# Zebra Danio



## Brice|F4llen (Jul 12, 2010)

a week ago i decided to buy an aquarium and needed a fish to cycle my tank with.

is the zebra danio a good fish to cycle with? (im planning on having alot of tetras/angel fish/other community fish)

aswell, it has been 4 days since i threw in my zebras and all of a sudden they are just going crazy with each other! they are all swimming around sparatically nipping at each others fins, TOTAL CHAOS! 10 small fish in 55 gallons with plenty of plants and other types of cover, i never expected this to happen.

any feed back is appreciated :]


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## evilash1996 (Aug 26, 2010)

they are supposedly one of the best fish to cycle a tank with.


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## Dafo (Aug 9, 2010)

Hi. Can you explain me, which other fishes are usefull for cycling and what is characteristic for that?


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## evilash1996 (Aug 26, 2010)

For a tank of small community fish, White Clouds or Zebra Danios are good cycling fish; Cherry Barbs or Tiger Barbs are good for a slightly more aggressive tank; or Pseudotropheus zebra is a good choice for an African Cichlid tank. Your local pet shop should be able to point you toward some hardy fish of the type you are looking to keep. Purchase a small number (the number will depend on the size of your aquarium and type of fish and -to a lesser degree- the type of filter) of these fish and introduce them to your Nitrogen Cycle Diagram tank. For a ten to twenty gallon tank, two or three small schooling fish or one small cichlid would be more than sufficient. Let the tank sit for a couple of days, feeding your fish carefully to prevent excess food from decaying and fouling the water. There are several reasons that you do not want to cycle your tank with a large number of fish, here are a few:

1. Cycling a tank with many fish will produce a lot more waste, which will be stressful to your fish, resulting in higher die-off and greater susceptibility to disease.
2. Cycling with a large number of fish will increase water problems incurred during the cycling process.
3. Cycling with a lot of fish can contribute to a foul smell coming from the tank.

Every couple of days, do a 10%-15% water change, and after about a week, take a sample of your water to a fish store to get it tested. Most pet shops will test fresh water for a minimal fee, or even for free! If the store you got the fish from won't, check to see if there is another local store that will. At this point, your water should test with high ammonia and maybe a trace of nitrite. If it isn't, don't worry. Just give the tank time. The cycling process usually takes four to eight weeks.

After about eight weeks, your ammonia and Nitrite levels should be acceptable (about trace levels), and you can add more fish. Do not add more fish until the ammonia and Nitrite levels have both dropped. Remember to add new fish a few at a time to prevent over-stressing the filter. If you add too many at once, your tank will have to cycle again, yet if you add a few at a time, your bacteria growth rate will just increase for a short time, with minimal effect on your fish.


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## Dafo (Aug 9, 2010)

Hi. Can you tell, what is the possibility for fish (in cycle period) to dye- maybee from your experience. Maybe you didn't saw my last question, what enables to those fishes to be perfect for cycling or in other way, why angelfish is not so ideal?


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## evilash1996 (Aug 26, 2010)

there are higher immune to nitrate, ammonia, etc.. (i think)


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## Dafo (Aug 9, 2010)

Hi. Interesting, I had naver found any data confirming what you said (because is simply not true) I would be very happy if you could paste any web site or research confirming your point.- anyway that must not be very hard, after all there are thousants of web's about nitrogen cycle and cycling of aquariums.


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## evilash1996 (Aug 26, 2010)

==================[i took this from fish lore]=====================

The Zebra Danio is one of the most popular tropical fish for many reasons. They are very hardy, attractive to look at and they usually do well in groups of 6 or more. They are a good first fish for beginners to the tropical fish hobby because of their tolerance of a wide range of water parameters.

Because of their hardiness, many will use zebra danios to cycle their new tanks. This is not a recommended practice because it can be very traumatic and stressful to the fish. They are frequently used as dither fish in aquariums since they are constantly out swimming all over the tank. Dither fish are used to help calm other fish that may be skittish. The scared fish will see the danios out swimming and may become more comfortable with their environment.

Behavioral problems with this fish, such as fin nipping, can usually be attributed to not having enough of these schooling fish in your tank. To prevent this fin nipping behavior try to keep a school of 6 or more in your tank.

They will eat vitamin enriched flakes, frozen, freeze dried and live foods. 


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Scientific Name : Danio rerio

Common Names : Zebra Fish, Striped Danio

Care Level : Easy

Size : Up to 2 inches (5 cm)

pH : 6.5 - 8

Temperature : 65°F - 75°F (18°C - 24°C)

Water Hardness : 5° to 25° dH,

Lifespan : 2 - 5 years

Origin / Habitat : India

Temperament / Behavior : They are usually peaceful but they can be fin nippers. They are best kept in schools of 6 or more.

Zebra Danio Breeding / Mating / Reproduction : Easy. Maintain a water temperature of 78°F and the female will drop its eggs in the gravel bed. The eggs will hatch in two days and you will have to remove the adults because they will eat the fry.

Tank Size : 10 gallon or larger.

Compatible Tank Mates : Other Danios, Corydoras and some Tetras.

