Devario - in The Aquarium

In The Aquarium

The care of members of the genus Devario are rather similar and easily generalized. They are generally easy to moderate in keeping difficulty.

All of these fish are primarily surface feeders. They are omnivorous in the aquarium and will accept a wide variety of foods; flake food is appropriate. Living in aquaria, live/frozen flaked foods are suitable, especially brine shrimp and sinking tablets. Conditioning danios for breeding should include plenty of fresh foods.

Although boisterous and liable to chase each other and other fish, they are good community fish and will not generally attack each other or other fish, although they occasionally nip fins, more by accident than design; like most fish, they will eat eggs and any fish small enough to fit into their mouths, in the case of the larger devarios, this could include fish, such as small tetras.

They are best kept in a tank long enough for their active swimming, preferably with a current from a power filter (or at least airstone), as they often live in fast-flowing streams in the wild. Generally, this also results in them being subtropical with cooler temperatures. They are good jumpers, so a tight-fitting lid is recommended.

As schooling fish, they prefer to be in groups of six or more. Devario species prefer water with a pH of 6 to 8, a hardness no more than 19 dGH, and a temperature range of 68–80°F (18–24°C), the lower end of the temperature range is ideal.