Leopard danio facts for kids

The leopard danio (scientific name: Brachydanio rerio or Brachydanio frankei) is a type of small freshwater fish. These fish originally come from India. They are known for their lively nature and pretty spotted patterns.

Living in an Aquarium

Leopard danios are very active fish. They love to swim around a lot. They are also peaceful fish, which means they get along well with other fish. Because of this, they are often kept in fish tanks with many different kinds of fish.

These fish like to live in groups, which is called a shoal. Keeping them in a group makes them feel safe and happy. Leopard danios usually grow to be about 40 to 50 millimeters long. They prefer water that is between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius.

What Leopard Danios Eat

Leopard danios are omnivores. This means they eat both plants and other small creatures. In their natural home, they mostly eat tiny invertebrates, which are small animals without backbones.

When they live in fish tanks, you can feed them different kinds of food. They enjoy eating bloodworms and brine shrimp. They also like common flake foods that are made for aquarium fish.

Images for kids

• 

  A wild-type zebrafish embryo (top) compared to a mutant embryo (bottom). The mutant lacks black pigment.

• 

  Zebrafish are used in research to study how different things affect development.