Meghalaya danio

Danio meghalayensis

Also known as Meghalaya moustached danio, Brilliant danio

FreshwaterFish

Meghalaya danio (Danio meghalayensis) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 64–75°F (18–24°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 24 gal (90 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Meghalaya plateau streams, northeast India
Family: Danionidae

Overview

A cool-water danio for an unheated or lightly heated tank, kept as a school of six or more where it stays in constant motion across the midwater. It is peaceful but lively and can be a little pushy at feeding time, so keep it with other active, sturdy fish rather than tiny or slow, long-finned species. Fit a tight lid, since it jumps. Feed a varied omnivore diet of flake, micro pellets, and frozen foods to hold its pearl-striped colors. Around 90 liters kept cool suits a group; avoid steady tropical warmth.

In the wild

The Meghalaya danio lives in cool plateau streams of Meghalaya in northeast India, at some altitude among hills that catch the monsoon, in clear, flowing, oxygen-rich water. Give it a river-style tank with steady current, a substrate of sand and gravel, and open swimming space. Keep it cool, 18 to 24 degrees Celsius, with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5.

Good to know

Danio meghalayensis is a member of the danio family, Danionidae, and reaches roughly 6 centimeters or a little more. Sen and Dey described it in 1985, naming it for Meghalaya; it is close to the moustached danio, Danio dangila, and has often been treated as the same fish, though this catalog lists it as a species in its own right. No aquarium breeding has been recorded for it.

Did you know

This danio's status has wandered back and forth, tied to and separated from the moustached danio more than once; keeping it cool and watching its pattern matters more to a keeper than where the taxonomists finally land.