# Zebra Danios



## theguppyman (Jan 10, 2010)

Any one have tips on breeding them, I have 7 that Im conditioning and I want to breed them. I also have spawning mops if that helps. I know how to sex them and all I just wan to to breed them.


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## laxforlife (Jun 4, 2011)

I've personally never done this but i have a book that says they need to be fed the best food possible. As for the tank it should have a layer of marbles as substrate. They eat their fry so the parents need to be moved to a separate tank. It says Danios mate for life so once a pair is formed that’s it. Eggs hatch in a day or so and fry grow fast. Hope this helped.

DJ


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## theguppyman (Jan 10, 2010)

Is it true they mate at sun rise ?


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## laxforlife (Jun 4, 2011)

That i have no clue about lol. If they do then thats preety gnarly.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Many fish will breed at certain times.My macs would start about ten and go all day.The albis would start about the same time and be dont by twelve and my splendens would pick early afternoon into the evening.


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## inkmaker (Jun 10, 2009)

A 10 gal tank is just fine for say 2 pair of Zebra Danios. If you could put 2 females in the tank with the bottom completely covered with spawning mops about 2 inches thick and a couple of floating mops of 100 strains each that just reach from the water surface to the yarn on the bottom, that is all the cover you need.
I use sponge filters, a corner box filter would be fine as well, but you need to stir the water without really passing it through an outside filter that will take the food and fry out of the tank. No heater and the water needs to be fresh de-chlorinated plain tap water in most of the US cities and about 73 to 78 F.

The females separated from the males for 2 or 3 days and both well fed. Put the 2 males in the tank in the evening. The next evening late take all 4 fish out of the tank. Keep the filters going.

Now you need newly hatched Brine Shrimp, Micro worms or Paramecium. Something live to feed the fry in the next 2 days. If the females were really fat before you introduced the males, you should have a swarm of fry in 3-4 days.

Syphon off 1/2 their water and add fresh dechlorinated and feed them. 

Please let us know how things work out.
Charles H


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## theguppyman (Jan 10, 2010)

thanks but do they really breed at sun rise ?


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## inkmaker (Jun 10, 2009)

I have watched them scatter eggs all during the day. At day break most of their activity results in a good spawn. Be careful what you wish for, you may have a lot more fish than you expect.


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## Jillyfish44 (Aug 20, 2011)

When I was in college a professor and I bred zebra danios with pink glow fish (which are essentially zebra danios genetically bred to have the neon-type colors in them) and some of the fry were normal zebra danio colors and the others were pink with black stripes. Pretty cool. We used marbles in the bottom and some java moss for fry to hide in. This was 2 - 3 years ago so I don't remember exactly what time they bred. I want to say it was early morning because we didn't notice the eggs til about 10 AM, however, they could have bred overnight. They were in a lab so there was no one there at night.


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## Cadiedid (Oct 26, 2011)

I have some unexpected danio fry and I'm having a really hard time locating live food for them! If I put some tank water in the sun to try and grow some "green water" will I have some ready in time to save the babies?


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## Cadiedid (Oct 26, 2011)

Sorry... A couple more questions: In your post, inkmaker, you said no heater, but also said the temp should be 73-78 degrees which I would need a heater to maintain in the winter. Also, maybe a dumb question, but if there are no adults in the tank, why is all the cover needed? Is it to help prevent stress? If so, can I use other types of cover? The reason I'm asking is I only have 5 fry and I want to be able to spot them on a regular basis to make sure they're all still okay. I've been calling around to fish supply and pet stores and have been assured that frozen micro foods will be okay but I have my doubts after reading your post an after research online. Is it worth a try or do I need to pound the pavement some more? I have found one source for brine shrimp eggs but I don't know anything about hatching them or if they'll be ready in time for my babies. Again, I thank you for my time. I am in over my head and these are my 4 year old daughter's fish and she'll be so sad if the babies die.


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## Cadiedid (Oct 26, 2011)

I hatched baby brine shrimp and they were WAY too big for the babies to eat. I grew a culture of infusoria and they are doing very well on this.


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## inkmaker (Jun 10, 2009)

Cadiedid said:


> Sorry... A couple more questions: In your post, inkmaker, you said no heater, but also said the temp should be 73-78 degrees which I would need a heater to maintain in the winter.


My fish room isn't really heated but the lights help keep it warm. The room temp stays at about 75 to 78.



> Also, maybe a dumb question, but if there are no adults in the tank, why is all the cover needed? Is it to help prevent stress? If so, can I use other types of cover? The reason I'm asking is I only have 5 fry and I want to be able to spot them on a regular basis to make sure they're all still okay.


The mops help hide the eggs from the adults. Marbles and dime or quarter sized stones do about the same thing. The mops also give infusority a place to live to help feed the young fry. You need to find Microworms from some hobbyist for a first food other wise.


> I've been calling around to fish supply and pet stores and have been assured that frozen micro foods will be okay but I have my doubts after reading your post an after research online. Is it worth a try or do I need to pound the pavement some more? I have found one source for brine shrimp eggs but I don't know anything about hatching them or if they'll be ready in time for my babies. Again, I thank you for my time. I am in over my head and these are my 4 year old daughter's fish and she'll be so sad if the babies die.


There are some dry micro-foods at the pet stores, freeze dried may help.
If the fry are still alive now after several days, they are eating something. If you really want to raise egg layers, you need to learn how to hatch Brine Shrimp. Go to BrineShrimpDirect.com and check them out.

Charles H


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## Cadiedid (Oct 26, 2011)

Inkmaker-

I just wanted to thank you for all your great advice. The babies are doing very well still and we now have 5 new ones from the next batch! (Probably were a lot more, but mom and dad are in a community tank and must be eating them all.)


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

I heard a long time ago that the fry can be raised in very very heavily planted tanks where the parents are in. The fry were fed infusoria.

my .02


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## Cadiedid (Oct 26, 2011)

Yes, I'm sure heavy planting would help. It certainly saved a lot of lives in my first batch of fry, as I continued to find babies for days and days and just kept siphoning them up and into the nursery tank. They stay so tiny for so long though that their chances would be slim... My danios are baby eating machines!


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