddy basin)

Overview

The gold ring danio is a small, peaceful schooling danio that stays active most of the day. It is a good choice for a beginner.

Did you know

The gold ring danio is named for the broken pattern along its body, a row of dark blotches and dashes on pale gold. A zebra danio wears clean stripes instead. It was only described for science in 2007, and its species name honors Hla Tin Win, the Burmese collector who first found it.

Caring for the gold ring danio

Keep gold ring danios in a group of at least eight to ten, and more if you can. Bigger groups settle them down and bring out better color, while lone fish or small groups stay skittish. They swim through the middle of the tank.

Give them a planted tank of 11 gal (40 L) or more, with a darker substrate. Leave some open mid-water swimming room and keep the flow gentle to moderate. They are strong jumpers like other danios, so a tight-fitting lid is essential.

They handle a wide band of temperatures, from 64 to 79°F (18 to 26°C), so in a stable room a heater is often optional. Keep the water soft to moderately hard and slightly acidic to neutral, at a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Feed small flakes, micro pellets and frozen treats such as daphnia or baby brine shrimp.

Gold ring danios are peaceful, but watch that they do not outcompete slow or shy tank mates at feeding time. They are egg scatterers with no parental care, and adults will eat their own eggs. Breeding them takes moderate effort.

Good to know

The gold ring danio is a small cyprinid in the family Cyprinidae, sometimes listed as Brachydanio tinwini. Most fish in the trade are commercially bred.

In the wild

Gold ring danios come from clear, slow streams in the Irrawaddy basin of northern Myanmar, around the Mogaung Chaung in Kachin State.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The gold ring danio is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator