Celestial Pearl Danio (Danio margaritatus)...here now

[Mugwump]

....I'm proud to say that we just got 12 of these little darln's from Dennis. They've settled in nicely and should mature quickly. I'm working on a 'honeymoon suite' for the first pairings....excited...this should be fun and interesting....

[Mugwump]

Dennis, what temp do you keep yours at currently?......different for spawning pairs?....

[BallAquatics]

I keep them as cool as I can.  Most of mine stop spawning when the temperatures get much over 75 ?F.  I've had them spawn up a storm in water as cool as 62 ?F.

A good many of the Danios and Devarios are labeled as "Tropical Fish" because that's what people want to buy, but in reality, many come from decidedly sub-tropical climates.  The Celestial Pearl Danio come from a mountainous region of Myanmar where the winter time temperatures drop to around freezing.  As they live in large shallow ponds, you can imagine how cold the water must get.

I remember chatting with Mr. U Tin Win of the Hein Aquarium in Myanmar back when these fish were thought to be endangered.  They were planning a state sponsored fact finding trip to the area and it was canceled for several days to let the temperatures warm up a bit.  As I recall, he said it was 4 ?C in the area around the city of Ho Pong.  The elevation ranges from just over a half mile to nearly a mile above sea level, (think Denver).

Dennis

[Mugwump]

Good to know.....I think the tank they're in is pushing 80?.....I'll fix that......they don't seem to mind tho, active, eating well, and colored up nicely....down it will slowly go....

[BallAquatics]

Yeah, they can stand the heat short term without any problems.  I did a test several years ago to see if they could take 86 ?F for a couple weeks to cure ICH and they were fine.  Prolonged hi temps will reduce their life-span though.

Dennis

[Mugwump]

Yeah, they can stand the heat short term without any problems.  I did a test several years ago to see if they could take 86 ?F for a couple weeks to cure ICH and they were fine.  Prolonged hi temps will reduce their life-span though.

Dennis

gotcha...thanks

[Mugwump]

The little darln's are growing nicely and look to be coloring up well....I need to set up another tank to maybe separate them for a breeding attempt....I haven't decided whether to try the flat dish or plant layer for the egg harvesting yet....probably try both to see which works better for my old eyes. 

[PaulineMi]

 They are about the cutest little fish around.  I just love mine. They've been here almost a year now.  (Thank you again Dennis)

Best of luck with your spawning plans Jon. They're so tiny it will probably be very difficult to see fry at first. Do keep us posted on what you do with them and how you do it.   

[BallAquatics]

You are very welcome Pauline.  I'm so glad you are enjoying them.  I think Jon will enjoy the challenge of spawning them.  They are certainly different from cichlids and plecos in their spawning habits and parental care.

Dennis

[Mugwump]

...boy do they love micro worms  ...zoom/gulp.zoom.gulp.....LOL