# Dario dario tips and tricks (mainly wondering what too feed and best gender ratios)



## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

So, lo and behold, my lfs manages to have these in. I've never seen these fish in person before and I knew I had to have at least a pair since I've seen them around and am setting up a nano-tank anyways.

I picked up what I believe to be a pair (man, these things are so small, I'm used to bichirs and stuff like that), and am just wondering what tips and tricks you guys can offer. If this would be better off in the nano forum, please mods, move this there.

Anyways, they are in my hi light (soon to be running pressurized co2) 10 gallon, with pygmy cories, some otos (I need more in the future) and some blue velvet shrimp and an army of misc. snails. I plan on eventually adding more of these guys to my tank, and adding other micro fish as well.

I have some micro hikari pellets, but I'm wondering what else would be good to feed these guys. I got some frozen brine shrimp as well, and I also have blood worms (though I heard those are a bad idea for these, is that true? either way, more of these will be going for my smaller angels than this tank if I were to feed any).

Im sure I'll have more questions as I go. Its a bit of a change for me to go from fish I can actually see to small little guys such as these


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

Good luck with those foods. Mine will not eat anything but live food. I feed mine live bloodworms and nematodes. Grindal Worms are next on my list of to do.

I've tried frozen bloodworms but mine won't take it. I have had one a few years back that did.

Got any pics?


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## Smitty06 (Mar 25, 2012)

Dario dario are a really mixed bag, just like bettas. Some will take only take live food when some will happily eat dry food, the latter being VERY rare. I find most will eat frozen baby brine shrimp and LOVE frozen mysis shrimp... as long as you don't feed them live foods that is. Bloodworms tend to make Dario dario fatter than they should be. Also, since most dario dario are males, make sure you are buying a female, females can be an all around kind of blueish gray, to looking like a stressed out male.


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## Assassynation (Dec 23, 2011)

I've kept dario dario for almost 2 years. I watched the 4 males flare up at each other every day. I kept them in my planted 40B and each had there own area. If you did get some females they would be pale white in coloring vs the males. When I first got them I would crumble food into a near powder for them to eat. I also had a rcs colony in there going almost 500 strong, so they probaly got their fill of babies.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

I got a pair from ' minifishroom ' on here about a month ago. And i think they are finally eating from borneowild staple s and pro grow and color i crushed up.
I also feed them microworms. 

and yes you can definitely tell which one is a male vs female. hopefully you got a pair. I know most LFS only get in males.

I was also going try some frozen baby brne shrimps also.

I havent tried fronzen bloodworms because i thought they looked to big for them to eat?


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## zico_aqua (Dec 23, 2012)

Dario dario is a native fish and best part I have have caught it before in ponds or 'pukur' as we say it in bengali language with heavy vegetation in my home town. Ideal tank ratio for a 1ft. cube (just considering it generally) 1:3 M/F ratio. Very choosy eaters! will accepts live food only (preferred microworms) dryfood only if it's like minute granules pre-soaked in garlic juice. Please provide hiding places to avoid direct aggression as post spawning the become super territorial. I personally know the person who exports them to US/UK/Germany from India (again, he's from my home town) and take it from me - hardly females go down there, they are only send to specific LFS when asked if they want a self sustaining supply for the locality,so female chances - tough!


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

Well, the place only had one bright red fish (the male) and then several smaller ones with this very pale coloration, nothing like the male at all. Tbh, I think they only had one male and that the rest they had were females lol

I'll try and get pictures up later today. They'll also be in my 5.5 gallon journal that will be updated every now and again.


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## jpalimpsest (Dec 7, 2012)

I'm looking at stocking D.dario too, so I'm going to be watching this thread


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## furnfins (Dec 30, 2011)

I had 5 of them a couple of years ago. I was lucky, mine ate chopped up blood worms. I used to also mix in mashed earthworm flake or sticks so eventually they ate those too.


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## jpalimpsest (Dec 7, 2012)

@furfins: Live blood worms?


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## MiniFishRoom (Mar 23, 2012)

I suggest keeping just 1 male to 1 female. 2 female to 1 male is always better though. 

I feed my Scarlets _*crushed flake food*_ and they all accept it willingly. Though my Badis are F4 and F5+ generation so they've always had crushed flake food to begin with so it's a norm for them. 
For *LIVE Food* I treat them to _*micro worms, scuds, daphinia, black worms, and glass worms*_. Feeding a lot of live food always get them to breed for me.
They breed like bettas so expect a ton of fry. 

There's really no trick to keeping these guys.

~ Good Luck


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

I've noticed that the dominant fish turns a bright red and the rest of the makes go a silver to faded silvery pink colour. 
Mine get frozen live foods. I grate part of a cube and drop it in. Use the smallest grate possible. Mines meant for zesting I think. They also don't actively search for good very much. They are ambush predators so they like waiting for a bit to float within range before attacking it.


