Pearl danio

Danio albolineatus

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 61–77°F (16–25°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 18 gal (70 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Common
Origin: South East Asia
Family: Cyprinidae

Overview

Keep a group of at least six in a tank around 70 liters or more, with a long footprint since they're tireless swimmers. They're peaceful, fast, and stay in the middle and upper water, which makes them good dither fish for calmer tankmates. Keep water cool to moderate and from acidic to neutral. They'll eat almost anything: quality flake, small pellets, and frozen foods all work.

In the wild

Pearl danios come from clear, fast-flowing hill streams across parts of Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and Thailand. Those waters are cool, well-oxygenated, and moving. In the tank, give them current, open swimming room, and water from around the high teens up into the mid 20s C. They don't need it warm and do well in an unheated room tank in many climates.

Good to know

This is a danio in the family Cyprinidae, reaching about 6 cm, a bit larger than the common zebra danio. The body has a pearly pink-violet sheen with a fine gold line toward the tail. It's an egg scatterer that spawns over fine plants or substrate and gives no parental care. With decent care they typically live around three to five years.

Did you know

They're strong, sustained swimmers and will happily spend all day cruising against a current. In a tank that's too short or too still they get bored and can turn fin-nippy, so length and flow do more for their behavior than any decoration.