Zebrafish - Behavior, farming and breeding techniques

Zebra fish, a small freshwater ornamental fish, with rich and diverse colors, likes to live in schools, is cheap, easy to raise, and easy to breed.

Zebra fish , also known as zebra fish, is a small, eye-catching aquarium fish with a characteristic striped pattern, friendly temperament, likes to live in schools, very suitable for amateur aquarium hobbyists or veterans.

In today's article, let's explore with nice fish the details of the origin, appearance, habits, and how to care for and raise zebra fish from A to Z!

Zebrafish Information :

Where do zebrafish come from?

Zebrafish are native to South Asia and belong to the carp family.

Zebra fish, also known as zebra fish, scientific name Danio rerio, is a small freshwater ornamental fish belonging to the carp family and originating from South Asia, especially in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal.

They often live in freshwater rivers, streams, and lakes, where there is slow current or still water, combined with dense aquatic vegetation.

Today, zebrafish are widely bred around the world not only for ornamental purposes but also for scientific research, especially in the fields of genetics, embryo development, and drug research.

Zebrafish Classification

Currently, zebra fish are divided into many species with different color and fin variations. Below are the most popular zebra fish species in the aquarium world. Let's learn more.

Shortfin Zebrafish

A primitive short-finned zebrafish.

This is a special variant of the zebrafish, it has a shape most similar to the wild primitive species with a slim body, short fins, not spread out like long-finned fish, swimming very quickly and actively.

Zebrafish

Blue Angelfish.

This is one of the most beautiful and popular varieties of the zebrafish and is a hybrid of the shortfinned variety. It has a distinctive appearance with long, soft, ribbon-like fins, especially on the dorsal and caudal fins.

They also have the characteristic blue-silver or blue-yellow striped coloration of the original Danio rerio strain.

Glowing Zebrafish

The vibrant colors of the zebrafish.

One of the most eye-catching variations of the zebrafish, it was bred using biotechnology to glow under blue light such as UV or white LED light. It was originally bred for biological research purposes to detect polluted water environments, but later became popular among aquarium fish due to its beautiful colors.

Some common colors are: green, red, orange, purple, yellow, neon,... Depending on the type of fluorescent protein integrated into the fish embryo.

Zebrafish physical characteristics

Zebrafish have long, slender bodies, with stripes running down the length of their bodies.

Zebra fish is a small aquarium fish but is very easy to identify thanks to its distinctive physical features. Let's find out more details below.

• Size : Average 3.5 - 6 cm, depending on fish line.
• Body : Elongated, cylindrical, slightly flattened on both sides.
• Color : The body has 5 - 7 horizontal stripes of metallic blue or dark blue alternating with silver or white stripes extending from the head to the tail of the fish.
• Head : Small, round eyes, slightly convex, small mouth, slanted upwards.
• Fins : Short fins for the original form or long fins for the fairy wing form.
• Tail : Forked.
• Pelvic and anal fins : Small, transparent or slightly metallic.
• Scales : Smooth and shiny, able to reflect light, making the fish sparkle when swimming.

Zebrafish behavior

A school of fluorescent green zebrafish.

Zebrafish are small fish, have the habit of living in schools, friendly, easy to adapt. Let's learn more about the habits of this fish species.

Live in the herd

Because of their small size, zebrafish prefer to live in groups to feel safer and less stressed. It is best to keep them in groups of 6 or more to keep them happy. If you keep them alone in small numbers, they will feel stressed and become timid.

Continuous swimming

Zebrafish are very active and will swim around the tank almost constantly, especially in the middle and upper levels. They also like tanks with a gentle water current to mimic their natural environment.

Friendly personality

Zebra fish are very friendly with other fish. They never bite, nibble fins or fight over territory with any fish.

You can raise this fish with some gentle aquarium fish such as Betta fish , Neon tetra fish , Molly fish,...

Sensitive to the environment

Although it is an easy-to-raise ornamental fish, zebrafish are still very sensitive to changes in the water environment such as temperature, pH, water quality... When the water shows signs of pollution, the fish will become lethargic, often gather at the bottom and even swim around disoriented.

How to raise zebra fish for beginners in detail

A school of short-finned zebrafish swim among aquatic plants.