Fish Disease : Freshwater Fish Disease - Diagnose, Symptoms and Treatment

Diet / Fish Food : They will take flakes, freeze dried (blood worms, daphnia, brine shrimp, etc) and live foods.

Tank Region : Middle to Top

Gender : Males have yellow in between the black stripes and female zebra danios are sometimes larger.

Gallery Photos : Zebra Danio Photos

Similar Species : Cyprinids, Barbs

Fish Lore Forum : Zebra Danio Forum




======(this is what people said about them)=======================

From: Jim B.
These are excellent fish for new tanks. They are very hardy and I've used them in the past to cycle my aquarium.

From: Sierra
These fish are great! I swear, these danios could live through anything!
Yeah, I agree. The Zebra Danio is a very hardy tropical fish. Many use them to cycle their tanks without losing any of them.

From: Marc
These fish are very energetic! It's fun to watch them dart around while they eat.

From: Scientific
Great fish, I just added 4 zebra danios to a tank with 7 serpae tetras and a rainbow shark. As soon as these were added the other fish became more active swimmers. Also, it's nice that they tend to stay towards the top of the tank, it entices the serpaes to swim there as well.

From: Hillary
My husband and I just started up our 20 gallon tank with three of the Zebra Danios and 3 Rasboras. After a couple of weeks we have added a few more fish and the Zebra Danios have begun nipping large pieces out of the other fish's tails. We had to seperate them from the other fish because they were tormenting them so much by chasing them all around. We thought that they were great fun when we got them and named them the Three Stooges, but now it looks like they will not be able to ever go back in the tank.

From: Linda
I just set up a 36 gallon corner hex tank and just added zebra and red danios. They are amazing fish so fast they swim. I am enjoying them alot. Have heard they can tolerate the cycling process of a new tank. Which is a great thing! I also added 2 bleeding heart tetras and white clouds too.

From: Kat
I got 3 of these energetic zebra danios when I read that they are great for cycling. Since then I have added two leopard danios and long finned as well. They all school together and it's like watching a flock of birds. When one changes direction the rest follow. When it was just the three of them they would nip each others fins, but now that there are more they have stopped. I also have 3 silver tipped tetras and they school with the danios just fine. Sometimes they chase each other but nothing agressive just for fun. Most of the time they are near the top of the 20 gallon I have them in but as they get used to the tank (recently upgraded from a 10 gallon) they explore more areas. They have begun to recognize me and will come to the front of the tank in the morning and when I get home in the evening to say hi... Or it could be "Feed Us" but either way they are a great, hardy little fish!

From: John
Yes I must admit, these fish are very hardy! I had an epidemic where every fish except one zebra danio and one neon tetra died!

From: Paula
Hi Hillary, they usually start nipping fins if you don't have enough of them in your tank. Try adding 3-4 more and see if that sorts out the problem. Good Luck. I'm getting some of these amazing fish today. They are so energetic!

From: Jones
These fish are great! I have a 180 gallon tank with fifteen of them, a lake tanganyika cichlid, and a few other fish, and they have been great and are helping the other fish become more confident with the environment!

From: Lyn
They are wonderful fish! I love their colors and their schooling behavior. It's hard to look at them carefully because they keep on darting in the water. Very hardy, too!

From: Zach
Fun little fish to watch. I have 2 yellow Glo-fish, 2 Cherry Red Glo-fish (with are genetically engineered Zebra Danios) and one plain one. I would recommend going easy on high protein foods such as bloodworms with these little guys. Although they love em' they can make them constipated.

From: Dakota
I had a group of 6 zebra danios and loved them. They were very hardy and always active plus they were easy to care for lived for a couple of years... overall they were a great fish easy to care for.


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## Dafo (Aug 9, 2010)

Hi. Don'z care about people opinion but can you add web site for first part. Anyway there is nowhere written they are hardy to nitrate or ammonia- That's the most important and it's the point my idea!!!. Anyway I would be happy if you add text I asked for.


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## evilash1996 (Aug 26, 2010)

well i tried to help you but you wont take my word for it. so go look it up yourself


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## Dafo (Aug 9, 2010)

Hi. Ok, I hope you learned something from that what you paste as an argument for your false statement so I am suggesting you to do this kind of research before you are so convinced to write something against someone with different arguments (I don't think that this method can use someone that really is a friend of fish, specially if there are other methods to reach the same goal). I think that was the most significant reaction to those cycling questions - We just had very similar discussion few days ago.


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## RhumbaGirl (Aug 1, 2010)

Zebra Danio - Danio rerio Fish Care


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## Northern Hawk (Sep 1, 2010)

zebra dinos are one of the top 5 most hardy fish out there but they flurish with 6 or more usually.... i used them to cycle my tank and their as healthy and happy from what i see at least as can be!


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## Dafo (Aug 9, 2010)

Hi Totaly understaind you, but is hard to find argument for what you are saying. If fish does not dye in a moment you put it in those water parameter does not mean this is healthy for them (unfortunetely they can't talk)- as you can see from above the researchers are not on that side (fishcycle) and is even harder to find argument for that cycling if there are other faster and fish friendly methods. -I had written that above and not going to explane this again.


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