Aquarium Zebra Fish Care

Aquarium zebra fish allow beginner fish enthusiasts to experiment, since zebra fish are hardy. Zebra fish also present challenges for expert enthusiasts, enabling them to breed zebra fish and experiment with zebra fish color combinations. According to York College of Pennsylvania, many scientists choose zebra fish for research projects, including modeling various human disease states such as Parkinson's disease or cancer.

  1. Aquarium Design

    • Design the tropical aquarium for your zebra fish as you choose. Zebra fish are mainly surface dwellers, preferring space and moving water to swim within. Avoid taking up too much space within the aquarium with tall items, such as sunken ships that may interrupt their swimming stream. Zebra fish need some vegetation, so place some live plants -- not plastic -- and natural rock within the aquarium.

    Habitat

    • Rinse the aquarium gravel with water before placing it into the tank to ensure all residue and dirt have been removed. One way to rinse aquarium gravel is to place it into a colander, and spray it in a kitchen sink. When clean, add an inch of gravel on the bottom of the aquarium before adding the other decorative and vegetation items. Place a heater on the aquarium, and set the temperature around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Zebra fish can handle waters up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as 64 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Buying Zebra Fish

    • Watch zebra fish swim several minutes before choosing them. If one is swimming alone or bumping against the tank, do not choose it, as it could be suffering from anxiety or illness. Purchase six or eight zebra fish at a time -- as shoaling fish, they swim in schools. Zebra fish mate for life. Purchase the fish in pairs. If you purchase six fish, purchase three male and three female. The females are usually larger than the males. Float the zebra fish bag in the top of your aquarium tank for two hours to acclimate them to the temperature. Cut the bag open before pouring the fish out.

    Diet

    • Zebra fish are omnivorous and undemanding. They will thrive on frozen brine shrimp alternated with a high-quality tropical flake food. They also need a vegetable-based fish food, as the health of the fish requires all three fish foods to be rotated for their diet to be well-rounded. Feed your zebra fish twice a day without overfeeding. Remove uneaten food each evening with a net.

    Breeding

    • When you are ready to breed zebra fish, spawning requires 78 degrees Fahrenheit and a breeding tank. Place aquarium drops into the water to remove the chlorine. Set the timer on the lights to provide optimal lighting settings for zebra fish at 14 hours of light and 10 hours of darkness. Add a filter corresponding to the size of your tank.