HomeFreshwater aquarium fishBarbs, danios & rasborasDanio roseus Danio roseus Scientific name: Danio roseus Fang & Kottelat, 2000 Danio roseus is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae that grows to about 5 cm (2 in). It is easy to keep and peaceful, suits community aquariums and needs a tank of at least 75 L (20 US gal), water at 23–25°C (73–77°F) and a pH of 6.0–8.0. Native range: ASIA; Mekong river basin in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Danio roseus care at a glanceCare levelEasyTemperamentPeacefulCommunity tankExcellentAdult size5 cm (2 in)Minimum tank75 L (20 US gal)Temperature23–25°C (73–77°F)pH6.0–8.0Hardness4–13 dGH (71–232 ppm)DietOmnivore. Accepts flakes, frozen foods and live foods. BiologyDorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 15 - 17. Incomplete lateral line, perforating 9-10 scales; without infraorbital process, with 7 branched dorsal-fin rays and modally 13 branched anal-fin ray. Can be distinguished from all other Danio species by the combination of having two pairs of long barbels, and lacking horizontal dark stripes posteriorly along the sides. The most similar species, D. albolineatus s. str., has a deeper body, possesses two horizontal dark stripes along the posterior part of body, longer rostral barbels (extending beyond instead of not reaching to the posterior margin or orbit), and more vertical scale series along the side (29-30 versus 28). Possesses pink stripe in anal and pelvic fins; white upper and lower margin in caudal.Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Species factsScientific nameDanio roseusFamilyCyprinidae (Minnows or carps)OrderCypriniformes (Carps)ClassActinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)Maximum length3.7EnvironmentFreshwater; benthopelagicClimateTropicalDistributionAsia: Mekong basin in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.Conservation status (IUCN)Not EvaluatedThreat to humansHarmlessResilienceHigh, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.) More barbs, danios & rasborasTanichthys micagemmaeCherry barbPuntius titteyaTicto barbPuntius tictoThree-lined rasboraRasbora trilineataTiger barbPuntius tetrazonaTinfoil barbBarbonymus schwanenfeldiiSee all barbs, danios & rasboras SourcesTaxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Aquarium care parameters compiled, checked and converted to metric and imperial units by Guppies.za.net.Last updated 28 September 2026