If you are a new player in the aquarium hobby and want to try your hand at zebrafish, follow the instructions below to be able to raise this fish properly, healthily and with the most beautiful colors.

Preparing the Zebra Fish Tank

To help zebra fish thrive in captivity, you need to prepare an aquarium that meets the following criteria:

What do zebrafish eat?

Zebra fish are omnivorous and can eat a variety of foods, including:

• Pellet feed : Use flakes or floating pellets.
• Live food : Bloodworms, daphnia, red worms
• Feeding frequency : Feed 2 times/day with enough food in 2 - 3 minutes.

Clean the tank regularly

Zebra fish are very sensitive to changes in water sources and pollution, so you need to pay attention to cleaning the tank.

• Water change : 20 - 30% of the water in the tank every week.
• Cleaning the tank glass : Clean algae and moss on the tank glass once a week.
• Bottom sludge suction : Should be done in combination with changing the tank water.
• Check water temperature : Should be done every day to detect unusual changes.

Zebrafish Health Care

In addition to creating an optimal living environment for zebrafish, you need to pay attention to the health of this fish by observing the fish regularly to detect unusual signs.

Signs of healthy zebrafish :

• Fish swim flexibly and nimbly.
• Fish eat well, react quickly.
• Fresh color, not dull.
• Fins are tight, not torn.

Signs of abnormal fish - sick fish :

How to handle :

• Isolate fish showing signs of abnormalities.
• Use antifungal drugs, mild antibiotics,
• Bathe fish with diluted salt water.
• When changing the water in the tank, add coarse salt at a dose of 1 - 2 g/liter to increase the fish's resistance.
• Do not keep too many fish in too small a tank.

Reproduction in zebrafish

Zebrafish about to give birth have large, round bellies.

The striped horse mackerel is a fish that reproduces well in captivity. Let's learn more about the reproductive ability of this fish species.

Reproduction form

Zebrafish reproduce by laying eggs, with fertilization occurring outside the body by the male depositing sperm directly onto the eggs when the female lays eggs.

Reproduction process

To help your zebrafish breed well, follow these instructions.

• Pair male and female fish in a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio.
• Stimulate reproduction by using soft light in the morning, gradually raising the temperature.
• Because the parent fish tend to eat the eggs, after the fish lay eggs and are fertilized, you need to separate the eggs from the parent fish immediately.
• Eggs will hatch after 24 - 36 hours, depending on temperature.
• The fry will be free swimming after 3 - 4 days, at this time you can feed them with daphnia or Artemia powder.

Questions and answers about zebrafish

What causes mass deaths of zebrafish?

There are many reasons why zebra fish die such as: fish are stressed, heat shock, water pollution, the tank is too small, attacked by other fish, etc.

What do baby zebra fish eat?

Baby zebrafish can eat daphnia or Artemia powder.

What temperature do zebrafish like to live in?

Zebrafish can live in temperatures ranging from 22 - 28 degrees Celsius, but the optimal range is around 25 - 26 degrees Celsius.

Do zebrafish lay eggs or give birth to live young?

Striped horse mackerel are egg-laying fish, fertilized externally.

How many colors does the zebrafish have?

Zebrafish have many different colors such as original color, neon blue, neon pink, neon orange,...

Zebrafish price list

Currently, in the Vietnamese ornamental fish market, the price of zebra fish varies depending on appearance, color, size,... Below, we have compiled a newly updated zebra fish price list, please refer to it.

Beautiful zebra fish pictures

If you want to admire more beautiful zebra fish images with colorful colors and impressive wing fins, don't miss the collection shared below.

Shortfin Zebrafish, luminous fairy zebrafish with colorful colors.

Zebrafish with original color.

A neon zebra fish tank with beautiful, vibrant colors.

Bright neon red zebrafish.

In the above article, nicefish.net has shared information about zebra fish (zebra fish) in the most complete and detailed way. Through this, you can see that zebra fish is not only a beautiful, easy-to-raise ornamental fish, but it also has eye-catching colors, low prices, very suitable for low-budget aquariums.

Don't forget to follow our Blog section to learn more about other beautiful and popular aquarium fish!