Glowlight Danio (Celestichthys choprae)

Glowlight Danios are very peaceful, stunning fish, making them an ideal resident of a community tank. Since these Danios have no particular demands when it comes to water chemistry, you can combine them with most fish in the hobby, including other small Cyprinids, Tetras, livebearers, Rainbowfish, Catfish and peaceful Loaches.

Glowlight Danios are schooling species by nature; therefore, you should keep them in a group of 8 to 10 individuals. These fish will develop a pecking order among themselves. In addition, maintaining 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 pretty aggressive at times.

Glowlight Danios will thrive if you maintain them in a well-planted aquarium or a set-up created to mimic a flowing river or stream, with a substrate of different sized rocks and gravel and some large smooth boulders.

You can use additional powerheads or filter outlets to provide a decent flow; however, you should avoid torrent-like conditions since small Danios tend to occupy calmer waters and marginal zones in nature. These fish also appreciate hardy aquatic plants that can be grown attached to the decor, as well as branches and driftwood roots.

A tight-fitting lid for your aquarium will also be required as this species is an accomplished jumper and can fir through the smallest gaps.

Glowlight Danios have slender, torpedo-like shaped bodies. They possess blue vertical bars on their greenish-golden body as well as 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. In addition, a yellow line can be seen running horizontally on the dorsal fin. The anal fin displays a white line across it.

Natural Habitat

The Glowlight Danio originates from the river Mogaung Chaung and the surrounding small rocky streams in Myanmar in Southeast 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.

Other Danios of interest

What to feed the Glowlight Danio

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.

How to Sex the Glowlight Danio

It is relatively easy to differentiate between male and female Glowlight Danios. Sexually mature females are usually rounder-bellied, less colourful and slightly larger than males. However, when in spawning conditions, the males colour intensifies, and the female will be noticeably full with eggs.

How to Breed the Glowlight Danio

Breeding glowlight Danios is relatively easy, and spawning can happen quite often in a community tank. However, If you would like to increase the yield of fry, you are better off getting a separate breeding tank for them.

The females will scatter their eggs by laying them over delicate plants such as Willow Moss, Java Moss 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.

Frquently asked questions about the Glowlight Danio

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