The glowlight danio (''Danio choprae'') is a small, schooling fish closely related to the popular
zebrafish
The zebrafish (''Danio rerio'') is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Danionidae of the order Cypriniformes. Native to South Asia, it is a popular aquarium fish, frequently sold under the trade name zebra danio (an ...
''Danio rerio''. This should not be confused with the
GloFish
The GloFish is a patented and trademarked brand of fluorescently colored genetically modified fish, genetically modified aquarium fish. They have been created from several different species of fish: zebrafish were the first GloFish available in ...
, a trademarked brand of fluorescent zebrafish that appear to glow in the dark under ultraviolet light.
''Danio choprae'' is an active danionin species that spends most of its time on mid-water levels. This species feeds on insects that have fallen into the water, aquatic insect larvae, and other small animals. In the aquarium, it accepts most foods offered, including most dry foods. It has a streamlined body marked with a brilliant orange longitudinal band and a series of vertical blue-black bars on the flanks. The fins are edged with yellow. In recent years, it has become quite widely traded as an aquarium fish, but otherwise has no commercial importance. Its common name derives from its similarity to the
glowlight tetra, a South American
characin
Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.; Buckup P.A.: "Relationsh ...
only distantly related to this fish. They get on well with all other ''Danio'' species except the giant danio.
A less frequently traded geographical variant from the
Putao Putao may refer to:
China
* Putao, Guangxi, a town in Yangshuo County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
* Putao, Xinjiang, a town in Turpan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Myanmar
* Putao District, a district of Kachin State
* Putao Township, i ...
area of northern
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
, known as the "northern glowlight danio", sometimes is referred to by a fictitious scientific name ''"Danio putaoensis"''. This variant is larger and has more vertical bars and longer barbels, it may refer to ''
Danio flagrans''.
Description
* Maximum length: 3 – 4 cm
* Colors: Brown, yellow, green, red
* Temperature preference: 19–24°Celsius
* pH preference: 6 to 7
* Hardness preference: Soft to medium
* Salinity preference': Fresh water
* Compatibility: Good (but fast like most danios)
* Lifespan: Typically three years, can live 6+ years with good care
* Ease of keeping: Moderate
* Ease of breeding: Moderate to hard
Etymology
S. L. Hora originally named this fish ''Danio choprae'' after Dr.
B. N. Chopra. However, names ending in '-ae' are feminine and reserved for Latin names honouring women. Latin names honouring men usually end with '-i', and consequently the fish name sometimes is reported as ''Danio choprai''
References
*
*
External links
Danio choprai
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1676526
Danio
Taxa named by Sunder Lal Hora
Fish described in 1928