Celestial Pearl Danio

[ambush0908]

Hello all,

Long story short I ended up with a single Celestial Pearl Danio in my tank. It is a 75 gal with rock formations and moderately planted. I have 11 bloodfin tetras, 6 emerald corys, 4 mystery snails, some pond snails and ghost shrimp. I feel bad for the lone CPD and want to get 5 more to keep him company. None of the current tank mates bother him but will it be ok to add more?

Thanks

 

[flchamp89]

I think it would be wise. Stocking wise your fine.

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[Demeter32]

You could definitely add more danios, you have quite a bit of room to work with yet.

 

[ambush0908]

Thanks to you both. I will give it a go.

 

[TekFish]

I would get as many as you can. I have 14 in my 90L, and they're always out and about. If you only have a few they won't come out very often. IME.

 

[ambush0908]

I went and got 5 more to start. They are all hanging together swimming all around. Ofcourse the guy that was there who I bought them for is ignoring them. I guess he got used to being alone.

 

[GobyMaster11276]

Don't worry, they should eventually shoal together as they're naturally social.

 

[GobyMaster11276]

So, how are they going?

 

[Mrscmurray]

Oo I love these little guys, I want to get a shoal for my tank but worried they'll get eaten being so tiny. Have you got a video of how they swim around?

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[GobyMaster11276]

Oo I love these little guys, I want to get a shoal for my tank but worried they'll get eaten being so tiny. Have you got a video of how they swim around?

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What do you have in your tank (that you think will eat them)? Also, if you want a video of them swimming, I'm pretty sure you can find one on YouTube.

 

[Mrscmurray]

What do you have in your tank (that you think will eat them)? Also, if you want a video of them swimming, I'm pretty sure you can find one on YouTube.

I know, I was just being lazy lol. I was thinking my guppies would give it a go. Although checked SF and they need softer water than I have anyway so it's moot really until we get a bigger house and I get my RO set up

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[ambush0908]

Thanks for checking in. Actually things did not go well. After a few days 2 died and 2 disappeared leaving me with one of the new ones and my original one. I went back to the store where I got them and noticed the tank that was filled with them just a few days before was almost empty. When I inquired they indicated that they thought there may be an issue with that shipment. There was no disease but they were all fragile and weak. Many had died in their tank. They gave me full credit, even for the missing one. I brought the surviving one back. This store is reputable and I have dealt with them for years. I never had issues and they stand behind their fish so I think it was just a bad batch and some bad luck. The worse part is that that my lone CPD who I was trying to get friends for is back alone. The store would probably take him but I didn't want to put him with their CPD's which were becoming fewer and fewer. If he is going to be alone I would rather keep him alone in my tank where hopefully down the road I can find some more. Also, he does swim around with my blood fins on occasion. I was able to use the credIt for 5 Congo tetras and 2 gold rams who are all doing great. The lesson here I believe is be wary when buying fish that just got to store.

 

[Byron]

Now that you no longer have the species, I will point out something that got missed earlier in this thread.

This species, Celestichthys margaritatus, is not a good fish for large tanks. It may be out-competed for food, and like all small fish it can "get lost" visually. It is best in a smaller space but no less than approximately 45cm by 30cm, or roughly a 15 or 20 gallon tank. It should be in fairly large groups, around 20. If other species are to be included, then the tank space obviously needs to be larger. But given its stunning beauty, the normal feisty interaction of males, it will be best in such a setup.

More data here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/celestichthys-margaritatus/

Byron.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Agreed, I too have Celestial Pearl Danios in a moderately planted 25 gallon long tank, shares with Lambchop Rasboras and Red Cherry Shrimps.

The difference between having 6 CPD and 15+ in one tank is really chalk and cheese differences.

With only 6, you will likely hardly ever see them, they will be hiding wherever amongst plants or decor they can and also be very 'skittish', easily spooked in such small numbers . So having them in larger groupd of at LEAST 15 will help their behaviours tremendously as well as getting their wonderful colours at their best.

Small fish but big personalities in the right set up

 

[hobby5]

I am bound to disagree with Byron The happiest group of CPD I have ever seen was in a large tank (about 100G). Of course they are small fish and they will not shine from far away. Besides water and food quality there are three things which imho are important for CPD:

They need hiding places, best is some dense vegetation. If they feel secure they will come out to play in the open too.

Group size: the larger the better (of course coresponding to tank size). Tbh I would not start below 15-20.

Dither fish: As a single species they tend to be rather skittish. It should be a species which does not outcompete them for food and best ignores them most of the time. From personal experience guppies and gouramies work well.