
Egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care. Use a dim tank of at least 60 x 30 cm with mesh, marbles, grass matting or fine plants; spawning usually happens within 24 hours, and the adults should be removed after 48 hours. In the wild it spawns in shallow, weedy margins after heavy rain.
Keep a group of 6-8 and condition them with live and frozen foods; choose the fattest female and the most colourful males. A trio (1 male, 2 females) also works.
20-40 L bare tank with a mesh grid or a layer of marbles over the floor, java moss or spawning mops, a gentle sponge filter and water at 24-26 C.
Heavy feeding for 2 weeks, then a cooler (about 2 C) water change and morning sun or a bright light.
More than 200 light orange, sticky eggs; they hatch in 1-2 days (24-36 hours in aquaria) and fry are free-swimming by about day five. Adults eat the eggs.
Infusoria then newly hatched brine shrimp.
One breeding tank for the malabar danio, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.
Water: 24–26 °C · pH 6–8 · bare bottom
A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 10 cm. Tank shape is a standard 2 : 1 : 1.2 box, at least 6 adult lengths long. Check each step in the guide above.
A 120 cm rack for breeding the malabar danio in numbers.
In total: 3 tanks, about 506 L of water. A litre of water weighs about 1 kg, so check that the floor and rack can take the weight.
Sizes are worked out from the breeding tank in the guide. Tanks fit a standard 120 cm rack when they can; bigger tanks go on their own stands.
Mature females are rounder-bellied, less colourful and a little larger than males.
Typical for egg scatterers
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
Eggs are scattered over mops or fine plants, often at first light. Remove the parents straight after.
Most eggs hatch in 1–2 days. Keep the tank dim and remove white (fungused) eggs.
Fry use up the yolk and start swimming. Feed infusoria or liquid fry food several times a day.
Switch to newly hatched brine shrimp or microworms. Start small, daily water changes.
Add finely crushed flake. Sort fry by size so the big ones don't eat the small ones.
Most small fish reach about 2 cm in 2–3 months and can join the main tank.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.