How to Keep Zebra Fish

If you have an aquarium or are contemplating setting up an aquarium in your home, the zebra fish is an excellent choice for a community tank of gentle fish. Zebra fish are hardy, fun to watch and easy to keep. A native of Eastern India and Bangladesh, the zebra danio (Brachydanio rerio) can thrive in temperatures from 64 degrees F to about 77 degrees F (18 to 20 cegrees C). It tolerates a wide range of water conditions, although the optimum would be in the soft to neutral range. Growing to about two inches, the zebra fish has a compressed body with blue and white-to-gold horizontal stripes. It makes an attractive display, particularly when 5 to 10 specimens are kept together. Easy to breed in soft water to which floating plants have been added, zebra fish are notorious for eating their eggs.

Things You'll Need

• Aquarium with lid
• Heater
• Filter system
• Net
• Thermometer
• Live floating plants

Instructions

Choosing Zebra Fish

1. Choose zebra fish for your aquarium if it has no other inhabitants, or if the other inhabitants are gentle and around the same size as the zebra fish. You should also make sure that the pH of the water in the aquarium isn't on the hard side and that you have an aquarium heater to maintain the temperature or are confident that the temperature will not drop below 64 degrees F.

2. Inspect the fish supplier's tank to be sure that there are no dead fish or accumulated food that might have fouled the water.

3. Select fish that are alert, have intact fins that aren’t clamped tightly together and are free of white spots. Make sure that both eyes of the zebra fish are healthy, and that the belly area is slightly rounded.

4. Ask if the water conditions in the tank have been modified, and make a note of any difference between the water in the show tank and in your own aquarium. If the water conditions are very different, consider selecting fish from another supplier or slowly changing the water conditions in your tank and buying fish another time.

5. Transport the fish as quickly as possible, protecting the container from any rapid changes in temperature. You can do this by placing the bag containing the fish in an insulated lunch bag if the weather is very hot or cold.

Introducing Zebra Fish to the Aquarium

1. Place the bag containing the fish in your aquarium for about 20 minutes. Let it float on the top of the water until the water temperature in the bag adjusts itself to the water temperature in your tank.

2. Release the zebra fish into the tank slowly, making sure that they've all had a chance to exit the bag with the water.

3. Observe the fish closely over the first 48 hours to make sure that they are adapting well to their new surroundings. Avoid feeding them within the first 12 hours in order to give them a chance to adapt.

4. Pay attention to the way the other fish in the tank are reacting to them. Zebra fish are gentle but fast moving. They can sometimes startle other fish and frighten them. If there seem to be fish that are hiding or behaving differently since the zebra fish were introduced to the tank, make sure to add lots of plants and other natural shelters to make them feel safer.

5. Watch the zebra fish closely for signs of stress or illness. This would include clamped fins, gulping air at the top of the tank, and developing white spots on their fins or body. It's important to spot signs of problems early.

Keeping Zebra Fish Healthy

1. Feed zebra fish once or twice a day. They should only be fed as much as they can eat in a few minutes.

2. Keep floating plants to discourage jumping.

3. Provide a large open area in the upper third of the tank to give zebra fish room to move around freely.

4. Offer them a little live food occasionally to keep them in optimal condition.

5. Remove any sick fish immediately. One sick fish can spread illness through the population of your aquarium very quickly. Having a small aquarium set aside for the purpose of quarantining sick fish is a sensible investment. It is also easier to medicate fish in a smaller container.

Tips & Warnings

• Zebra fish tend to do better if kept in schools.

• Zebra fish can be jumpers, so be sure to keep a lid on the aquarium.

• Never allow fish food to accumulate in the bottom of the tank.

• Avoid high water temperatures. Other tropical fish may thrive at higher temperatures, but zebra fish should be maintained at water temperatures less than 78 degrees F.