Zebra Danio behavior questions

[TheShocker]

Hey everyone. I have a couple questions regarding my 5 Zebra Danios.

My first question is: I have one particular male danio that chases the single famle danio around constantly to no end...he's been doing this for around a week or so. I did some research and it seems to me they were mating. Well, since yesterday I cannot find the female... Is it normal for the female to hide (really well!) while laying her eggs? It's going on day 2 that I cannot find her.

My second question is: When I feed them there are two males (the largest one and the third largest one) that chase all the other danios away into hiding and then eat the majority of the food. What is this all about?

My tank information is in my signature. Thanks in advance!

-Seth

 

[jams.alaskan]

They are super active fish, I'd just place food in several locations during feeding to give all a chance. Hope you find the missing one - that's weird.

ALASKA

 

[tstenback]

It's very odd to not see a zebra for a couple of days as they are such active fish. Do you have a lot of hiding places for the fish? I would start to check them to see if she is there. Any way she could jump out? I have had a zebra jump out once although i am not sure if this is common.
As for the food issue it is normal for some fish to dominate the feeding area but if you do as jams suggested this should help alot.
I have created feeding rings by looping airline tubing into a circle. this gives me a couple of areas where fish can feed and the dominant fish cant be in two places at once, although they will try

 

[dannykerbles]

i also keep zebra danios and i have one who seems to chase all the other fish his size around....maybe hes establishing dominance...its odd tho to see him push around the other fish...

 

[macky1]

is there a way of telling danios from male and female???

macky

 

[tstenback]

macky1 :
The males are smaller and much slimmer than the females even before the female fill with eggs.

 

[TheShocker]

I read that the female are "plumper" looking while the males aren't.

Going on day 4 that I can't find her. If she died, I still can't find her... so she either got eaten by my parrot (doubtful, he's pretty small still and doesnt move very fast compared to the danios, unless she died and then he got her afterwards) or she jumped out of the tank (also doubtful because there's isnt much of an opening)

 

[Stryker]

I'm sorry to say, but I think you can rule out hiding. Zebras cant stay still long enough to hide.

I had a plec die recently, he spent half a day snared up in a plant before I noticed. The little critters can be hard to see sometimes.

 

[TheShocker]

I'm pretty sure you're right I have a feeling my blood parrot got to her once she died because I can't find her ANYWHERE!! And tonight, one of my newest danios (a few days since I got him) is looking pretty sickly and his fins are looking shredded (he's a long-finned zebra danio). He's the second largest of all my danios, too...

 

[Stryker]

shredded something has had him.

 

[TheShocker]

Maybe my Blood Parrot?? He's still very small (2" max) and VERY timid around my other fish... not to mention not very quick and nimble... Plus he would take bigger bites. The danios fins look like they've been nipped. The other danios maybe? Ive always heard they're not nippers...

 

[millym]

hi there,
sorry about your girl danio! to tell males & females apart the males are definitely slimmer whilst the girls have plumper bellies. ive also found with the danios we've had & we've had a few, sadly lost a few for various reasons, but the males tend to be a more 'golder' colour with the blue stripes whilst the females are more silvery with blue.
ideally you should have more females than males as the males do tend to harrass the females constantly & if theres more females around this harrassment gets shared around so the poor girls dont get totally fed up

 

[breezer40]

I lost one of my danios for a few days..looked everywhere..even the filter ....then..changing my filter pad there he was as if by magic

 

[TheShocker]

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[TheShocker]

Well I lost him. The one that had the ratty looking fin. Poor guy. The other three seem fine... no nips.