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Encyclopedia / Danios & Rasboras / Kerr's danio
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Kerr's danio

Danio kerri · Kerri, Blue danio, Blue kerr danio

Active, peaceful schooler.

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· real AED shop prices, never conversions
5 cmBody length, without tail ✓
18–26 °CTemperature ✓
6.5–7.5pH ✓
72 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Kerr's danio only grows to 5 cm.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Kerr's danio only grows to 5 cm.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Kerr's danio only grows to 5 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.5.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 26 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

363 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓2–12 dGH
Group size ✓8 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ?Middle
Care level ✓Easy
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 2–3 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Active, peaceful schooler. Keep six or more in a lidded tank with open swimming room.

Food

Flakes, micro pellets and frozen or live daphnia and brine shrimp.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Mature females are rounder-bellied, slightly less colourful and a little larger than males; easiest to see at spawning time.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Moderate

Egg-scattering spawner with no parental care. Fill a 30-40 L tank with Java moss, wool mops or a spawning grid, add conditioned pairs, and remove the adults once eggs are seen.

Pairing

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.

Setup

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.

What starts it

Heavy feeding for 2 weeks, then a cooler (about 2 C) water change and morning sun or a bright light.

Eggs

Eggs hatch in about 24-36 hours and fry swim freely a few days later. No sourced egg count.

Raising the fry

Infusoria then newly hatched brine shrimp.

Common mistakes
  • Leaving the adults in with the eggs (they eat them)
  • Skipping the conditioning period
  • Keeping the breeding tank too cold or too dirty
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSouthern Thailand and northern Malay Peninsula
Rivers and lakesStreams of peninsular Thailand and nearby islands
HabitatClear, rocky forest streams
Native rangeAbout 300 km across
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The story of the kerr's danio

A small, peaceful danio from south-western Thailand and nearby islands. Its body is powder-blue (northern populations) or yellowish-green (southern) with pinkish-yellow stripes along the sides. Often hard to find in shops.

American ichthyologist Hugh M. Smith described Kerr's danio in 1931 during his work in Siam (Thailand). It lives in streams of the southern Thai peninsula. It is kept occasionally by danio enthusiasts.

First described by Hugh M. Smith in 1931. Named for Named after A. F. G. Kerr, a botanist who worked in Thailand.

  • It is a small, active danio that lives in shoals.
  • It has blue and yellow horizontal markings along the body.
  • Like other danios, it scatters eggs over the substrate.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources