Cameleon Danios?.

[Kazman]

Do Zebra Danios have the ability to change colour?. We have 6 in a cycling tank, they've been there for about 4 weeks and all seem very happy. In the morning one of them is a very golden colour but returns to the normal zebra colour by the evening.
Is it a breeding thing?. Is this one a female?. I know you are meant to be able to tell the sex from their stripes and how chubby they are but they all kinda look the same to me at the moment! It is quite a pronounced colour change.

 

[jmelnek]

good question, my do the same thing. Does anybody know why?

 

[The-Wolf]

Do Zebra Danios have the ability to change colour?. We have 6 in a cycling tank, they've been there for about 4 weeks and all seem very happy. In the morning one of them is a very golden colour but returns to the normal zebra colour by the evening.
Is it a breeding thing?. Is this one a female?. I know you are meant to be able to tell the sex from their stripes and how chubby they are but they all kinda look the same to me at the moment! It is quite a pronounced colour change.

Colour is a matter of perspective.
It all depends on the light (IE the amount and frequency reflected)
and also on the fishes current "state of mind", for want of a better
way to put it.

No it's not a breeding thing.
Females are more rotund than males, when compaired to each other.
Here is a pic of male and female. The male is in the background.

 

[Kazman]

Thank you. It just seemed strange as it was only one fish with the colour change not all of them?. I shall go home tonight and try and see how many males and females we have!

What is a good fish to add after Danios have been cycling a tank (it's 17 g)? We would like some colour next but the Danios seem so at home all over the tank zipping here and there that I didn't want to get something too timid that would be 'bullied' by them?.

 

[BobK]

Livebearers like Guppys, Mollies, Endlers, Platies and Swordtails are fun if you want fry. Cory cats are fun to watch and clean up the bottom of the tank. These are all "easy" fish. I'm sure there are many others but these are ones I've had and found to be easy. I have some Danios too and they don't seem to bother my other fish.

 

[The-Wolf]

What is a good fish to add after Danios have been cycling a tank (it's 17 g)? We would like some colour next but the Danios seem so at home all over the tank zipping here and there that I didn't want to get something too timid that would be 'bullied' by them?.

why not go for different species of danios?

checkout my website and see the different colours that are available.
All danios will group with all other danios, and they look great together.

 

[sylvia]

I've had four zebra danios in my community tank with platies, cories and my aggressive pearl gourami (only aggressive towards other gouramies BTW) and they get along great. My danios are permanently golden in color but the females look slightly more silvery and are deeper-bodied. I recently was given a fifth danio and she has been in my tank for only a couple of days and has a *very* different color... she is a paler silver with dark blue stripes rather than the deep blue and gold of my other fish. I can't remember what the old danios looked like when I first got them though so I'll just have to wait and see if she changes

 

[guppymonkey]

Sometimes a fish will change color with the lighting. If you suddenly turn on the light they will be pale for awhile until they adjust to the brightness. Its similar to the way we squint when we go from darkness to light. I don't know if this is the case with zebra danios but a lot of fish will be pale at night and color up when the lights go on.