How to Care for Zebra Danio Fry

Zebra danios are a popular tropical fish with an affinity for hyperactivity. Zebra danios typically spawn with only one partner. Danios breed best in an aquarium that's densely populated with artificial or real plants, and they prefer to breed in shallow water. After an encounter, the fish produce 450 eggs on average. Within two or three days, these eggs will hatch into fry.

  1. Identifying the Fry

    • When a pregnant zebra danio gives birth to a fry, they're often difficult to stop. Newly born frys are less than a quarter inch long and are as thick as a hair follicle. To the human eye, it is easy to confuse a fry with a bit of grime in the tank. One way to identify the fry is to judge its reaction to stimuli. Shine a flashlight at the fry and see if it reacts or hold your finger up to the tank and see if the fry moves with the motion of your finger.

    Securing the Fry

    • Once you̵7;ve identified the fry, use a tight net to transfer the fry away from the other fish. If you simply place a breeding net over the fry, it̵7;s possible that the other fish in the tank will suck the fry through the net. Place a fish cup inside of the tank and allow the fry to develop in the cup until it's 3/4 of an inch long. Fill the cup with tank water and flush the water every two days.

    Fry Environment

    • Once the fry has developed to 3/4 of an inch in length, transfer it to its own five-gallon tank. Before adding the fry to the tank, aerate the water for a few hours and add one tablespoon of salt. Cover the inlet of the tank with pantyhose so that the fry won't be filtered out. Keep the tank temperature at 75 degrees F. Aside from the filter and heater, leave the tank with the fry completely empty.

    Food

    • Because fry are extremely small, they require very small food. Feed your fry infusuria for the first few weeks. Once the fry is large enough to eat solid food, offer it brine shrimp. Brine shrimp eggs can be bought from a store and hatched in water. If you have trouble getting your fry to eat, it may be because your fry can't locate its food. Try adding light to the tank for a few hours before you offer it food. The live food and the fry will both be attracted to the light and it will be easier for the fry to locate its food.