Celestial Pearl Danio Care Guide
Celestial Pearl Danios are also popularly called Galaxy Rasbora, particularly among fishkeeping enthusiasts. This species is one of the most colorful additions you can give to your tank. These relatively small fish are peaceful; in fact, they are timid.
Despite its recent discovery, Celestial Pearl Danio gained instant popularity in the fishkeeping community, particularly because of its peaceful nature and colorful body. If you are a fish lover, you can’t help but fall in love with these cute Danios’ presence in your aquarium.
Keeping Celestial Pearl Danio in an aquarium is fairly easy, even for beginners. All that is required is basic knowledge about the species, including their living standards, feeding habits, diet, and suitable tank conditions.
This Celestial Pearl Danio care guide covers all you need to know about having this species in your tank. It provides all basic and essential information that will ease the keeping process of Celestial Pearl Danio, even for beginners.
| Category | Rating |
| Care level | Intermediate |
| Family | Cyprinidae |
| Lifespan | 3-5years |
| Size | 1-1.5 inches |
| Tank setup | Freshwater with sturdy plants |
| Tank size | 2-5 gallons per fish |
| Temperament | Peaceful and timid |
| Diet | Omnivorous |
| pH | 6.5-7.5 |
| Temperature | 730F to 790F |
About Celestial Pearl Danios
Celestial Pearl Danio is scientifically known as Danio margaritatus or Celestichthys Margaritatus. They are also commonly known as Galaxy Rasbora within the fish community among the aquarium enthusiasts.
They are a colorful, small-bodied, peaceful, and timid fish species native to SouthEast Asia. It was first discovered in Inle Lake, Myanmar, South East Asia.
This species of aquarium fish became instantly popular following its discovery in late 2006. Its popularity is largely a result of their peaceful nature, easy-care, and colorful body.
Celestial Pearl Danio can be very plant reliant because of their timid nature. However, they get along with a wide range of other species. They are also passive swimmers, so they are less likely to cause any trouble in your aquarium.
Nevertheless, keeping Celestial Pearl Danio in an aquarium comes with its challenges. You can, however, mitigate these challenges by using a proper Celestial Pearl Danio care guide. Likewise, this knowledge can help beginners have a good shot at the first try of having Celestial Pearl Danio in their tank.
Celestial Pearl Danio Lifespan
Celestial Pearl Danio has a moderate lifespan. If you keep this species in a stable tank under suitable conditions with the right diet, they can live up to 3-5years. They also live within this range in the wild.
Celestial Pearl Danio is not very sturdy; therefore, various environmental factors can easily affect their lifespan. The good news is that you can influence these factors by keeping them under stable conditions.
Some of the key factors that influence the lifespan of Celestial Pearl Danio include;
- Water and environmental stability
- Tank conditions
- Tankmates
- Diet and feeding regulations
- Presence and absence of pests and parasites
The more you make these factors favorable for Celestial Pearl Danios, the longer and healthier they live, and the bigger they get. Therefore, it is best to optimize these factors to favor them and, importantly, ensure they are stable.
Celestial Pearl Danio Appearance
Photo Credit: CheepShot (Flickr)
Celestial Pearl Danio is distinct from its striking colors. One of the factors that influence the rapid popularity of this species following their discovery is their small and colorful body. This feature makes it easy to distinguish this species from other members of the aquarium.
First off, Celestial Pearl Danios have one of the smallest sizes among aquarium fish. They can only grow up to 1-1.5 inches regardless of how much you feed them and how well you feed them.
They have prominent fins to their body ratio. Celestial Pearl Danios also have two noticeable pelvic fins and wide anal fins. Likewise, their coloration takes a unique pattern. They have a distinct white spotted body with orange or red fins with two parallel black lines depending on sex. They also have a vibrant hue that creates a beautiful contrast on other parts of their body.
Most members of this species have a deep blue base coloration. The pearl-like spots give a galaxy-like pattern, hence its name.
Distinguishing Male and Female Celestial Pearl Danios
One of the interesting attributes of Celestial Pearl Danio is that they exhibit sexual dimorphism.
This feature means you can easily distinguish between male and female Celestial Pearl Danio.
The male Celestial Pearl Danios usually has more vibrant colors, particularly on the tail. They also have a smaller body compared to the females.
The female Celestial Pearl Danios, on the other hand, have less vibrant colors, and they have a fairly rounded shape.
The features and coloration of male Celestial Pearl Danios can also change during courting. Their body gains extra deep colorations, particularly on their belly. You can also spot the male during courting because they constantly fight for mates (females).
