The Celestial Pearl Danio is a freshwater fish. It is found in vegetated small ponds in SouthEast Asia.

This freshwater fish was discovered within the last decade. Aquarium hobbyists have very quickly fallen in love and adopted these tiny Danios.

These types of fish boast a lot of color from the red coloration on the fins to the white pearl-like spots on their sides.

The Danios are best suited for aquariums which are loaded with vegetation and some colorful fish that mimic its peaceful nature. You can’t deny that these fish are timid and they work efficiently in communities full of Mollies, Guppies, and also Tetras.

In this article we will discuss and go to take a quick look at their ideal diet, how to care for them, tank requirements, breeding, compatibility, and a lot more.

Celestial Pearl Danio Care, Compatibility, Diet, Tank Mates, and More…

Overview of Celestial Pearl Danio

The Celestial Pearl Danio, popularly known as Galaxy Rasbora, shook up the fishkeeping world when they were first discovered in 2006. Their peaceful nature and vibrant colors make them extremely popular.

Their scientific name is Danio margaritatus and is a member of the Cyprinidae family. This is a plant reliant fish. They add a pop of color and lively activity to any aquarium.

Usually, the lifespan of Celestial Pearl Danio is 3-5 years in a stable aquarium.

Though the size of Celestial Pearl Danios is small, they are capable of helping to liven up any planted fish tank. Danios get along with a variety of different fish even though they are timid.

They can continuously move and explore the lower parts of your aquarium.

Because of their shy nature and small size, it would be the best option for them to be kept in a community aquarium to mirror their size and behavior. If not, they will easily be out-competed or preyed upon by bigger fish.

If you are looking to keep a school of Galaxy Rasboras or Celestial Pearl Danio, you must keep in mind their habitat and behavior over all else.

Appearance of Galaxy Rasboras

Both energy and color can be added by a group of these fish to any plant backdrop they are provided. Their white spotted bodies which are combined with their orange or red fins permit the Galaxy Rasboras to stand special among its habitat.

The size of these fish is small, usually being a maximum of 1 inch from their head to tail.

The coloration of the fins is the most distinctive part of these fish. Two parallel black lines are there in all fins with bright red or orange coloration. It depends on their sex.

If you observe closely at a group of Danios, you will likely see some difference in coloration between individual Danios. The reason is they have sexual dimorphism; therefore the males and females are not similar looking.

The males are more vibrant in color and they are thin, particularly on the tail, however, the females are more round in shape and slightly duller.

An additional deep red coloration will even be gained by the Courting males on their stomachs. People are led by this coloration to only seek out males for their aquarium; unfortunately, to keep a healthy group, maintaining a ratio of males to females is very important.

For mates males will constantly fight each other, so trying to keep more females to males can reduce the risk of fighting.

Remember that they are such a new breed, so conversations regarding where it adjusts into the Cyprinidae genus go on to this time. Their general shape is shared by them with other members of their family. They even possess the spotted design of another danio fish like the dwarf danio fish (Danio nigrofasciatus).

Habitat and Tank Requirements of Celestial Pearl Danio

The Celestial Pearl Danio fish is a freshwater species found in tiny and extremely vegetated shallow ponds in South East Asia Region (Myanmar).

These types of ponds have relatively high levels of light with low water movement. The high levels of light breed a lot of algae and vegetation for them to both feed off and hide.

In the wild environment, when surrounded by high amounts of live vegetation and other places to hide (rock or driftwood) this fish survives best.

Again, It is essential to notice that there still is so much to be discovered about their species and habitat in general. In 2006 it was being discovered, which means that the latest discoveries are likely.

Aquarium Conditions

You’ll have to include lots of plants, buried in a dark substrate with a view to replicate their natural environment inside the aquarium.

Because most small ponds are their natural home they are accustomed to a large variety of water plants. These plantsnot only allow for the fish to hide and even lay eggs they also help keep your aquarium clean.

