Introduction: Scarlet Badis. also know as Dario Dario, is a gorgeous, but tiny, freshwater tropical fish. They are native to India and a somewhat rare fish in the aquarium hobby.
Description: The males in this species are significantly more colorful than the females. However the females should not be discounted as ugly fish as some specimens show some beautiful coloration. Males are striped with red and have red fins. They have a tinge of blue that seems to form a outline at certain points on the body. The females color varies between individuals. Some show very little, if any color, while some show subtle orange stripes, slight blue tinges, and partly colored red fins. *(1)
Size: Males max out at 0.8 inches and females slightly smaller at 0.5 inches.
Sexual Dimorphism: As stated above the color is drastically different. The females tend to be slightly but not noticeably smaller. Also, females are said to be rounder than males with shorter pelvic fins at maturity*(2).
Housing: A tank as small as 5 gallons is suitable for a male female pair or possible a male and several females. There are reports of territorial behavior between males so caution needs to be exercised when housing them together. Providing plenty of hiding spaces and decor to break the line-of-sight is recommended*(3). No proof has been submitted that suggest that live plants are necessary but, as with most fish, it will not harm them and is beneficial to the tank environment.
Water Parameters: 64.4-78F water temperature, 6.5-8.5 PH, and 3-15 hardness*(4).
Compatibility: Dario Dario is a generally peaceful species but its small size and shy behavior rules out alot of possible tank mates. Any aggressive fish should not even be considered. Also any fish know for nipping or harassing tankmates should be omitted. No fish that is large enough to swallow this fish would be acceptable either. These fish can become reclusive with large or hyper tankmates *(5). They, like almost any fish, will eat shrimplets.
Feeding: This fish is well known to have a vastly different diet depending on the individual. Their are reports by keepers of this fish will eat nothing but live food while others are able to use frozen and still others have had success with flake. From my experience with the individuals I take care of, they will accept flake food however they prefer frozen. Even if they accept flake it is highly recomended you continue feeding frozen sometimes. Frozen prawn eggs make excellent food for them. They can be outcompeted for food and that is also a great reason to feed frozen prawn eggs as they tend to float in the water column somewhat.
Breeding: Please see here- Scarlet Badis (Dario dario) - Seriously Fish as I have had no bredding behavior in my fish.
Overall: These are beautiful fish. They are sometimes considered advanced but that is really depending on the individual. Intermediate would be a better description for this species on probably the majority of individuals but advanced for the pickiest of individuals. It is an interesting fish that is great for nano tanks or large aquariums with nano fish.
Notes/Personal Experience: I have found that these fish do not seem nearly as difficult to keep as many claim it to be. Aggression seems minimal and feeding has been simple. I also have found that they like to hide in big bushy plants like water sprite. However I do not have an issue with constant hiding however.
One unexplained occurrence that has happened in my tank is that the fish have at some times shown black lines on the body however I have seen no adverse health effects and they seem healthy otherwise.
*(1) Their color washes out against light colored backgrounds such as white sand but intensifies against dark backgrounds.
*(2) I obtained this information from seriouslyfish.com. I have noticed a difference in color but not any other differences at this point.
*(3) My Dario Dario males swim right beside each other and do not show any signs of aggression at this point in their life.
*(4) I suspect that, as with most fish, they will adapt to most aquarium parameters.
*(5) The sensitivity of Dario Dario to hyper fish seems to depend on the individual as mine are kept with Black Kuhli Loaches that can be quiet hyper and they show no signs of being scared or stressed.
Resources: Seriously fish, various resources (I have done alot of research but do not remember all of my resources), and personal experience.
I hope that this profile can help somebody as there is little information on this gorgeous fish. Good luck and God bless!
By: GodFan
Description: The males in this species are significantly more colorful than the females. However the females should not be discounted as ugly fish as some specimens show some beautiful coloration. Males are striped with red and have red fins. They have a tinge of blue that seems to form a outline at certain points on the body. The females color varies between individuals. Some show very little, if any color, while some show subtle orange stripes, slight blue tinges, and partly colored red fins. *(1)
Size: Males max out at 0.8 inches and females slightly smaller at 0.5 inches.
Sexual Dimorphism: As stated above the color is drastically different. The females tend to be slightly but not noticeably smaller. Also, females are said to be rounder than males with shorter pelvic fins at maturity*(2).
Housing: A tank as small as 5 gallons is suitable for a male female pair or possible a male and several females. There are reports of territorial behavior between males so caution needs to be exercised when housing them together. Providing plenty of hiding spaces and decor to break the line-of-sight is recommended*(3). No proof has been submitted that suggest that live plants are necessary but, as with most fish, it will not harm them and is beneficial to the tank environment.
Water Parameters: 64.4-78F water temperature, 6.5-8.5 PH, and 3-15 hardness*(4).
Compatibility: Dario Dario is a generally peaceful species but its small size and shy behavior rules out alot of possible tank mates. Any aggressive fish should not even be considered. Also any fish know for nipping or harassing tankmates should be omitted. No fish that is large enough to swallow this fish would be acceptable either. These fish can become reclusive with large or hyper tankmates *(5). They, like almost any fish, will eat shrimplets.
Feeding: This fish is well known to have a vastly different diet depending on the individual. Their are reports by keepers of this fish will eat nothing but live food while others are able to use frozen and still others have had success with flake. From my experience with the individuals I take care of, they will accept flake food however they prefer frozen. Even if they accept flake it is highly recomended you continue feeding frozen sometimes. Frozen prawn eggs make excellent food for them. They can be outcompeted for food and that is also a great reason to feed frozen prawn eggs as they tend to float in the water column somewhat.
Breeding: Please see here- Scarlet Badis (Dario dario) - Seriously Fish as I have had no bredding behavior in my fish.
Overall: These are beautiful fish. They are sometimes considered advanced but that is really depending on the individual. Intermediate would be a better description for this species on probably the majority of individuals but advanced for the pickiest of individuals. It is an interesting fish that is great for nano tanks or large aquariums with nano fish.
Notes/Personal Experience: I have found that these fish do not seem nearly as difficult to keep as many claim it to be. Aggression seems minimal and feeding has been simple. I also have found that they like to hide in big bushy plants like water sprite. However I do not have an issue with constant hiding however.
One unexplained occurrence that has happened in my tank is that the fish have at some times shown black lines on the body however I have seen no adverse health effects and they seem healthy otherwise.
*(1) Their color washes out against light colored backgrounds such as white sand but intensifies against dark backgrounds.
*(2) I obtained this information from seriouslyfish.com. I have noticed a difference in color but not any other differences at this point.
*(3) My Dario Dario males swim right beside each other and do not show any signs of aggression at this point in their life.
*(4) I suspect that, as with most fish, they will adapt to most aquarium parameters.
*(5) The sensitivity of Dario Dario to hyper fish seems to depend on the individual as mine are kept with Black Kuhli Loaches that can be quiet hyper and they show no signs of being scared or stressed.
Resources: Seriously fish, various resources (I have done alot of research but do not remember all of my resources), and personal experience.
I hope that this profile can help somebody as there is little information on this gorgeous fish. Good luck and God bless!
By: GodFan
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