Danionella translucida Care Guide
Danionella translucida is a near-transparent miniature cyprinid from Myanmar reaching about 1 cm, kept in large peaceful groups.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Danionella translucida is a miniature cyprinid endemic to Myanmar, described by T. R. Roberts in 1986. It is almost perfectly transparent except for its eyes, with melanophores concentrated on the head, sides, posterior body and abdomen. Adults are among the smallest known fishes, and the species belongs to a genus that lacks scales and barbels while retaining a lateral line.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cyprinidae (subfamily Danioninae; also placed in Danionidae)
- Genus: Danionella
- Scientific name: Danionella translucida
- Described by: T. R. Roberts, 1986
Habitat
The type material was collected from a slow-flowing, shallow stream in Myanmar (maximum depth around 1 m) among the roots of floating aquatic plants. It was found alongside Danio, Microrasbora, Erethistes and Oryzias species. The genus as a whole inhabits temperate and subtropical fresh waters of the Bengal region and Myanmar.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 30 L
- Temperature: 22-27 °C (72-81 °F)
- pH: 6.5-7.5
- GH: 4-12 °dGH
- School size: at least 10 individuals
- Lifespan: 2-3 years
A gently filtered, densely planted setup with low water movement suits the species. Because of its tiny size it is best kept on its own or with comparably small, calm companions.
Diet
A micropredator, it takes very small foods such as finely crushed dried products, Artemia nauplii, microworm, sifted Daphnia and chopped Tubifex. Feeding several small portions daily and offering variety supports condition in such a small fish.
Compatibility
It is peaceful and occupies mid-water levels. Suitable companions are similarly small, slow-feeding species such as Boraras, Microdevario or other nano cyprinids with matching water requirements. Larger or boisterous fish will out-compete it for food or treat it as prey and should be avoided.
Breeding
Females are deeper-bodied than males and gravid eggs are often visible through the body wall. Eggs (about 0.3-0.6 mm) are large relative to the body and are deposited in cone-shaped masses on the substrate, with clutches of roughly 3-10 eggs reported. Fry are tiny and initially require infusoria such as Paramecium and green water before accepting larger foods.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern. The species is also valued in neuroscience because its lifelong optical transparency permits in vivo imaging of neural activity.
Translucent Danionella (Danionella translucida) Breeding Guide
Overview
Danionella translucida is a tiny cyprinid endemic to Myanmar (Pegu Division), measuring about 1.1 cm and almost perfectly transparent except for its eyes (Wikipedia). It inhabits a slow-flowing, shallow stream up to about 1 m deep among floating plant roots. Females carry only 3 to 8 or 10 eggs at a time, with ripe eggs at least 0.5 mm in diameter and relatively large for the fish's body size, indicating small, frequent spawns rather than large batches.
Sexing
The body is so transparent that ripe females can be distinguished by the relatively large eggs (about 0.3-0.6 mm, ripe at least 0.5 mm) visible within the body cavity (Wikipedia). Males lack this visible egg mass.
Conditioning
As a micro-predator in the wild this species takes small live foods; conditioning on tiny live and frozen items supports the continuous production of its small egg clutches. Keep a group, as the species naturally occurs in numbers among plant roots.
Breeding Setup
- Mature, gently filtered nano tank with very calm water, mirroring the slow-flowing shallow habitat (Wikipedia).
- Fine substrate or dense fine-leaved plants and moss so the small eggs settle out of reach.
- Soft to moderate, near-neutral water; the keeping record gives 22-27 C, pH 6.5-7.5 and 4-12 dGH.
- Stable conditions for continuous low-volume spawning rather than a single large event.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Because females carry only a handful of eggs at any time (3 to 8 or 10), the species spawns small numbers continuously when held in a settled group in stable water, depositing eggs among fine substrate and plant roots rather than in one large scattering (Wikipedia).
Egg & Fry Care
The eggs are large relative to the adult yet still minute, and the resulting fry are correspondingly tiny, so the smallest possible live foods are required at first. The transparent biology that makes the genus a neuroscience model also makes egg and fry losses easy to overlook, so a separate, undisturbed grow-out is advised.
Common Challenges
The extreme small size and fragility of both adults and fry, plus the very small clutch, make population build-up slow. Detailed aquarium spawning protocols are limited in the literature, so the species is best treated as an advanced project relying on stable water and a permanent group.