Photo: Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Giant danio
Devario aequipinnatus
7.5 cm
Adult size
300 L
Minimum volume
8
Minimum group
5 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Devario
- Diet
- omnivore
- Social life
- shoal
In the wild
Overview
Its name has been given to almost every striped Devario, notably the farmed “giant danio”, which according to genetic data is actually Devario malabaricus. The true D. aequipinnatus comes from northeast India and Bangladesh.
- Scientific name
- Devario aequipinnatus (McClelland, 1839)
- Classification
- Cypriniformes › Danionidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Northeast India, Bangladesh and Nepal (Brahmaputra, Barak, Tista, Meghna)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in hill streams and the upper reaches of small rivers, in clear, well-oxygenated water, over gravel and rocks, under overhanging vegetation; flow and turbidity vary greatly with the season.
Behaviour
Not aggressive, but its constant activity disturbs slow or shy fish: it suits large tanks, with robust species of the same size. Keep it in a shoal. In the wild it mostly eats insects: dry food, supplemented with live or frozen prey. A good current suits it.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth