Fish
Glowlight Danio
Danio choprae · also called glowlight danios
Flashing a coppery-orange stripe that seems to glow against a slim, blue-black body, a glowlight danio moves through its school with a colour combination striking enough to have earned this comparatively recent aquarium arrival a devoted following.
Overview
The glowlight danio, Danio choprae, is a small, slender schooling fish native to rainforest and wetland stream habitat within Myanmar. Its coppery-orange stripe that appears to glow against a dark body, comparatively recent formal description in the mid-2000s, and peaceful, active schooling temperament make it one of the more visually striking small danios to have joined the aquarium hobby in recent decades.
A newer name with an old-fashioned glow
Despite being a relatively recent addition to the aquarium trade compared with longer-established danios, the glowlight danio’s striking coppery stripe has quickly made it a popular choice among keepers looking for something a little different from the more familiar zebrafish and pearl danio.
Status
Least Concern, remaining present across suitable rainforest and wetland stream habitat within Myanmar.
Glowlight Danio: common questions
Why is it called the glowlight danio?
This species has a coppery-orange horizontal stripe running along a slim, blue-black body, a colour combination that appears to glow under aquarium lighting, particularly against a dark substrate, giving rise to its descriptive common name.
How long has the glowlight danio been kept in aquariums?
This species was formally described only in the mid-2000s, making it a comparatively recent addition to the aquarium hobby relative to longer-established danio species such as the zebrafish or pearl danio, which have been kept for considerably longer.
How many glowlight danios should be kept together?
This species shows its most natural, confident schooling behaviour when kept in a group of six or more, since smaller numbers can leave individuals visibly less active and less vividly coloured than a properly sized school.
Where does the glowlight danio come from?
This species is native to rainforest and wetland stream habitat within Myanmar, where it forages in schools among vegetation in slow-moving streams alongside other small fish.