From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Celestial Pearl Danio
Danio margaritatus
- Temperature
- 20–26 °C
- pH
- 6.5 – 7.5
- Min. tank size
- 40 L
- Lifespan
- 3-5 years
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- moderate
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Danio margaritatus |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Origin: | Southeast Asia (Myanmar, small spring-fed ponds near Hopong) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | moderate |
| Diet: | omnivore |
| Max Size: | 2.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | subtropical |
| Temperament: | peaceful |
| Min Group: | 10+ together |
| Varieties: | No established cultivated strains, and that is worth being glad about — this is a wild-type fish whose appeal is exactly what it looks like in the wild. Some suppliers advertise selected lines for heavier spotting or deeper red finnage, but nothing is established in the trade as a named strain. Natural variation exists between the populations near Hopong, and males vary considerably in colour intensity with age, condition and social rank. The genuine issue with stock is quality rather than strain. Intensive commercial breeding has made morphological deformities common in the ornamental trade — bent spines, malformed fins and undersized fish — so it is worth inspecting carefully and buying from a supplier who cares. On names: it is sold as the celestial pearl danio, the galaxy rasbora, CPD, and occasionally still under Microrasbora sp. "Galaxy". The valid name is Danio margaritatus, with Celestichthys margaritatus also in use. Similar Myanmar nano cyprinids appear alongside it — the glowlight danio (Danio choprae) and various dwarf rasboras — and they make good companions rather than being variants of it. |
| Lifespan: | 3-5 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Very low
- Min Tank:40 L
- Substrate:Dark sand; densely planted with cover
- Plant Safe:Plant-safe
- Filtration:Low (gentle flow)
Celestial Pearl Danio (Danio margaritatus) is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is native to Southeast Asia (Myanmar, small spring-fed ponds near Hopong). The celestial pearl danio has the most compressed history of any fish in the hobby, and it is worth telling because it explains what happened to the price. It was discovered in August 2006 in small spring-fed ponds near Hopong in Myanmar. The exporter Kamphol Udomritthiruj posted the first image the following month, it went on sale in Singapore a fortnight later, and it reached the international trade almost immediately — sold as "Microrasbora sp. Galaxy" or the galaxy rasbora. By February 2007 photographs of the type locality showed heavily trampled margins alongside reports it had been fished to near-extinction, and the Myanmar Department of Fisheries banned exports. That June a survey of wetlands near Hopong found five further populations, and current evidence suggests the species faces no immediate threat from over-collection. It reaches 21 mm. Males are steel to deep blue with pearl spotting and intense red and black striping in every fin but the pectorals.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- peaceful
- Keep in
- Groups of 10+
- Swims
- middle
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Celestial Pearl Danio
Matched on family, then category, then water type