The blue danio, Kerr's danio or turquoise danio (''Danio kerri''), is a
tropical fish
Tropical fish are generally those fish found in aquatic tropical environments around the world. Fishkeepers often keep tropical fish in freshwater and saltwater aquariums. The term "tropical fish" is not a taxonomic group, but rather is a gene ...
belonging to the genus ''
Danio
''Danio'' is a genus of small freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae found in South and Southeast Asia, commonly kept in aquaria. They are generally characterised by a pattern of horizontal stripes, rows of spots or vertical bars. Some species ...
'' in family
Cyprinidae
Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...
.
Distribution and habitat
The blue danio is found on the islands of
Langkawi
Langkawi, officially known by its sobriquet Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah ( ms, Langkawi Permata Kedah ), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) locate ...
and
Ko Yao Yai in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
.
Description
It is a blue-colored, deep-bodied danio with several pinkish/gold lines from
tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, r ...
to
gill
A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...
s which may or may not be continuous, over a powder blue side.
In the aquarium
The blue danio is a peaceful, active schooling fish, so is usually kept in groups. They prefer a well-planted environment, but still need plenty of space to school. Blue danios are often kept in water with a 6.5 – 7.0
pH, a water hardness of 8 – 12
dGH, and a temperature range of 73 – 77 °F (23–25 °C).
Mating
Blue danios are egg-scatterers that
spawn
Spawn or spawning may refer to:
* Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise
** '' Spawn: Ar ...
over coarse gravel beds. They will typically spawn at the first light of day. The eggs will hatch in about 36 hours.
Etymology
The taxonomic name honors
A.F.G. Kerr, who collected the first specimen on Ko Yao Yai in 1929.
References
*
*
External links
Danio kerri{{Taxonbar, from=Q1123820
Danio
Fish described in 1931
Fish of Thailand
Cyprinid fish of Asia