1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Shy and easily outcompeted at feeding; keep with a few males and plenty of females in a densely planted tank.
298 species in our list are a good match.
Shy and easily outcompeted at feeding; keep with a few males and plenty of females in a densely planted tank.
Live or frozen microworms, baby brine shrimp, copepods; hates flake.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males are red with seven iridescent blue vertical bars and longer pelvic, dorsal and anal fins. Females are smaller, plainer, with no red or blue on the flanks and faint or no bars and a shorter, stumpier body. Shops often stock only males.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Cave spawner · Moderate
A substrate spawner forming temporary pairs, not a true cave spawner: eggs are scattered on the underside of a leaf or other solid surface (Java moss works well). The male holds the territory afterwards, but adults eat the fry, so move eggs or adults.
A harem of one male and 3-5 females.
A 20-30 L planted tank with caves and moss.
Live food and a mature, plant-rich tank.
Eggs hatch in 2-3 days; fry take up to a week to absorb the yolk and need infusoria-sized food before microworm or Artemia nauplii. No egg count given in sources.
Fry eat infusoria and baby brine shrimp.
A tiny, jewel-like badid from northeast India and one of the smallest percoid fishes known, popular for nano tanks. Males display brilliant red with blue bars.
Francis Hamilton described this fish in 1822 as Labrus dario. Reaching only about 2 cm, it is one of the smallest fish in its family. It became popular in nano tanks for the male's scarlet bars and blue-edged fins.
First described by Francis Hamilton in 1822.
16 facts checked with sources
Moved from Badis to Dario by Kullander & Britz (2002). Still sold as "Badis badis bengalensis" or "B. bengalensis", a hobby-magazine name that is a synonym. Catalog of Fishes now lists nine valid Dario species (e.g. D. hysginon, D. kajal, D. tigris 2022), some traded; only D. dario males have seven iridescent blue bars.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species in Dario (updated 21 Sep 2026) · Seriously Fish: Dario darioLegacy has no family.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species in Dario (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Dario dario summarySeriously Fish 2.0 cm SL (larger figure used); FishBase 1.5 cm SL males, 1.2 cm SL females. Legacy 2.5 cm is above both.
Seriously Fish: Dario dario · FishBase: Dario dario summaryMatches legacy.
Seriously Fish: Dario darioLegacy 6.5-7.8 inside Seriously Fish 6.5-8.5.
Seriously Fish: Dario darioLegacy has no hardness.
Seriously Fish: Dario dario45 x 30 x 30 cm = 40.5 L. Legacy 30 L too small.
Seriously Fish: Dario darioA pair, or one male with several females. Legacy 4 is not a source figure; several males need a larger tank (about 30 cm² territory each, Seriously Fish).
Seriously Fish: Dario darioPeaceful toward other species, but Seriously Fish rates it "fights its own" and "not a community fish" because males fight.
Seriously Fish: Dario darioFishBase "benthopelagic"; Seriously Fish suggests keeping it with small pelagic species, implying it is not itself a midwater fish. Legacy "middle" not confirmed.
FishBase: Dario dario summaryLegacy 2 = moderate. Needs live or frozen foods.
Seriously Fish: Dario darioLegacy has no range. IUCN: Data Deficient (assessed 2010) per FishBase.
Seriously Fish: Dario dario · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species in Dario (updated 21 Sep 2026)Legacy confirmed.
Seriously Fish: Dario darioLegacy "cave spawner" is wrong; Seriously Fish notes less parental care in Dario than in Badis.
Seriously Fish: Dario darioLegacy "10-30 eggs" not confirmed.
Seriously Fish: Dario darioLegacy story confirmed.
Seriously Fish: Dario dario