Glowlight Danio (Celestichthys choprae) Fish Species Profile
Glowlight Danios are very peaceful, stunning fish, making them an ideal resident of a community tank.
Its very slender and torpedo-like shape has blue vertical bars on its golden-green body; also, a blue horizontal bar, located dorsally that runs across the entire body. The fins are translucent except for a black and gold tip at the end of the caudal fin. Also, a yellow line can be seen running horizontally on the dorsal fin. The anal fin displays a white line across it.
Keeping glowlight danios in more significant numbers will not only help make the fish less nervous but will also allow the lesser dominant fish of both sexes some respite from the alpha males which can be quite aggressive at times.
| Scientific Name | Celestichthys choprae |
|---|---|
| Family | Cyprinidae |
| Genus | Danio |
| Origins | Southeast Asia |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Aquarium Level | Middle - Top |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Shoaling | Yes |
| Best kept as | Groups 6+ |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Reproduction | Egg-Scatterer |
| Lifespan | 1 -4 years |
| Maximum Size | up to 5.5 cm |
| Water Type | Freshwater |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 64 - 75 ℉ (17.8 - 23.9 ℃) |
| PH | 6.0 - 8.0 |
| GH | 1 - 12 |
| TDS | 20 - 250 |
Origins
The Glowlight Danio originates from the river Mogaung Chaung, and the surrounding small rocky streams in Myanmar in south-east Asia.
This species seems to prefer small hill streams with substrates of gravel and different sized rocks but do not seem to contain much if any vegetation.
Diet
Glowlight Danios are not fussy eaters and will accept almost every type of food.
Good quality dry food such as flakes and granules should be their main diet, but you must supplement this with regular meals of small frozen and live food such as Daphnia, bloodworm, and Artemia to get the best condition and colouring from your fish.
Sexing the Glowlight Danio
To differentiate the sex of Glowlight Danios is quite easy, sexually mature females are usually rounder-bellied, less colourful and slightly larger than males, and when in spawning condition the males colour intensifies and the female will be noticeably full with eggs.
Breeding the Glowlight Danio
Breeding glowlight Danios is quite easy, and spawning can happen quite often in a community tank, however, for success, you are better off getting a separate breeding tank for them.
The females will scatter her eggs by laying them over delicate plants such as Willow Moss, Java Moss, Fontanalis or Cabomba, so much sure these are readily available in your aquarium. Alternatively, you can use things like marbles, small rocks or coarse substrate for the eggs to land in between them, making it more difficult for the parents to reach and eat.
Once spawning has completed, remove the parents from the tank. The fry should hatch about three days later and will be able to swim freely.
