# Will different Danio rerio subspecies school?



## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

I'm looking into adding some danios to my 75 gallon tank, but I'm torn between the various Zebra, Golden Zebra, Leopard, and their longfin versions. I noticed that they're all part of the same scientific name species, Danio Rerio. Does that mean that they'd all school together? If so, would I be able to mix the varieties without keeping 6+ of each? Glofish and Zebra Danios have been observed schooling together, so I'm hoping it would work with these as well. I know it doesn't work with the various tetra types but they're also not the same scientific names. 

Thoughts? Has anyone tried this? I don't have room for schools of all the types so if the general thought is that they won't school then I'll fall back on my previous plan of picking only one type.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

They will shoal together, as will pearls. The only one I wouldn't try is the longfin, as with the drag it suffers from the overgrown fins, it tends to get left behind (I've watched them together in stores, but not in my tanks though). Glofish are zebras with "glow" genes inserted - like the longfins, they are the product of laboratory work.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Oh yes, my inner nerd is out here - they aren't sub-species, a term sometimes used to describe naturally occurring varieties. They are all simply domesticated colour forms of rerio - man made by selective breeding.
I'm quibbling, I guess, but the right term makes looking up info easier.


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## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

Awesome, that helps alot! I didn't know the pearls would school with them as well, very cool. When you say Pearls do you mean the Celestial Pearls? Or are those another kind? I'll keep the note about the longfins in mind, I didn't think about the drag aspect. I think my LFS has long fin varieties of both the leopard and zebras so I should be able to keep to all longfins so no one gets left behind. I just love the look of the fins 

I wasn't sure what the different colorations counted as, so its nice to know the proper term. Thanks!


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

luananeko said:


> Awesome, that helps alot! I didn't know the pearls would school with them as well, very cool. When you say Pearls do you mean the Celestial Pearls? Or are those another kind?


I think navigator black is referring to a color variation of the ordinary danio. Celestial Pearl danio = Danio margaritatus, different species, I don't think they would mix well with larger danios because they are much smaller and shyer, also not a fish I'd recommend to someone without much experience.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I'm actually referring to albolineatus, the original pearl danio. It's shaped like a zebra, but with ... pearly colours. 

The celestial is a more bottom oriented, smaller, slower barb that isn't in the same group as zebras and pearls. It's a more recently introduced species, and the pearl name was shifted over to market it. It entered the hobby as the galaxy barb, and became the celestial pearl later.

Common names can cause a lot of trouble, even if Latin seems show-offy or nerdy. I've seen tetra and dwarf cichlid aquarium trade/English names recycled for several different species in different regions. They also change by generation, and when fish lose popularity and are remarketed.


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## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

Ahhh gotcha. The main draw danios have for me is their lively nature, so I think I'll stick to the leopard or zebra danios over them then. I checked out my LFS while picking up some other stuff and ran across what they called a "Fire Ring Danio", labeled as "Brachydanio sp." would that school with the leopards, or are they yet another type?


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## jbrown5217 (Nov 9, 2011)

As long as the scientific name is still Danio rerio they should school/shoal. For example glofish and zebra danios will school/shoal together as they are Danio rerio. However celestial pearl danios will not because they are Celestichthys margaritatus.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Danio kiyathit has been showing up around here - it's a valid species, like a zebra with red-orange fins. They'll run with rerio, albolineatus, or any of the torpedo shaped danios.


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## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

Awesome, thanks! Only downside is now I have so many more choices/combinations to choose from 

Also, the variety that my LFS is calling Fire Ring Danio has very strong spotting with only hints of orange on the fins, so I'm not sure it's the same as the one showing up around you... Sounds like it's yet another color morph though.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

School and shoal is not the same. Shoaling fish stay loosely in the same area, but don't really school and in small tanks can be all over the tank and not even look like they are shoaling. Maybe they will in your 75g, but you can never tell. True schoolers are few, but good ones are Rummy-nose Tetra and Bloodfin Tetras.


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## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

Oops, wasn't aware there was a difference between the terms. Thanks! My question is more around whether the fish would be stressed if I didn't have 6 of each same variety or if they would still be comfortable/happy if I mixed types. So I guess that would be a shoal?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Tough to say how they will react. I have different species of Cories that sort of all stay together.


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