Danio Acting Like He Is On Crack?

[nrsmac]

Hello! I am new to the forums. I recently took up the hobby of tropical fish keeping. I have much experience with goldfish and other cold-water fish, but am new to the world of tropical fish.

I have one 10gal with five zebra danios, one white molly, one 'non-agressive' male Half-Moon Betta, and one pearl danio. They all seem happy and normal except for the pearl danio. He swims around like CRAZY (like he is on crack lol) and then he goes into this stage of just laying down on the substrate somewhere. I try to feed him, but he doesn't eat. Should I take him back to my TFR while I can?

Many Thanks,

-nrsmac

 

[Shaucid]

To me it sounds like your Pearl Danio is lonely. Danios are schooling fish that should be kept if groups of at least 4-6. I once tried to keep a single schooling fish in a tank, mine was swimming next to the glass all the time trying to school with it's reflection.

 

[nrsmac]

Thanks Shaucid! That is probably true! He hangs to the tank wall! I will try to get another one tomorrow! Thanks again!

 

[Shaucid]

You're welcome. Watch your stocking levels though, as your molly might grow a bit large and you have two species of schooling fish.

 

[nrsmac]

Ok, will do. What is the stocking limit for a tank this size?

 

[Shaucid]

Well, the general rule of thumb is 1 gallon of water per inch of fish. But that's not quite so reliable because a 10 inch fish wouldn't even be able to turn around in a 10 gallon aquarium. And a fish like the Red-Tailed Black Shark (4.7-6 inches) requires a minimum tank size of 50 gallons simply because it's so territorial and active.

I think you'd be in good shape if you removed the molly from the tank, as they can get quite big. removing the molly also would give you some space to put more pearl danios to keep your current one happy.

 

[the_lock_man]

If you really want to keep your Danios, might I suggest swapping the Pearl for another Zebra. Shoaling fish really need to be in groups of 6 or more (not 4-6).

However, I would also recommend swapping all the Danios, for a shoal of a smaller Tetra or Rasbora species. Although the danios are small enough for the tank, they are adapted for living in fast moving streams, and like to swim amazingly quickly. In a 10Gal, a freaked out fish could easily zoom from 1 end of the tank to another in less than ½sec, and could potentially smash its mouth on the glass. They also prefer cooler water than your other species, although they do seem to adapt fine to the warmer water that many people keep them in.