As you increase the number of males in your aquarium, the hiding places will become more important. Constantly the males compete for mates so without places to hide, losing males are a matter of extreme harassment often leading to injury and death also.

In order to mimic their natural environment, you should include lots of driftwood and rocks.

73-79°F is the ideal temperature for these fish. Again, the 6.5 and 7.5 range is the preferred pH level. It is important to keep the hardness at a soft to medium level.

These levels are slightly wide because of how hardy these types of fish are. What is essential though, is ascertaining that these fish are kept in stable water conditions.

As they are used to slow-moving they don’t require still waters or a water flow. Lighting condition, keep it moderate to high.

Size of Aquarium Required

Nothing below 10 gallons should be used while keeping Celestial Pearl Danio fish in an aquarium. Keeping 5 or 6 individual Danios is the best way to go provided their grouping nature, mostly females if possible.

If you wish to maximize the quantity of them that you keep, at that moment a bigger aquarium will be required. The target for around 2 gallons each fish.

Again, always try to keep your aquarium relatively shallow. This process is going to mimic the shallow nature of their native home. As a result, it will make the fish feel extremely comfortable.

Compatibility and Tank Mates

It is suggested to keep them around other species of equal size and nature because of the shy nature of these fish. This method will permit for the Celestial Pearl Danio to not be consumed by bigger fish or be out-competed by extremely aggressive and faster fish.

Their shy nature does not mean they do not work well and are not peaceful in limited communities: Guppies, Tetras, Killifish, and Corydoras are excellent tank mates for them. These all fishes are comparatively peaceful and they will complement the shyness of Galaxy Rasbora.

Neon Tetras is a perfect example of a complementing fish. They bring a good vibrant color to the community and like to stay towards the surface. With Tetras on above, all aspects of the water column shall be full of fish.

Fish from the exact area or species are also perfect tank mates as the majority of them share equal normal behavior.

Be aware of these fish because they are known for eating and attacking juvenile shrimp. If you own adults and larger shrimp then you need not worry. Normally shrimp are left alone once they become adults.

It needs more gallons of water per fish if you are putting several species of schooling fish together. Remember if you own a smaller tank.

Celestial Pearls perform better with various types of fish as long as their nature is peaceful. This is the main reason why these fish make wonderful additions to calm community aquariums.

Aggressive fish such as Jack Dempsey’s, Oscars, or Cichlids will prey upon fish that are smaller and slower than them; so you must avoid these types of fish.

Keeping Together Celestial Pearl Danios

Celestial Pearl Danio prefers to live in small groups. Therefore you should try to keep a group of 5 or 6 Danios. Keeping them together in small groups will help all be active and healthy.

As mentioned before, if your aquarium is small do keep the focus on how many males you have in your tank. Males who are relatively less dominant will be subject to attacks from other males if your aquarium is small with a few hiding places.

To keep all your Danios safe, make sure that you have sufficient space for your fish to live. Also, remember to maintain a healthy ratio of male fish to females. Many aquatic plants will provide them with a natural feel. Additionally, it will also provide the males a decent hiding room for when the fishes are competing for females.

Feeding and Diet

Except for their artificial habitat, these fish eat a lot of species of zooplankton, plants, and algae. They are also known to eat tiny worms and invertebrates. Mostly their diet is so different because Celestial Pearl Danio are opportunistic feeders.

However, in a captive tank, these fish like to eat dry food such as pellets and flakes as far as it is too small to fit into their mouth.

If these fish are too scared to eat then feeding can be an issue. Danios will most likely stay toward the bottom half of an aquarium so consume sinking pellets.

An alternative way for feeding them is using frozen or small live food such as krill or brine shrimp. Particularly the krill will assist with the red coloration of their fins. A very low-cost alternative is White worms.

Moina, Grindal Worms, Live Daphnia, all make perfect food for these little fish and always help to improve their diet.

Don’t forget to recycle the food that they consume. Never try to only feed them a single type of food (i.e. only flakes). This process will keep them even more vibrant and healthy as long as they are eating the correct type of food.