Celestial Pearl Danio Care and Tank Setup
Photo Credit: Lindy De Bruyn (Flickr)
Celestial Pearl Danio care is straightforward. If you are passionate about getting the best out of this species, you must ensure that you give them the best care. Aside from ensuring appropriate water parameters, you should also ensure the stability of their environment by following an explicit Celestial Pearl Danio care guide.
In the wild, the habitat of Celestial Pearl Danios is ponds with low water movement with relatively high lights. This light allows the growth of many vegetation and algae to provide a hiding place and something to feed on. This species also catches fun swimming around plants and other substrates.
The best temperature to keep Celestial Pearl Danios is within the range of 73℉-79℉. Therefore, you can consider the inclusion of a heater in the fish tank.
But a heater is not required if you live in a fairly warm area. A cooler temperature range is better for danio health.
The pH range should be as close to neutral as possible (pH 6.5 – 7.5). The best water for Celestial Pearl Danios is mineral-poor, with a hardness rating of 2-10dKH.
I recommend doing water changes with reverse osmosis or distilled water. Demineralized water is expensive making nano tanks a good choice for celestial pearl danios.
They also prefer to stay in a near-neutral pH range between 6.5 and 7.5. However, they might find it difficult to cope with hard water. The best water for Celestial Pearl Danios is soft to medium water between 2-10dKH.
Celestial Pearl Danios are schoaling fish rather than a schooling fish. And they thrive better when you keep them together in groups. The males will form territories and nip at once another. While the females will swim throughout the tank, watching the show.
Ideally, a 2-gallon tank should be sufficient for a single fish. You can, however, keep up to 5 or 6 fish in a 10-gallon tank.
For tank setup, you should consider simulating their natural habitat. The inclusion of plants, gravel, and other substrates will be valuable additions to your fish tank. Also, the stability of the tank is important.
The inclusion of live plants in Celestial Pearl Danios tanks will not only help in keeping the tank clean. It will also provide a hiding place for fry and timid males.
Celestial Pearl Danios are used to slow-moving water, so you might not have to pay special attention to the tank’s water flow. The essential guide is to ensure that the tank is shallow to simulate the nature of their natural home.
The lighting in the Celestial Pearl Danios tank might require special attention too. It is best to keep the lighting in their tank moderate or fairly high.
Food and Diet
The feeding habit and overall diet of every living thing are essential for their healthy living and influence their lifespan. Celestial Pearl Danios are not exceptions to this natural phenomenon.
The food you feed your fish and how often you feed them are principal determinants of their growth rate, lifespan, and overall health. The good news is that this species of aquarium fish are not picky eaters.
Celestial Pearl Danios have luxuries of food to pick in the wild. They eat diverse types of plants, algae, and zooplankton. They also eat small invertebrates and worms. Aside from being classified as opportunistic eaters, you can safely address them as omnivores.
You can feed them with these plants and invertebrates in the aquarium. You can also complement their diet with dry food like pellets and flakes. Frozen or live food such as krill or shrimp, Grindal worms, live Daphnia, and Monia also offer a valuable option for feeding Celestial Pearl Danios.
However, you must be sure that what you are feeding to your Celestial Pearl Danios can easily fit their tiny mouth. Since this species are bottom dwellers, sinking food will be more appropriate for them.
Diversifying the diet of your Celestial Pearl Danios will enrich them with all essential nutrients. You should also feed them only twice daily and get rid of all leftovers within 4-7 minutes after releasing the food to their tank.
Behavior and Temperament
Photo Credit: Lindy de Bruyn (Flickr)
Celestial Pearl Danios are gentle, in fact, timid species of fish. They are plant-reliant species that add color and life to a fish tank. Although they are active swimmers, they are not as fast as most other species; thus, placing them at a competitive disadvantage
The entire life of this species is calm, peaceful, and relaxed. They can be a true joy to watch as they swim around plants and other substrates in the tank. This species’ members are happy in the fish tank if they have enough to eat, a hiding place, and a few friends.
You shouldn’t be surprised if you find Celestial Pearl Danios swimming mostly at the tank’s base. This attitude is because they are timid, and they are scared of what other tank mates can do.
This swimming pattern allows them to live comfortably in relatively small tanks. Their peaceful behavior also allows them to cope with a variety of tank mates.
When new to an environment, Celestial Pearl Danios appreciate spending time with each other like schooling fish. As time goes on and they get accustomed to their environment, they will branch off and live separately.
