Giant Danio

1 Giant Danio Introduction

Also called the Giant Blue-stripe or Giant Slippery-stripe Danio, although named Giant Danio, adults reach about 10-12 cm, the largest of the danios. It is an upper-layer fish, swimming fast and fond of jumping, so keep a lid on the tank.

Chinese name: Giant Danio

Aliases: Giant Blue-stripe Danio, Giant Spotted Danio

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Distribution: Sri Lanka, India

Adult length: 10-12 cm

2 Physical Characteristics

It is easy to keep with strong adaptability. Its temperament is gentle and it is an upper-layer fish, but because it likes to jump, keep a lid.

It reaches 10-12 cm, the biggest danio. Spindle-shaped, fairly broad, with a small pointed snout. Olive-green, brown-yellow back, orange-yellow belly; several blue longitudinal stripes from behind the head to the tail, the middle one reaching the center of the caudal fin, with yellow or yellow-green between blue stripes. Dorsal, pelvic, anal, and caudal fins are orange-red.

3 Aquarium Conditions

After choosing healthy, well-developed juvenile Giant Danios, how to raise them matters. Although easy, unsuitable environment can cause disease.

Keep at 20-25°C; a subtropical freshwater fish, fairly cold-hardy, surviving at 10°C, related to its origin in India and Bangladesh where it is also cool. It likes clear, well-lit water; otherwise similar to common danios. Being large and fast, often at the surface and jumpy, use a larger (60-70 cm) tank with a lid.

Neutral water is fine, but soft water suits better. During breeding, soft water greatly raises fertilization and hatching rates.

4 Feeding Guidelines

Gentle, it can be mixed with many small fish. Lay larger pebbles on the bottom to gather sediment. Beautiful and easy, it is widely liked. What to note when feeding?

Do not feed too often; frequency depends on food type. Normal feed several times daily, live tubifex once daily; amount eaten in 3 minutes is right, more around spawning. It feeds in the upper layer and is not picky; all fish foods and prepared feeds work.