Special Tip

For any fish and any aquarium, observe the tank as you feed your fish and learn every fish’s nature and behavior at the time of feeding. You will know much more about individual fish that will lead you to feed them more accurately.

No matter what the species, few individuals are going to be braver and few will be shy. Knowing that your individual fish is special and important so you can cater to their requirements accordingly.

The waste of the tank is limited by this in your tank and in the long period will mean minimum aquarium cleaning and time spent for you.

You should keep your ears and eyes open on the fish you possess in your aquarium to ensure they are not getting out and also competing for food.qq!

Consider changing the way you are feeding your fish if this occurs. Alternatively all at once, on one side feed the faster fish then use the other side to let their food sink down to their hiding place.

How to Care Celestial Pearl Danio?

As with the majority of fish, it is important to keep a close eye on these fish from the starting point.

The courting of females by the males is to be watched for.

Males spend much of their time courting females. This results in males fighting over possible mates.

A simple way to notice if a fish is fighting is signs of bite marks on their sides and their torn fins. The fighting of males is directly harmful to the loser one, and also damaging the fins can lead to Fin Rot.

In aquarium fish, Fin Rot is extremely common and can be caused by poor quality of water and, yes, previously torn fins. However, luckily there are so many ways to prevent and cure this from happening.

Make sure to increase the number of water changes that you are performing if you notice a fish that has this kind of disease. Using antibacterial medications like Chloramphenicol, Tetracycline and Oxytetracycline can help maximize the chance of your infected fish surviving.

Always remember to ensure to observe the water temperature and pH of your aquarium. It can cause stress to your fish if these levels are not in the ideal range, and it may cause Fin Rot.

There is a misconception that these fish are truly a schooling species of fish. Many aquarists or fish keepers see these fish groups together and confuse them with schooling.

When it is correct that a good portion of the time they will group together, the groups of Celestial Pearl Danio will separate, particularly after being acquainted with Danio’s new home.

You can notice the variation in schooling behavior if you observe a true schooling species such as Neon Tetra.

Celestial Pearl Danios Breeding

The breeding of Celestial Pearl Danios is fairly straightforward. Look for female fish that have a rounder abdomen and are darker in color. It simply means that your female is ready for spawning.

Due to their natural habitat, the use of live food is noted to stimulate spawning in a few cases.

The Celestial Pearl Danios belong to the egg layers. Usually, the female will lay eggs somewhere with minimum water movement however they can appear anywhere.

Females are able to lay up to 30 eggs at a single time; but, it’s more likely to get a cluster of around 12. The eggs will incubate for 2 to 4 days, after that period they will get into their larval stage and start to swim. In case you notice the eggs early it is imperative that you set aside them and add the eggs to a breeding aquarium. The males will find out eggs and constantly start to eat them.

The breeding tank and the main tank should have similarities with vegetation and low to medium water movement inside your tank.

The first week starts out by feeding them with micro foods. Until they grow to be adults you can move on to feed baby brine shrimp.

Within the very first year, the growth is fast as the fry take on adult size and coloration.

Summary: Is the Celestial Pearl Danio Right for your Aquarium

Celestial Pearl Danios belong to hardy fish which make perfect additions to calm communities. Their grouping nature and bright and shiny colors have helped to liven up aquariums ever since the period they were discovered.

Are these fish good for your aquarium?

If you own and possess an extremely vegetated aquarium above 10 gallons and are ready to see how all your fish live and eat together: yes. Celestial Pearl Danios add perfect color and complement communities well in reality.

If you lack vegetation or your tank is small, consider other species like Tetras Or Guppies which are easier and hassle-free to keep.

Starting your fishkeeping journey with these fish will actually allow you to build the knowledge base required for you to step up to the level of keeping more complicated fish.

Hey, are you thinking about keeping Celestial Pearl Danios, or have you ever kept them? Leave a comment in the comments section below.