# Danios



## amelia

Since I've been informed that Danios would probably be one of the best egglayers for me to start with, I'd like to collect as much information on breeding them as possible. I'll look around for information, but I'd like tips from people experienced in breeding danios.  Thank you!


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## TheOldSalt

Just add water!



Well, it's almost that easy. Just put a half dozen adults in a tank with either marbles or large gravel on the bottom, feed them well, do some water changes, and get ready for fry.
More details later, probably from other people.


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## Damon

There's nothing to add! You can trigger spawning by using water 3-5 degrees colder when you change water but they will breed anyways.


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## MyraVan

Do the marbles/large gravel trigger the spawning, or just make it less likely that they will eat the eggs (or something like that)?

The reason I ask is that I've had varying numbers of danios (2, then 4, then 6) for almost a year now, and no babies... My white could mountain minnows, though, had babies after I'd only had them a few weeks.


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## Lydia

I've kind of wondered about breeding danios too. I have 5 of them and it looks like at least one of them is a female with a LOT of eggs. But they haven't ever bred. I have got only 2 cories to breed without any trouble but for some reason my 5 danios haven't. Do you have to have large stones or marbles? Because I have fine gravel. But would that make them not breed?


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## Damon

Marbles allow the fertilized eggs to fall through to the bottom where the parents can't get to them. Danios will eat their own eggs and fry if given the chance.


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## blixem

I'm currently breeding danios as an experiment on raising tiny, tiny fry. 

Here is the best description and method I've found so far to breed them and get the fry return you want.

http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/Drerio.html


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## mlefev

I think my danio may be attempting to lay eggs. This morning I noticed her wallowing out a little rut in the sand..I thought she was just being weird. Now she keeps hovering over the spot and won't move away from it. Do you think she's laying eggs? From the pics in that website listed she's definately a she.

Just what I need, sigh, more pregnant fish.


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## blixem

mlefev said:


> I think my danio may be attempting to lay eggs. This morning I noticed her wallowing out a little rut in the sand..I thought she was just being weird. Now she keeps hovering over the spot and won't move away from it. Do you think she's laying eggs? From the pics in that website listed she's definately a she.
> 
> Just what I need, sigh, more pregnant fish.


Very doubtful, firstly danios do not spawn in the substrate like that, they wildly scatter eggs through plants. Secondly danios have no parenting skills what-so-ever, so it's highly doubtful that she's guarding eggs.


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## mlefev

Well she left the site again, who knows what she was after. I really hope she's not...I dont have room for more fry.


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## blixem

mlefev said:


> Well she left the site again, who knows what she was after. I really hope she's not...I dont have room for more fry.


I wouldn't worry about it, even if she does spawn, danio eggs are nothing more than caviar to the rest of the tank. I've got 2 females in a community 55g and they both spawn relentlessly every 3 days or so, I have yet to have one egg make it to fry stage. (and if they did the other fish had sushi before I ever saw them.)


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## mlefev

Hehe, I always hate to think about them getting munched too.  But it's true, I don't have the time or space to deal with eggs and fry.


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## dan20rhino

Danios are extremely easy to breed just make sure they are well fed on fresh frozen foods such as bloodworm before attempting to breed them. I use the bare bottom tank method no need for marbles or gravel.

As mentioned above this link is one of the best http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/Drerio.html


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## Lara

I accidentally bred zebra danio's, without any preparation. They are fed good quality tropical fish food, I never supplement (although I should) with other foods. Perhaps the water was slightly cooler with water changes but I do try and match the temp (25C). Only four fry survived, this is all I ever saw so the rest must have been eaten or sucked out by me during a water change, they are really super tiny when they hatch. 

P.S. I find dan20rhino's avatar particularly disturbing.


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## dan20rhino

lara avatar has been changed just for you :razz:


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## Lara

Thanks so much dan20rhino, I'm flattered. Your new one is cool!


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## dan20rhino

Your welcome, Lara you can call me Dan dont worry about the rhino bit lol.

How is Sydney?


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## Larry-T

I once purchased a half-dozen Danio choprae and put them in a well planted 20 gal tank. I forgot about setting up anything for them, but one day noticed one or two fry in the tank. A week later I put the adults in a separate tank and fed the original tank with small size foods. I would up getting between 30 and 50 adult D. choprae out of that experience.


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## Lara

dan20rhino=How is Sydney?[/QUOTE said:


> VERY HOT, and it's not even summer yet! We're off to the beach today, wee bit of snorkelling, yay!


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## Lydia

My danios have bred 2-3 times as far as I can tell. I have never seen any eggs or babies but every once in a while a female will get really fat over a period of a few weeks, and then I will see the males chasing her after I feed them in the AM, then she will suddenly get skinny again. At least I'm assuming they are breeding....does it sound like it to y'all?


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## Lara

Yep, they probably eat the eggs and/or fry, they are so very tiny when they hatch they could easily all get eaten in a community tank before they are visable to the human eye. My four only survived I think because the tank is very heavily planted, when I first saw them they were hiding amongst the val and ambulia.


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## TheOldSalt

Yep, sounds like it alright.

Hey, Larry, do you stilll have a bunch of chopraes?


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## FishGuy1564

Hey Amelia, here is the way I raised about 50 baby danio fry.(They all died after :-x )

I first bought a breeding tank, I like the breeding tank better with sponge filter so the babies dont get sucked up, but the eggs don't go bad. My breeding tank is a 10-gallon. Then I put a girl (They are more of a silverish color, have a rounder figure, and a big belly on the bottom of her that has no stripes) and a boy (more of a gold and are skinny) and put them in the tank together. Oh yeah, feed the parents brine shrimp if possible, I noticed it encourages breeding. I waited until I saw at least one egg (tiny clear things with a little yolk in the middle) and took the parents out. In two or three days, the eggs should hatch. During the process of hatching, if you look at the eggs everyday you will actually see the babies' bodies come together. It's cool :-D . I fed my babies flakes (I made sure I saw them eat it, cause I didn't want them to starve). Actually, what would make them grow really good is newly hatched brine shrimp. If you have any questions just ask. Good Luck Amelia!


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## Shane T.

I have four zebras and I can't make them breed at all. A little help?


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## FishGuy1564

Do what I wrote above. It tells you how to do it. If you are doing what I wrote but they just wont have babies, try to give them brine shrimp, it enhances breeding.


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## micstarz

Yeah, but dont count on it.


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## Lara

Make sure the water parameters are ok for Danio's pH 7, temp 25-27 C. Make sure that you don't have all one sex (since you only have 4). Sorry to state the obvious


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## Shane T.

I need to buy some more. I think the four I have are only females! :roll:


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