One of the things aquarists get wrong about Celestial Pearl Danios is their temperament. Ordinarily, the members of this species are not aggressive, and they don’t fight each other provided they have enough space and appropriate male to female ratio.
During the spawning and mating season, there is usually a competition between the males. The competition is often fierce when the number of males is far too much than females. Males will constantly fight over females.
If this fight persists, it can lead to severe injury and sometimes death of one or more tank members. The solution to this scenario is to increase the tank size, increase the number of females in the tank, or reduce the males’ number.
Celestial Pearl Danios Tank Mates
Celestial Pearl Danios can easily cope with a wide variety of species in the same tank. The members of this species are peaceful and timid; thus, making them a valuable addition to community tanks.
Nevertheless, you should still be considerate about the type of fish you would add to Celestial Pearl Danios in community tanks. It is best to keep them around fish with similar size and nature for peaceful coexistence.
Keeping them in the same tank with bigger or more aggressive fish will cause more damage than good. The size and nature of Celestial Pearl Danios make them easy prey for larger and more aggressive fish.
Larger fish can easily feed on Celestial Pearl Danios, and more aggressive fish will bully them till they become weary. Faster fish and active swimmers will also outcompete them for food, space, and other available resources.
Examples of small and peaceful fish that form suitable tank mates for Celestial Pearl Danios include;
- Guppies
- Tetras
- Corydoras
- Killifish
- Neon Tetras
- Kuhli Loaches
This list contains small and peaceful fish that can complement the shy and timid behavior of Celestial Pearl Danios without hurting them.
For instance, the vibrant color of Neon Tetras will complement that of Celestial Pearl Danios to give a colorful tank. Neon Tetras also prefers to dwell towards the surface while Danios prefer the middle to bottom of the tank. You can also include multiple types of schooling fish as they would form a great company with each other.
However, you should pay attention to the fish species that feed on fish fry and shrimp. Better still, it would be best if you raised the fry and juveniles in a separate tank to give them an appropriate platform for growth.
In general, aggressive and bullying fish such as Oscars and Cichlids will prey on and bully Celestial Pearl Danios because they are bigger, faster, and more active.
Celestial Pearl Danios Breeding and Reproduction
Breeding and reproduction are essential activities to ensure the continuity of life. The breeding of Celestial Pearl Danios is quite straightforward compared to other common aquarium fish.
The first step is to look for a female Celestial Pearl Danios fish that is ready to spawn. Fish that are ready to spawn usually have observable physical features. They usually have a darker color and a round abdomen.
It is best to breed Celestial Pearl Danios in a separate tank that is optimized for this purpose. Also, it would be good to ensure that this breeding tank simulates their natural habitat. Likewise, you should maintain their feeding diet to suit the spawning and breeding process.
Another point to note is that Celestial Pearl Danios are egg layers. Usually, female Danios will find a suitable spot with less water movement to lay their eggs.
On average, the females can lay between 20-30 eggs at the same time. However, you can get fewer numbers like 19 or less, and keeping them under suitable conditions will ensure that the eggs are viable. The health and feeding habits of the fish can also influence the number of eggs.
These eggs will take about 2-4 days to hatch into larvae, after which they will become free-living and start fending for themselves. In case the eggs are released early, it is best to remove the male Celestial Pearl Danios because they will try to feed on the eggs.
The breeding tank should take a similar form and setup to Danios’ main tank. It should include vegetation and other suitable water parameters. It is also imperative to ensure that the breeding tank only has medium to low water movement.
Once the fry becomes free-living, their diet and care become a priority. It is best to modify the diet to suit the fast-growing and development rate of the fry.
You can start by feeding them with micro foods for the first week before moving to baby brine shrimp until they become adults. If you feed them properly, Celestial Pearl Danios fry can take adults’ full coloration and grow to full size within their first year.
Conclusion
Celestial Pearl Danios are one of the most colorful species of aquarium fish and they are easy to keep and feed. Besides adding colors to a fish tank, they are also a beauty to watch with their entertaining swimming pattern around plants and other substrates.
These small-bodied species are not picky eaters. They can eat various plants, live and frozen foods as long as it fits into their mouth. Similarly, their environmental demand is not as extreme as they are more concerned about the tank’s stability.
Celestial Pearl Danios are peaceful, and they can cope with other fish of similar behavior and body size. They are also egg layers, and they show no parental care. If given proper care and by following a standard Celestial Pearl Danio care guide, their fry can take the full coloration and size of an adult within its first year.