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## jpalimpsest (Dec 7, 2012)

MiniFishRoom said:


> Feeding a lot of live food always get them to breed for me. They breed like bettas so expect a ton of fry.



Do you raise the fry? Do you ever sell them?


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## MiniFishRoom (Mar 23, 2012)

jpalimpsest said:


> Do you raise the fry? Do you ever sell them?


I do raise all the fry. I only sell them when I am able to sex.


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## MiniFishRoom (Mar 23, 2012)

Eldachleich said:


> I've noticed that the dominant fish turns a bright red and the rest of the makes go a silver to faded silvery pink colour.


That is really true.
First time I got these guys I bought over probably 20+ Pale looking ones at one time and only landed 2 females out of the whole batch.


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## jpalimpsest (Dec 7, 2012)

I've heard that fish stores generally only stock males.


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

Is there any clear way to sex them? Perhaps post a picture of a known male, a known female, and show a known male that looks like a female and maybe show what makes it different (if that makes sense)


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## MiniFishRoom (Mar 23, 2012)

HybridHerp said:


> Is there any clear way to sex them? Perhaps post a picture of a known male, a known female, and show a known male that looks like a female and maybe show what makes it different (if that makes sense)


Here's a few clips of my Scarlet Badis:

Male Scarlet Badis:
http://youtu.be/OC4sSC51GgU

Scarlet Badis Pair:
http://youtu.be/UkJb8lXVQwA

Scarlet Badis Female:
http://youtu.be/cT_tR6AXmII


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

*sigh* well, that didn't last long
Seems they both kicked the bucket over night, because I can't find them but I can see my snails eating two little fish looking things, and everyone else seems to be accounted for. Then again, it could be a pygmy cory but idk.

In the future, I'm getting nano-fish from a reputable source, so as to avoid the possibility of prior stressors as much as possible.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

do you think I could keep one in a mini s? 1 with some ottos and maybe micro rasbora?

mini s is 3.5g 12 x 8 x 9 I think?


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## jpalimpsest (Dec 7, 2012)

:icon_cry: 
So sorry, HybridHerp


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## MiniFishRoom (Mar 23, 2012)

HybridHerp said:


> *sigh* well, that didn't last long
> Seems they both kicked the bucket over night, because I can't find them but I can see my snails eating two little fish looking things, and everyone else seems to be accounted for. Then again, it could be a pygmy cory but idk.
> 
> In the future, I'm getting nano-fish from a reputable source, so as to avoid the possibility of prior stressors as much as possible.


Sorry about the loss. Next time get the ones that are not wild and are tank breed and raised.
Usually pet stores get wild ones so they tend to be real picky on food and probably was sick to begin with.


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## MiniFishRoom (Mar 23, 2012)

Green_Flash said:


> do you think I could keep one in a mini s? 1 with some ottos and maybe micro rasbora?
> 
> mini s is 3.5g 12 x 8 x 9 I think?


It shouldn't be a problem.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

They were probably done for before they ever made it to your tank. Why not buy some form MiniFishRoom next time around? If his really eat flake i would jump all over that! 

If you do end up with wilder ones in the future though, microworms are a good one. Daphnia would help as well. I believe they will take frozen brine, but i would NOT feed anabantoids, or most any fish, bloodworms. Way more trouble than they are worth. 

The ones i had some years back took decapsulated brine shrimp eggs, they may have taken golden pearls but i fed them at the same time and it was hard to tell the difference. They also ate pond snails I crushed on the glass. I kept CPD's in the same tank and they spawned every morning, i imagine they got a good supply of fish eggs this way. Lots of plants and mosses help to grow copepods for them to graze on as well.


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## musician71604 (May 5, 2012)

I agree, mine would only take live foods. I tried to feed them golden pearls, but never noticed them eating them.


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## Robotguy (Jan 24, 2010)

Just as a data point, here's my experience so far:

I picked up 2 Dario Dario from LFS 2 weeks ago, one bright red, one pale pink, for my Mini-M at work. I also picked up some frozen bloodworms and fed those each morning. I ordered fairy shrimp and walter worms to culture for live food. 

The red fish lasted 2 days and then disappeared. Although the tank is moderately planted, I looked hard enough that I should have found him if he was still in there. I think the CRS ate the corpse. The pink fish didn't die, so I have to assume he was eating the worms, but I never saw it.

Today my walter worm culture was finally ready so I fed those and he loved them. I got the worms from "livefishfood" on evilbay and they were very easy to start and feed, if a little smelly (mostly yeast smell, though). I'm hoping it's easy to reproduce also since so far it's the only food I've seen the little bugger eat...

The fairy shrimp (from "eeandss" are still too small to be practical, but I have ~100 hatched and growing.


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## babydragons (Mar 14, 2012)

These are such beautiful fish. I just did a whole bunch of googling on them. I wish I could have one. But I doubt one would be happy in my fluval spec


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