Above: a nice young premium quality Purple Passion Danio swimming in one of our aquariums, when one of us snapped this picture>

Comments: This is a Premium Pet Fish, and we never see Premium Danio like these in any of the live fish stores that we visit.

Premium Pet Fish are more energetic, hardier, and have brighter colors with a beautiful metallic sheen.

Click here to learn more about Premium Pet Fish.

Origin: This fish's ancestors lived in Thailand and Laos in Southeast Asia. But this fish was born and raised on a famous fish farm, and now this species lives in aquariums all over the world.

Maximum Size: The maximum size of these fish in an aquarium is usually a little bit less than 2 inches long.

But almost all fish continue to grow throughout their entire lives, so it's possible that old fish may occasionally grow to be unusually large.

So someday we might see one that's more than 2" long. ;^ }

Behaviors: These little guys are constantly swimming and active, and the males energetically quarrel with each other.

Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include small fish like, Harlequin Rasboras, Neon Tetras, Cardinal Tetras, Guppies, Corydoras Catfish, Honey Gouramis, etc.

Click here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish.

Temperature: They can live pretty well from about 65 to 78 degrees F., but they're probably most comfortable at about 75 degrees F.

Click here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.

Feeding: Premium Fish Food Flakes.

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Water Conditions: This fish seems to be tolerant of a wide range of water conditions. Probably a pH of about 7.0 with moderate hardness is best.

Most water in the US seems to be OK, so it's probably best NOT to adjust the pH or the hardness of the water.

Here in our facilities the water is hard and the pH is usually about 7.8. We ship them in this water.

Click here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.

Aquarium Size: It is probably best to house these fish in at least a 20-gallon tank, but bigger is better, because the males quarrel with each other. Keep at most one fish per 2-gallons of water.

Decor: They do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.

Click here for more about aquarium gravel.

Live Plants are beautiful and improve the water quality.

Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended. A Penguin 200B Filter in an aquarium with 20 to 30-gallons of water is just right for these fish.

Click here to learn more about aquarium filters.

The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range. Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.

Life Span: They will probably live for a few years with good water and good food.

Gender: The males are much more colorful than the females.

Breeding: Danios scatter their eggs on plants or special breeding mops made of nylon yarn.

Popularity: This is a relatively new aquarium fish that's steadily gaining popularity as a good fish for small aquariums.

Names: The scientific name is Brachydanio rosea.

Variations: Apparently there are now several variations, but we haven't seen them yet.

We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.