A jewel-like nano fish discovered in Myanmar in 2006, the celestial pearl danio combines a starry, pearl-spotted body with fiery red fins. Peaceful and cool-tolerant, it is a favorite for planted nano aquariums but is somewhat shy and best appreciated in a calm, well-planted group.
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About 2-2.5 cm (0.8-1 in); deep blue body spangled with pearly spots and red-orange barred fins, males more intensely colored than the plumper, paler females.
Lively, hardy cyprinids — from tiny nano jewels to fast mid-water shoalers — that do best in active groups and tolerate a range of temperatures, including cooler subtropical setups.
From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
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Minimum
Planted nano
10 gal / 38 L planted
Danio margaritatus tops at just under 1 inch. A 10-gallon planted tank suits a group of 6+, with dense plants, fine substrate, cool 22–24 °C, and minimal flow. Easily intimidated — species-only is safest.
Photo coming soon
Recommended
Aquascaped nano
15 gal / 57 L aquascaped
15-gal aquascaped nano with a shoal of 10+, mosses, driftwood, and dim lighting. Males chase but rarely harm — breeding behaviour is regular in stable groups.
Photo coming soon
Ideal
Mature shrimp biotope
20 gal+ / 76 L+ shrimp biotope
Mature 20-gallon+ with mosses, leaf litter, dwarf shrimp, and a large CPD shoal of 15+. Striking pearls and reds emerge in stable, dimly lit conditions.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
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Egg
Fish eggs are small, translucent spheres, often laid in clutches on plants, substrate, or in a nest — or carried/brooded by a parent in livebearing and mouth-brooding species. A dark eye spot and the curled embryo become visible inside as development progresses.
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Fry
Newly hatched fry are tiny and semi-transparent, frequently still carrying a yolk sac that fuels them before they feed freely. They lack full fin structure and adult coloration, staying near cover until they can swim and forage on their own.
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Juvenile
Juveniles look like miniature adults but with developing fins and muted or different markings; many species shift pattern and color as they mature. Growth is rapid at this stage given clean water and steady feeding.
Adult
Adults show the species' full size, finnage, and mature coloration, and are sexually mature. Many fish develop sex-specific differences in size, color, or fin shape, which can intensify during breeding.
Habitat & enclosure
A nano species comfortable in tanks from about 40-60 L (10-15 gal). They prefer cooler, well-planted water: temperature 20-26 C (68-79 F) — they dislike being kept too warm — pH 6.5-7.5, soft-to-moderately-hard water, and gentle flow. Dense planting with open patches lets the males display and gives shy fish refuge.
They come from shallow, clear, heavily vegetated spring-fed ponds and pools on the Shan Plateau of Myanmar, a relatively cool highland habitat.
Substrate
A dark fine sand or gravel substrate makes their pearly spotting and red fins pop. Aquascape densely with fine-leaved plants, mosses and some floating cover to provide the security these shy fish need.
Equipment & setup
A gentle sponge or low-flow filter is ideal and protects fry. A heater set to the cooler tropical/subtropical range is best — avoid high heat; moderate lighting through floating plants keeps them confident and shows their color.
Diet
Micropredator. Feed small foods — quality micro-pellet and crushed flake plus regular live/frozen daphnia, cyclops, baby brine shrimp and microworm. A varied diet with live foods brings out their strongest color and conditions them for breeding.
Behavior & temperament
Peaceful but naturally timid; males display and spar harmlessly among themselves, so keep a group of 8+ with several males so aggression is spread out and females aren't pestered. Best with other small, calm nano species and dwarf shrimp; avoid boisterous or large tankmates that intimidate them and cause them to hide.
Health
Generally hardy once settled but sensitive to poor water quality and overly warm temperatures, which shorten their lives. Watch for ich and the usual nano-fish bacterial/fungal issues; provide stable, cooler water and quarantine new stock. Wild-collection pressure after their discovery makes captive-bred fish both more sustainable and more adaptable.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Easy continuous egg-scatterers: in a mossy, densely planted tank a few fry will appear naturally, or move conditioned adults to a spawning-mop tank and remove them afterward, as they eat their own eggs. Keep them on the cooler side and provide live foods to maintain peak color and longevity.
