AquaNexus verified profile
Zebra danio
Danio rerio
The zebrafish is an active cool-tropical shoaling danio, not a tiny ornament for a short tank. Provide length, oxygen, a secure lid and a group of at least ten.
Outcome: PASSED Permanent ID: 749
Profile overview
- Scientific Name
- Danio rerio
- Identity and search names
- zebrafish, leopard danio, longfin gold danio, gold danio
- Category
- Freshwater fish
- Subgroup
- Rasboras, danios and minnows
- Environment
- Freshwater
- Origin
- South Asia; most aquarium strains are captive-bred
- Care
- Beginner
- Adult Size
- About 4–5 cm; selected longfin forms may appear larger
- Lifespan
- 3–6 years
- Tank
- At least 90 L with a 90 cm or longer swimming length for ten or more
- Temp
- 18–25 °C
- pH
- 6.0–7.8
- Hardness
- Soft to moderately hard
- Salinity
- Freshwater
- Lighting
- Normal aquarium lighting
- Placement
- Upper and mid water
- Diet
- Omnivore / micropredator
- Filtration
- Use mature biological filtration with effective mechanical solids capture and turnover matched to the species’ natural flow needs. Protect intakes, preserve established media during cleaning and keep ammonia and nitrite at zero.
- Aeration
- Maintain continuous surface agitation and dependable dissolved oxygen across the whole aquarium. Increase oxygen reserve in warm water, strong-current systems, dense groups, medication periods and power interruptions.
- Maintenance
- Observe feeding, respiration, body condition and social behaviour daily; test nitrogen waste and key chemistry on a schedule; clean mechanical media before trapped waste decomposes; and perform regular temperature- and chemistry-matched water changes.
- Welfare
- Maintain the stated adult space and social structure, verify feeding, and intervene early when injury, exclusion, weight loss, abnormal respiration or altered behaviour appears. A warm, slow community or short cube is poor housing. Domestic colour and fin forms remain Danio rerio and retain the same activity and social needs.
- Biosecurity
- Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.
- Review Status
- PASSED
- Source Status
- CURRENT — accepted identity or explicitly bounded species profile; husbandry, welfare, sources and Australian/South Australian biosecurity rechecked. CURRENT
App-ready care, welfare and biosecurity details
Identity Scope
Single-species profile for Danio rerio. Preserve permanent AquaNexus ID 749, slug zebra-danio and route /species/zebra-danio/; retain former combinations, locality labels and trade names only as searchable aliases.
Adult Size And Space
Expected adult size: About 4–5 cm; selected longfin forms may appear larger. Minimum permanent housing: At least 90 L with a 90 cm or longer swimming length for ten or more. Plan around adult dimensions, activity, social structure, aggression, oxygen demand and waste production rather than sale size.
Social Structure
Keep at least ten; larger groups diffuse chasing and fin attention
Swimming Zone
Primary zone: Upper and mid water. Keep that zone usable for movement, feeding, refuge and escape.
Feeding Ecology
Omnivore / micropredator
Feeding Plan
Small appropriate meals based on age and body condition
Water Stability
Maintain 18–25 °C; pH 6.0–7.8; hardness or minerals: Soft to moderately hard; salinity: Freshwater. Stable oxygenation and nitrogen-cycle control matter more than chasing one exact value.
Habitat Structure
Long, tightly covered aquarium with open horizontal swimming space, edge planting, moderate current and high oxygenation
Compatibility Plan
Choose tankmates that tolerate their activity and temperature range.
Breeding Plan
Open-water and plant-associated egg scatterer; adults provide no brood care and readily consume eggs Parental care: None after spawning.
Quarantine
Quarantine new livestock in a separate cycled system for at least 30 days. Observe appetite, respiration, waste, skin, fins and behaviour; use dedicated equipment and never add transport water to the established aquarium.
Welfare Checks
Maintain the stated adult space and social structure, verify feeding, and intervene early when injury, exclusion, weight loss, abnormal respiration or altered behaviour appears. A warm, slow community or short cube is poor housing. Domestic colour and fin forms remain Danio rerio and retain the same activity and social needs.
Biosecurity And Release
Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.
Main Risk
A warm, slow community or short cube is poor housing. Domestic colour and fin forms remain Danio rerio and retain the same activity and social needs.
Adult Projected Load
Plan filtration and stocking for the full adult size (About 4–5 cm; selected longfin forms may appear larger), the complete social group and peak feeding waste, not the current shop size. Permanent housing remains At least 90 L with a 90 cm or longer swimming length for ten or more.
Filtration
Use mature biological filtration with effective mechanical solids capture and turnover matched to the species’ natural flow needs. Protect intakes, preserve established media during cleaning and keep ammonia and nitrite at zero.
Aeration
Maintain continuous surface agitation and dependable dissolved oxygen across the whole aquarium. Increase oxygen reserve in warm water, strong-current systems, dense groups, medication periods and power interruptions.
Maintenance
Observe feeding, respiration, body condition and social behaviour daily; test nitrogen waste and key chemistry on a schedule; clean mechanical media before trapped waste decomposes; and perform regular temperature- and chemistry-matched water changes.
Overridable Warnings
Warnings are decision support, not permission to ignore welfare limits. Override only with specimen-specific evidence, equivalent risk controls and a recorded reason; never override legal, biosecurity, provenance or no-release requirements.
Sources and review basis
- Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes — Danio rerio: Taxonomy — accepted name, former combinations, synonyms and family placement
- ZFIN — Danio rerio species information: Biology and reproduction — established zebrafish model-species record and developmental reference
- IUCN Red List — Danio rerio: Conservation and provenance — current wild-status and collection-risk cross-check
- PIRSA — South Australian noxious fish list: Australian biosecurity — current South Australian possession, trade and movement restrictions
- DAFF — importing live ornamental fish to Australia: Australian biosecurity — national live-fish import pathways and permitted-species warning
AquaNexus uses original editorial synthesis. Exact import, possession, movement and disposal requirements must be rechecked with the current authority before acquisition or transfer.