Red melon dario

Care at a glance

Overview

A true nano fish at around 3 cm, it thrives in a heavily planted tank from about 40 litres. Keep it at 22 to 26 C and pH 5.5 to 7.0 in soft water. Keep one male with several females, as males spar over territory, and avoid boisterous tankmates that outcompete it for food. It usually needs small live and frozen foods such as microworm, baby brine shrimp and cyclops.

In the wild

The red melon dario is a tiny nano fish, with dominant males glowing a solid orange-red and females staying a plain grey-brown. It lives in shallow, plant-choked forest streams. Males hold small territories among the stems and moss.

Good to know

Dario hysginon is endemic to Kachin State in northern Myanmar and reaches only about 3 cm. It is a micropredator that hunts tiny live prey and often ignores dry food. It is closely related to the scarlet badis, Dario dario.

Did you know

Red melon darios are so small and shy that they often do best in a species tank, where they will breed quietly among mosses without any help.

Related species

• 

  Scarlet badis

  Dario dario

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

• 

  Burmese Badis

  Badis ruber

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)64–77°F (18–25°C)

• 

  Badis

  Badis badis

  2.4 in (6 cm)20 gal (75 L)59–77°F (15–25°C)

• 

  Bumblebee goby

  Brachygobius doriae

  1.6 in (4 cm)12 gal (45 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
• Cobalt blue goby

  Stiphodon semoni

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)13 gal (50 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Eggers' notho

  Nothobranchius eggersi

  2 in (5 cm)11 gal (40 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)