Danio's being mean!

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smatts

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Jan 26, 2004
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Hey, I just added 4 phantom tetras, and a dwarf frog to my tank that already had 3 zebra danios in it. The fat female Danio has taken a few nips at my poor frogs feet, whats going on?? Can he actually hurt the frog, or is his nipping harmless?

Also I wanted to add a betta do my tank, but the guy at the LFS said that the betta would attack the danios because they swim too fast, anyone know if thats true?
 
Hmmmm....

I would think it would be the other way around with the betta. I've had danios in the past and they've always been "nippy" with other fish. I would hate to see a bettas fins shredded. How are they doing with the tetras?
 
I've never known Danios to be aggressive to any fish but each other when they are schooling together. Then again, I dont keep my frogs in with other fish just for that reason. Frogs dont have a real means to escaping being bullied like fish do. Frogs like to chill, and relax while fish are always busy doing something! :)

...maybe you should get the frog a separate home....or a tank divider so that he has a least 1-2 gallons to himself.
 
With my experience, the Zebra Danios have become aggressive at times. And currently, with a friend of mine, he has a 55 gallon with only one Danio and the rest are all different types of Tetras and other small fish. Well, he attacks alot of them, yet he looks so defenseless. So, just be careful...
 
Get the frog something to hide in. They don't like being out during the day anyway. Mine now live under a log in my 33 but in my old 10 I have some broadleaved silk pants that the fogs disappeared in. They can swim away, but because they are pretty much blind they can get paniced and run into the glass. A hiding place will give them a lair to escape that mean fish, and its possible that one night while she's sleeping that frog will have a nice meal. It has happened to me.
 
Too small a tank

Danios need lots of swimming room, they are too big and too fast for a 10 gallon tank. I think you ought to try to get a larger tank for the danios, even if that means returnig them to the store.
 
Ideally, its best to have 20-30 gallons for schooling fish, just because this allows you to see the fish "in action"....

...but why would you say they are too big for a 10 gallon? They are very slender fish, maxing out at slightly over 1 inch (counting the tail & fins).
 
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My danios are more like 2 inches without the tail and they are just over a year old. I had 3 in a bare Q tank for a while, keeping it cycled, and they were just nuts, bored I think. Eventually i put them all back together in the 29, 6 of them. Even that seems a bit small for them, I think they'd like more length than the 30 iches the 29 gallon has.

Tropical fish encyclopedia says 5 cm at adult, roughly 2 inches.
 
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